Mullingar has seen many economic changes over the past few years and one of the latest additions to the town has been the opening of the new Annebrook Hotel, located on Pearse Street. The vibrant town of Mullingar has been enhanced by the development of the four-star hotel and owner Bertie Dunne spoke to Maroon and White about how the new premises was operating almost 12 months after opening. There is a long history associated with Annebrook House Hotel and it has the advantage of being one of the most centrally located hotels in Mullingar town. This unique venue makes an impression on guests and conference delegates alike. "One of the major pluses with the hotel apart from its location is that we can have parking space for around 100 cars, which given that we are in the centre of town is a huge incentive for guests," pointed out Bertie. With 111 bedrooms, state of the art Conference & Banqueting Facilities catering for up to 300 delegates, the Annebrook Hotel can facilitate any function with a style and elegance rivalled by few. "We have been inundated with functions since opening last February. Every weekend there has been something on and this year alone we have already 60 weddings booked in. "The hotel can cater for all types of conferences whether it be for ten people or 300. Mullingar is very central in the country and that has certainly been to our benefit as many conferences have been held here by nationwide companies. "The town has an excellent train service while the road has improved considerably meaning that journey times are not near as long as they use to be. You can be in Dublin in less than an hour at off-peak times, which means a lot to people. "The Annebrook also offers a choice of dining experience, the Brook Restaurant, and for more casual dinning guests, they can relax in The Brosna Bar. Whether you rest in our Apart-hotel Suites, Executive Hotel Rooms or Classic bedrooms, taste the delights of our restaurant, entertain in the lively bar, conduct business or pleasure within conference and banqueting, the experienced staff is dedicated to providing all concerned with the best service possible." Bertie revealed that despite their being five other hotels in or around the town that competition between the premises was something that hasn't occurred. "On the contrary, we have worked side by side and example I'll give you is that the Park Hotel often send guests in to us if they don't have the room during weddings or other major functions. "There is plenty of business in the town for all the hotels. The one thing that will turn guests off is not being guaranteed a room when making a booking and that is why we help each other out." Of course one of the main events that hotels rely on for business is weddings and Annsbrook can provide an excellent service that covers everything on that special day. They have a dedicated team that will cater for the happy couples every need and Bertie admitted that this is an area that they place a lot of emphasis on. "Located on the first floor of the hotel, our Edgeworth Suite has been stylishly designed with all the classic looks you would expect and the room is poised to receive good company and fine cuisine - The Edgeworth Suite can accommodate up to 300 guests. "We are hosting a wedding fair in February, which is a big event. Couples can come and see what we have to offer and it will be a big day for us and them. One thing we can guarantee the wedding party is that there will be no more than one wedding per day held here as is not the case in some places." February will be a big month for the hotel as there are also celebrations planned to mark its first anniversary and big celebrations are planned to mark the occasion. "There is a big party being lined up and we will be having a few events to mark us being 12 months in business. It's our aim to build up the business even further and that is the way we are heading." Annebrook House Hotel has the facilities to cater for all GAA functions and some of the local clubs have availed of its services for meetings and other matters of importance. In 2007, the hotel helped sponsor Mullingar Shamrocks in their quest for senior glory, which unfortunately resulted in defeat to Tyrrellspass in the final. Bertie was present at the football qualifier between Westmeath and Longford where he presented the supporter's club chairman John Ross with a sponsorship cheque for the game and this was obviously a good omen as the Lake County gained revenge on their midland neighbours for the defeat in the first round of the Leinster championship. Ironically, the counties must meet once again at the same stage in the 2008 campaign and like last year Westmeath must make the trip to Pearse Park. "They are very passionate about their football in these parts," said the Kildare native. "Any team interested in hosting a dinner dance or even a meeting should get in touch with us. We even have rooms available where teams can watch videos of matches and to be honest if the room is available on the night in question, there will not be any charge for it." Bertie is kept busy with the day-to-day running of the hotel, while he continues to run Marlinstown Construction, a building firm that specialises in restoring period houses to their former glory. However, it's the Annebrook House Hotel that takes up most of his time and it is set to host a major outing in June with many television and Sports personalities to attend. "Bernard Flynn is hosting his annual golf classic for the Autism society and the presentation will be held here in the hotel. This is a very worthy cause and there will be many well known people in attendance like Keith Duffy of Boyzone fame, snooker star Ken Doherty and many more." The Annebrook House Hotel is a landmark in the town of Mullingar if though it is barely a year in existence. Its reputation has already grown considerably through the excellent service provided. The team has worked hard to reach their goals and although they are still climbing in stature, it will not be too long before Annebrook is at the pinnacle. Tweet

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