Grand slam winning golf legend praises ‘world class hospitality’ at north coast's newest five-star hotel and thanks fans for their 'incredible support'
The world number two addressed his 4.8m social media followers to thank the fans and staff at Dunluce Lodge who made The 153rd Open one of the best in the iconic tournament’s history
Grand slam winning golf legend, Rory McIlroy has paid tribute to the ‘world class hospitality’ he received during his stay at Northern Ireland’s newest five-star hotel, Dunluce Lodge.
McIlroy stayed at the hotel along with his family during The 153rd Open last week and was glowing in his praise for the luxury hotel which overlooks the fourth fairway of Royal Portrush Golf Club.
The world number two took to social media on Tuesday to thank the hundreds of thousands of fans who made The 153rd Open one of the best in the iconic tournament’s history. He said playing in front of the home crowd at Portrush was an experience he will never forget.
He went on to single out Dunluce Lodge for mention after he and his family had based themselves there for the week.
Speaking on Instagram and Facebook to his combined 4.8million followers McIlroy said: “Thank you to all the fans for your incredible support at Portrush this past week. Playing in front of the home crowd was an experience I will never forget. A special thank you to the staff at Dunluce Lodge for their world class hospitality and JKC BMW for generously providing my car for the week.”
Meanwhile, McIlroy has also expressed his wish to see The Open return to Portrush in the near future as the drive continues to make the Causeway Coast the leading golf destination in the world.
He continued: "Honestly, I think Portrush has quickly turned into one of the best two or three venues that The Open goes to.”
It’s been a whirlwind period for the £16.5million pound hotel which opened its doors back in April. Since then, it has been awarded five-star status by Tourism Northern Ireland and won a host of industry awards including a listing in the Irish Independent’s prestigious Top 50 Places to Stay in Ireland.
General manager Stephen Meldrum said it was an honour to host Rory McIlroy and his family for such a historic week.
He said: “It was a privilege to have Rory McIlroy as our guest. Like all of our guests we strived to ensure his stay with us was relaxing and that he had everything he needed to ensure he could concentrate on competing at The Open.
“We pride ourselves on our warm Irish hospitality and maintaining the highest levels of privacy for our guests therefore we were thrilled when Rory praised the hotel publicly.
“Since the social media post we have already received interest from around the world from golf fans wanting to stay in the hotel where Rory called home during The Open.”