(Francis Brennan) This week, we're on a mission to help two sisters
in Glengarriff, County Cork, with...
how do you put it nicely? Notions.
We joke and say, like, we're like the Brennan brothers.
Aiveen's the Francis and I'm the John.
(John Brennan) Of course, if that were true, we wouldn't be here.
That is outrageously overstated.
(masonry falling) They certainly don't lack passion,
but they do lack almost everything else.
Neither of you have any experience in either hospitality and/or spa.
(clatter) In short, they're pure amateurs.
You're in business.
(laughs) Really? That's the only thing you're doing wrong.
Their dream is to turn this unused leisure complex
into a fully functioning wellness centre and spa.
I would feel deeply, it is a commercial disaster.
It's called Jewel Lodge, but where they see a gem of an idea,
we see a financial sinkhole.
The Brennans have come along and upscuttled everything.
♪ (theme music)
(ding)
Younger sister, Keelin, is a qualified meditation coach,
but she's much more used to adding up than chilling out.
Take a deep breath in through your nose.
I know I've worked in finance for the last, well, most of my career,
but opening something like a wellness centre
has been a dream of mine, probably for 20 or 30 years.
Aiveen owns and runs a preschool
which has been her lifeline for the last 14 years.
In 2010, my husband was diagnosed with leukaemia
and was dead within 10 weeks.
And I was left with three children.
It was very, very tough.
And I think what kept me going was having a project.
I had just started my Montessori school.
That business kept me sane because
it stopped me thinking of how tragic this was,
and where I was left.
So I suppose I'm looking at the Jewel Lodge as being
my next project, my next adventure. (ding)
And when you're ready, you can open your eyes.
John and I are also in for a bit of an eye opener.
Look at that view. Yes.
It's fantastic. Spectacular.
But it's actually quite a good location
'cause it's not too far from Cork.
Yeah, no, it has a good catchment area. Yeah.
If you came for a weekend and did the retreat, or...
you know, a day or night or two, sure, it's absolutely gorgeous.
It's a nice building.
Yeah, nice houses in here, too. Yeah.
Anyway, it'll be interesting.
John.
Lovely to meet you, John. I'm Aiveen.
Aiveen, nice to meet you, now, indeed. How are ya?
Francis. Nice to be here. I'm Keelin.
Lovely to be here in a sunny morning. I know!
It's gorgeous, yeah, we planned it that way for you. Great!
You're marvellous. Tell me now, can we have a look around?
If I have a look at the spa facilities, if that's okay? Yeah!
And I can look at accommodation with yourself, Aiveen. Perfect.
The sisters are about to sink all their savings
into a 16-year-old leisure centre
in the holiday village where Aiveen has a home.
What you're looking at here is a genuine white elephant.
Originally owned by a local consortium,
it has never been opened.
It has a 10-metre pool, a large solarium or sun room,
along with a reception area, and his and hers changing rooms.
Upstairs, there's a large room overlooking the pool
that was originally meant to be a gym,
and offices that have only ever been used to store junk.
However, outside, there's a garden with a river running through it,
the ideal centrepiece for a wellness centre, you'd think.
But no, the sisters plan to build their dream around this.
The dream really is people can come,
enjoy the amenities of the area,
have a beautiful, relaxing pool and spa.
You can sit in the sauna, you can sit in the pool,
you can just completely relax.
So this is the pool area.
Has this ever been filled with water? No,
it's literally built in as it is for the last 16 years.
I've built five pools in my life, okay? Right, yeah.
The first pool I built was like a kidney-shaped pool,
and it looked fabulous on plan.
Two weeks after we opened, it was a disaster.
Right. Because people want to swim. Okay.
This is difficult from that point of view.
It's neither a dipping pool 'cause it's too big,
it's not good enough to swim in... Yeah.
And it's too expensive to run and too big for what that type
of client is looking for.
I think the sisters are in way over their heads here.
Lest we forget, every boom ends with a bust.
You know, this is a classic example of a build
in the Celtic Tiger years, about 15 years ago,
where the only thing mattered was the tax incentive.
Nothing else. The practicality of this building
is for the birds.
There's so much wrong,
and opening it as a swimming pool would cost so much money.
It's not viable whatsoever.
Upstairs, Keelin and Aiveen plan to convert the free space
into three two-bedroomed apartments.
This, I have to see.
So originally, this was going to be the gym
of the whole complex. Oh, right.
But we got planning permission to convert it
into a two-bedroom apartment. Right.
So we're gonna move this wall. This wall here?
Yeah. Back to... In here?
Yeah, to the second window. Yeah.
And make the space then, like, two nice big bedrooms instead.
So this will be just a kitchen area,
with a balcony and then a smaller living area.
And what's going on here now with this window?
Oh, this looks down on the pool.
Yeah, so that was the original plan with the gym,
I suppose because you'd have people on their bikes
overlooking the pool. Oh, yes.
So this is just going to be all blocked up. Blocked up, yeah.
This room is what we call the solarium.
Okay. It will be, em, for meeting rooms,
if we have a kind of a big group of people... Yes.
If Keelin is doing her meditation,
it'll be in this room. A multifunctional facility. Yeah.
Yeah. Now, I'm more excited about here
than I am about the hole on the ground next door. (Aiveen laughs)
Okay? This has nice potential
and, yeah, I can see things happening here Alright.
It's a nice feel to this room here.
Yeah. There's lovely height, really nice natural light. Yeah.
What do ye own outside?
Over to one half of the river, and this area here.
Outside there you have as well? Yeah.
And this is just the day door then for people to come in
without going through the main house?
Yeah.
Right. On to apartment number two.
So this is an open-planned kitchen-cum- living room
that we're going to... Very large. Yeah.
So we're going to make it... just leave this as the kitchen area,
and this is going to be a nicer, bigger bedroom. Bedroom.
There's a lot of ideas and a lot of potential here,
but it's all very unfocused,
or rather, focused on the wrong thing.
You know, the big issue here is the pool,
and they're totally fixated on the pool.
And I think they're blinded by that,
and they don't see what else they have.
So I think we need to flip it on its head,
give them a product that stands on its own two feet,
that's unique, that gives them everything they want,
but without the cost headaches that that pit has in there. Yeah.
They have a lot going for them, but a lot to do as well.
Come on, we'll talk to them.
Now, it's a very brave concept what you're planning on doing.
Okay. And I'll compliment you for that,
but I think we'll have to tweak it
here and there to make it a success.
Neither of you have any experience in either hospitality and/or spa.
I am correct, am I? You are, yeah.
And they are two separate areas
requiring quite a lot of thought and attention.
Yeah.
It may be a commercial disaster, and I would feel deeply,
it is a commercial disaster.
Because what you have here
is a recipe to lose money hand over fist,
because the cost of running the property
versus the likelihood of the money you're going to get in,
it just doesn't add up.
You have nothing unique.
Yeah. There's nothing special about it.
Doing this is a horrendously difficult product to sell because
it's neither fish nor fowl.
That pool is not going to generate one Euro for you in rooms
because every second hotel in the country
has a pool ten times better than that. Yeah.
So why would you be coming here to rent a room based on that pool?
Yeah. Technically, you'll have disappointed guests starting out,
which is the worst thing you can ever have,
'cause then they'll find the bulb gone
and the door didn't open and the window was cracked.
It's a huge cost to run that poo
to keep it to the temperature as you would need to keep it to
for people to use it. Yeah.
And you never know when they're going to use it,
so you have to keep it going the whole time. It has to be going
all the time.
That pool still has to be turned on every day
to get it through the pumps.
That is a heap of work.
Yeah.
So I would suggest that you fill in that hole in the ground behind you
which you call a swimming pool,
'cause it is nothing but a money pit.
Okay, it's not a swimming pool.
So I would fill it in and I would turn that into your meeting room,
which is a beautiful space with lovely windows,
and you can have your retreats
and everything in that space in there.
Alright?
So we have another little plan in our minds
that will give you an awful lot less work
and an awful lot more money as a result.
So, this room here becomes your wellness area.
You have a fantastic natural facility
out your window here in the river. (water trickling)
Have a relaxation room here,
and make this area out here a total wellness retreat.
Have your hot tub out here,
and I would put a horse box sauna here beside us,
and you can sell this locally on a day pass.
You're not always looking for people to stay.
Because your hinterland here is full of a lot of people
who come here for holidays during the summer,
and they would be delighted to pay a fee and come here for the day.
Much cheaper for you to run, much easier for you to run,
but a much, much better experience for the guests who's coming,
'cause you can even hear, now, the river flowing outside,
it's just glorious.
(water flowing)
This exposes you very little financially,
and gives you a huge opportunity to reap a bigger reward
than what you'd be going into with that pit behind you there.
So your thoughts tell us.
I love it. I'll close the mouth now.
Yeah! (laughter) We have two loves, have we?
I love it. I'm really excited about it. I'm very excited.
Really, lads, I wasn't expecting that at all.
And you're not disappointed that the pool has gone to that extent?
No, I thought... somebody, you were gonna say
"Alright, give up on the pool, but give up on the spa as well."
I love the idea of using this room as the spa.
I just... I think I kinda defaulted to that area
'cause the pool is there. 'Cause the pool was there. Yes.
I love the idea of what you're saying.
So it's actually two businesses.
Yeah. You have your accommodation... Yeah.
And you have a totally stand-alone different business platform
for your wellness area.
But it's hugely, hugely attractive to a much bigger audience,
which is your residents living locally.
Yeah. Do we need to do anything in the meantime?
I'd say you do. Yes. Yeah?
We've got to look at a box sauna, we've got to look at a hot tub...
Yeah. We've got to price them up and then do a little
architectural plan for out there.
And you know, if you both have a shovel,
you'll be well able to fill that pool in a week. (Aiveen laughs)
I'd say it'll be done by Sunday.
We'll finish on that. Thanks.
I'm delighted the sisters are taking our advice
because that pool would just sink them.
Losing it will create space for a room for retreats,
leaving the sun room as a relaxation and wellness area.
(water flowing) But the real game changer
will be to exploit that riverside setting.
And, as well as attracting guests to their three apartments,
we're suggesting they tap into the local tourist trade
for day visits.
So how do you think that went?
I think they were pleasantly surprised.
Yeah. And I think the more they think about it,
the more excited they're going to get over it. Yeah.
'Cause look what they're going to have when they're finished.
Absolutely. It's natural there.
So much things to think about now.
We're probably rethinking an awful lot of what... of our plan.
I knew they were gonna pick up on our lack of experience,
and they certainly did.
They've given us huge food for thought.
They've given us an awful lot of homework to do.
But I suppose they did say we weren't the experts,
and they were dead right.
I think we could do it with a cold plunge! (laughs)
Sometimes it can be all too easy
to miss what's right under your nose.
In this case, an outdoor spa,
just waiting for an engineer to work out the logistics.
This is where the outdoor spa area is going to be.
So John is gonna take levels as to where we need to put stuff.
All of which has brought out the financial planner in Keelin.
We know this is gonna be expensive,
and it's not a cost we'd built in, really.
I'd be very frank anyway, I suppose. Go on.
We'll bring our decking along this way,
and your sauna then is to be located here, close to the river.
John Brennan suggested having that as a backdrop.
The river is there. It is lovely.
We want a plunge pool. Yeah.
And where the stream is coming down there naturally,
we want people to come out of the hot tub,
and into that plunge pool, into the river.
Very adventurous... (Aiveen laughs) To be honest.
No, it sounds lovely and it reads very well.
I'd have a bit of a concern, to be honest with you,
about interfering with the river in any way. You know?
My gut feeling is that we might be better to try
and do something on a platform here,
so you'd still be kind of immersed in the river setting, and I think
it would be a nice experience, you know? Right.
It's great, so but we could do it without blocking it.
Yeah, we could, I think, yeah.
Yeah. I actually think that would keep John Brennan happy.
And that's very important. That's very important.
(he laughs) Absolutely.
Yeah. Okay.
And I'll tell you what will keep me happy,
seeing the pool, the money pit, disappear.
It's a tough call, but the right one.
(drilling)
It's strange to see the whole thing falling into bits.
You know, to see the bits of slate falling into the pool.
It's really putting an end to the whole pool concept.
Plus changing all our plans!
We have great plans for in there,
and the Brennans have come along
and upscuttled everything on us, really. Everything has changed.
We were really doing accommodation with a pool and a bit of a spa.
Now we're doing a lovely outdoor spa. A spa,
with a bit of accommodation.
No, I suppose it's sad to see something being ripped out
that was put in and probably cost an awful lot of money.
And now you've a kango hammer, you know, breaking it to bits.
It is a pity.
Today is a good day, but I think it will take a little time
for Aiveen and Keelin to see it that way.
(echoing thud)
Morning!
How are we all today? Very good, thanks, John.
Lovely day in Glengarriff.
Loads of work taking place, is there?
Yeah, yeah, it's all starting now.
Yeah. So it's getting exciting. Great.
So what's on the agenda today?
The builder has started,
Dennis has started breaking up the pool,
so we're getting very emotional. (laughs)
So it really is marking the whole end of that plan, that project.
Are they working at the pool? Yeah?
Yeah, they are. Show us there now.
Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah, right! Oh, grand, yeah, yeah.
Oh, fantastic. They could move a bit faster now. (laughter)
Do you hear that, Dennis?
Alright, ladies, we let ye go.
Alright? Lovely, yeah.
Alright, bye-bye. Thanks a million. Very good.
See you, lads. Bye. Thank you. Bye.
Do you know, that area should be like the Amazon.
When you walk in there, you should really get the feel of outside.
The Amazon in Glengarriff?
That'd be a good name for it. There you are. Yeah.
We're in Glengarriff, County Cork,
on a mission to help Aiveen and Keelin,
two sisters with a dream, to create a wellness centre and spa
in a never-used Celtic Tiger-era leisure centre.
The place came with a swimming pool that was far too small
and would be far too expensive to run.
So we advised them to fill it in and concentrate on creating
an outdoor spa, making the most of the river garden.
(clattering)
Thanks to local builder Dennis and his crew,
the pool has been filled for the first and last time.
We've another wall to knock now,
so we'll try and knock that and then
slide it down into the pool. (echoing thud)
John Brennan said it had no use.
Sure, it had great use in the end! Now you have use for it, yeah!
(Aiveen laughs) We have use for it now, yeah!
(clattering) We were wondering why
that window came out so soon. That went out very fast, yeah.
You were planning well ahead of us, like, weren't you? Yeah.
Yeah. That's gas, at least the pool has been put to some use.
(clattering) Actually, it's saving us a fortune
on skips, so it was a great way of filling up the pool.
To give the sisters a taste of what they could have,
I'm taking them to Drumhierny Woodland Hideaway,
near Leitrim village, one of the best outdoor spas in the country.
Oh my God, this place is gorgeous, isn't it? It's gorgeous!
Where's Francis? Where's Francis now?
(laughing) Good morning, ladies!
Oh, there he is.
You made it! We did! We did!
Did you bring the rain with ye?
No, I think it was here already! Yeah.
Anyway, hop in. I'm going to show you around.
Oh, lovely! It's a gorgeous spot. Ah, t's a lovely place.
Exactly, yeah.
We'll hit the road anyway. Come on now. Fantastic.
Straight ahead.
Mind yourselves there. This is a bit shaky.
I'm not used to golf things. Okay, pop out.
Thanks, Frances .
Now, this is Eilish. How are ya?
Hello, Frances. How are you doing? Aiveen and Keelin.
Ah, ladies, you're so, so welcome to Lovely Leitrim.
How are you doing? Thank you.
I cannot wait to show you guys the heart of Drumhierny,
so it's our wellbeing sanctuary. Go on ahead. Great.
And do many people coming here use it? Loads of people.
Yeah? It's so, so popular.
So it's a real massive attraction for our guests. Oh, right.
(water bubbling)
To start off, we have two lovely hot tubs here.
We have our cold plunge pool.
It's really on trend at the minute.
Everyone loves having these cold baths.
Is the plunge pool cold-cold, like? It's ice cold.
Oh, no! (Eilish laughs)
Oh, imagine getting into that! How cold is it?
Oh, my goodness!
Then we also have our relaxation deck over here.
We have the pillows the exact same location every day.
We've the two little fire heaters on.
We've the candles lit, nice relaxing music.
The theme that's running through all the time
is standard, standard, standard.
Standard is the important thing,
that you do the same thing every time.
So these are our seaweed baths.
So we have four of them in total.
So it's great even if just couples are coming,
if groups are coming, it's nice to have the kind partition
in the middle as well, just that you can
maximise your takings per day.
Do you invite guests from outside
or is it any people who are staying?
No, so that's the joy of this, that everyone is welcome.
You don't have to be a guest.
We have loads of locals that come to us all the time. Really?
So it's very, very popular with outside guests as well.
Alright. Okay! That's good.
So, well, are you gonna go for it? Are we gonna go into it?
Ah, flip it. I forgot my togs.
You did not!
So this would be our indoor area.
Yeah. It's actually very comfortable.
Would we ever be able to replicate this?
Oh, yeah. Never say never.
As well as the spa, there are 16 luxury lodges
on this 100-acre estate, catering to a very aspirational clientele.
It's all about authenticity and minimalism,
a style that the Jewel Lodge apartments
will also need to reflect.
It's not sanded down to perfection at all, it's gorgeous.
Yeah, very natural. They didn't try and make it kind of perfect.
Yes. I love the simplicity of everything
and the fact that they used all the natural materials.
Love that. Yeah.
And listen, you don't have to do everything the same as here,
but the idea is to try and adapt it to use in Glengarriff.
That is the best thing to do.
That's what learning is all about.
Their project may be a lot smaller,
but Keelin knows that it will stretch their budget to the limit.
It's given us so many ideas, but the ideas it's given us,
they're all going to cost more money,
so we're going to have to really think hard.
Ours is going to be on a much smaller scale.
Do you know, it is gonna be a...
But if we take in everything that they have here,
it's actually very possible to do it in our place.
(water bubbling)
Creating an outdoor spa from scratch will come at a cost.
My concern is that, right now,
that cost is not reflected in the business plan.
Like, Aiveen, you're the creative one.
And I was looking at the figures, so now, yeah, I'm kind of
waiting for it all to be torn apart. (both laugh)
Figures.
I have a list of figures in here in front of me, alright?
Which in ballpark terms, equate to a 550,000 a year turnover.
♪ (ominous music)
That is outrageously overstated, in my mind. Okay. Right.
I think you half the revenue,
and you probably add 10% to your cost
'cause your insurance won't change... Yeah.
Maintenance won't change.
Your rates certainly don't stop.
They take their money no matter what,
and your accountant's fee doesn't change.
But every line I look at here, it is optimistic to the last.
This is year one of a brand new product in a brand new location.
You're starting at least 50% below where that level is.
But the January figure, they're at 24% occupancy.
Yeah. I mean, if we're only getting 24% occupancy in January,
we're doing something really wrong, are we not? No.
Serious? You're in business.
Really? That's the only thing you're doing wrong.
So that's normal for January?
Yeah, yeah. With six bedrooms, you might only let...
Yeah. Really?
It's not realistic at all, in my mind, to think you're going to be
actually open in January.
We're on an island off the west coast of Europe,
on the far flungs of the western seaboard.
For us to have anything open in January
is a miracle, 'cause half the restaurants
in the South of France are closed. Okay. Okay?
There's no way you're hitting 27% in January.
Even with saunas? Even with God sitting in the sauna.
We have to be a viable business. You do,
but you have to be prudent in the way you come about your business,
and you have to crawl before you walk, and then you can run.
If it grows from what I'm saying... Yeah. Fantastic,
it's not a problem. Yeah. But this is not realistic.
Okay. To have a revenue of that amount
with the kind of business you're talking about
in the location you're in, on year one.
I was dreading this part,
'cause I knew they we're coming up with the figures
based on... Yeah. ..our limited knowledge,
so that's been priceless.
But yeah, hard to hear some of it now. (laughs)
That's good for you.
(sighs) Ah, God! It's done now, anyway.
Yes, we'll go home and cry.
He was brutally honest.
So, worried about the bottom line now,
but certainly an awful lot to take on board.
It's a hard lesson, but to their credit,
Aiveen and Keelin have had a major rethink.
Okay, the business plan has totally changed because we were
originally doing three apartments.
So at the moment, now,
apartment three is going to have to be put on hold.
So I'd say the sauna we're going to be looking at
is going to cost us in around about 40 or 50,000.
If we don't do apartment three,
that'll probably save us about 92,000.
And so we're going to put that money now into the
outdoor spa area and make that kind of very nice, instead.
(thumping)
Six weeks later, I'm back to see how the new plan is coming along.
This is the store room, is it? Yeah.
That's what it looks like at the moment anyway.
All the furniture we've inherited, yeah.
This was to be a third apartment.
We have scaled it right back,
and it's going to be a bedroom, really,
maybe with four beds, maybe for a group or for a family.
And that cost is going to be about 10,000,
so it's just saving money that we don't have at the moment.
Yeah, okay. So it'll be fine.
And then you could do something with it in the future
if you have to.
With the budget channelled into the spa side of the business,
the sisters have gained a whole new room where the pool once was.
What would we absolutely use this room for?
So this will definitely be for the group sessions during the retreats,
like the morning yoga, morning meditation.
And then we were also thinking about making it open to
kind of groups from outside.
Are you sad at losing the swimming pool?
To a point, I think I am, but it wasn't going to be practical.
So I suppose we really didn't have an option,
only to fill it in and cover it.
I think it's given us a lot of options, really. Yeah.
Yeah, you have plenty of options, and the wide open space is terrific.
Though it still needs work, one thing's for sure,
this place has a lot of potential.
So over this side of the house now,
what are we going to do in that corner?
Three windows there that you can see
are going to be replaced by a door.
And that gets you out then to look at the lovely river,
and that sort of thing. Yeah, yeah. That's lovely, yeah.
Once they come back in from the spa they can come out here and relax.
Moving along nicely.
They have great enthusiasm, and they have all sorts of ideas.
I just hope they have the money to do everything they want.
The real worry, though, is Keelin and Aiveen's lack of experience.
So we've arranged a crash course in how to run an indoor spa
at Powerscourt Springs, near Enniskerry in County Wicklow.
There's a lot to learn here now today.
Customer experience and how you fold towels, how you make beds,
and the booking systems, and doing everything right.
So I think we have a lot, really, a lot to learn here.
Well, we have because we tried to
make a bed the other day and it didn't turn out well.
It didn't look like a hotel room, sure it didn't? No. No.
So the first thing we're going to get you to do today
is you're going to suit up in our Powerscourt Springs outfit.
So you're going to be guest hosts for the day.
We're going to show you the different elements
of Powerscourt Springs.
And if you have any questions at all,
just ask, and we're here to help.
Okay, Keelin, so we're going to put you on reception here,
answering phone calls,
dealing with booking requests, etc.
Good morning, Powerscourt Springs.
Keelin speaking. How can I help you?
Now, Keelin, we actually have a guest coming in,
so do you fancy checking them in? Alright!
Hello, how are you? How are you doing?
Welcome to Powerscourt Springs. Thank you.
What's the name?
Alan is my name. Okay.
So, Alan, we'll just get your email and signature here.
I think I got the right piece of paper out, did I?
Yeah, I think it's good so far. (laughs)
We can show you around. Yeah! Have you been before?
No. No.
Love to see it. Yeah, great.
Good. Okay! So, Keelin,
you can show him around. Perfect.
Show him where everything is. Okay.
Enjoy.
Now, so you enter in the room, check lights working fine.
All the equipment are in the room.
You're not missing anything.
Open your window to let the fresh air go into the room.
Make sure your water is hot, cold, working, your toilet is flushing,
your shower is working and all.
This is all before you start to do any cleaning.
What I'd love to know is how to do the corners, you know, so that
it ends up looking like this. Nice, yeah. Nice, exactly!
Okay, no problem.
You pull this up, and then everything underneath.
And then here is your little corner.
Ah! And then you do the exact same on the other side.
Go ahead.
So you go up... Perfect.
So, try...
That's it.
And yeah, nice and tight.
All the way down.
My advice would be keep it as simple as you possibly can for yourselves,
and decide who your target customer is and market to that person
and the type of experience that they want to achieve.
So the wellness market is growing worldwide,
so you are onto a good thing.
It's just all about the execution.
The industry is going to boom.
The more stressed the world gets, the more wellness we need as well.
Yeah. So you're onto a good thing.
You'd have it spaced out like this, would you,
for a meditation session?
We would, yeah. We like to leave plenty of room.
Do you want to take a little seat there?
And then you can hoosh yourself back into it.
Yeah.
And then as an extra little bit,
what we can do is you can pop the feet up.
And then one last piece that I need to do for you.
So you know that the body temperature can drop
during a meditation.
So we want to make sure that you're nice and warm.
That's lovely. And then we get you to
turn the palms so that they're facing upwards.
Right. Yeah. And just totally relax, then,
down into the body.
Yep, that's lovely, actually. Very comfortable.
♪ (soft piano music, birdsong)
Hello, alpacas!
They look young.
I'd say they're young alpacas, yeah.
I think we've learned an awful lot today
as to how to deal with people,
how to do things very professionally.
And, yeah, 'twas a great experience.
A very enjoyable, very enjoyable day. Mm.
Meanwhile, back in Glengarriff, work is underway on the outdoor spa
that will wrap around the river side of the building.
We have pots.
This calls for some serious hands-on landscaping.
Well, Keelin isn't a gardener, she never does gardening.
I love gardening.
It's nice to be outside when 'tis dry,
but you'll see me running fairly fast once the rain comes.
(Aiveen laughs) Well, do you know what,
Dennis has been here now since October, and we're so lucky.
We bring flooring to Dennis on a Sunday,
and we come back on a Friday, and it's all floored.
He's just... he's unbelievable.
We'll have to have the place spick and span.
But the one thing we did notice with Dennis, we might say,
"Dennis, maybe we'll do, you know, this," or we suggest something,
and he'd go "Yeah, yeah, no problem."
But Dennis'll do it his way.
But his way will always be the right way.
We go back to say "Ah, flip it, he was right," like.
The Dennis way.
Do you know what, now, in fairness, it's getting exciting now.
Pressure's on, though.
The pressure is on! There's an awful lot happening,
and we're under serious pressure now.
In Glengarriff, County Cork,
we're helping sisters Aiveen and Keelin
as they venture into the world of hospitality and leisure.
This is where the outdoor spa area is going to be.
Their dream is to create a wellness centre and spa.
But after a financial wake-up call from us...
(clattering) they've had a major rethink,
filled in the undersized swimming pool,
and downsized from three to two apartments.
There's going to be a lot of work
before this brand new business is ready,
but I believe we can really help them create something special.
Every jewel needs a setting,
and Jewel Lodge has the most incredible setting you can imagine,
Glengarriff Bay.
I want Aiveen and Keelin to team up the local ferry company
and offer day packages for tourists,
combining a visit to Jewel Lodge with a boat trip.
That is a beautiful day, isn't it?
How are you today? Good, now!
We're all excited.
Our destination, Garnish Island, just across the road,
but a million miles away from reality.
You know, this is an absolute fantastic facility
on your doorstep.
People come from all around the south-west of Ireland
on their holidays. They might be staying in Baltimore,
they could be staying in Cork, they could be staying in Killarney,
and they come down to Glengarriff for the day.
And it's right on your doorstep here across the road.
So a nice big sign outside attracts people, because those people will
come back to this area again,
and it's like "Oh, yeah, that place. We'll go there."
Yeah. Yeah. "We'll go and do the trip in the morning,
and we'll go to spa for the afternoon." Mm!
The more happens in an area, the better.
Yeah. And this is quality tourism.
It brings the kind of client that you will want as well.
So the whole thing is a lovely little jigsaw coming together.
Doesn't all have to be bedroom-based for you.
Yeah, absolutely. You know, the day business is as lucrative.
It's the natural feel to it.
That is just lovely. Yeah. And the mix of plants.
Get ideas now for the spa.
It's all so tropical,
sure, look at this here, isn't that just glorious?
♪ (gentle piano music, birdsong)
Now look at this!
Wow. Isn't that spectacular?
It is, it's gorgeous. Check out the smells as well!
Garnish Island attracts 65,000 people every year,
and that's a massive resource on your doorstep
'cause all of those people have nothing to do.
All they want is to have a good time because they're on vacation,
they're on holidays.
So the more they pack into their day,
the better their experience for them,
and what you have over there is really special.
So you need to tap into what's coming here.
This place has something really unique
to offer Aiveen and Keelin's business,
in a word, synergy.
This is really about wellbeing, Garnish Island,
'cause when you come here and you walk through the whole place
and you see the plants and you smell the aromas,
all of those things bring mindfulness to the whole table.
Yeah! And what you're doing across the road is
the exact same thing, and you only want 1% of the 65,000.
That's all you're looking for. Yeah! That would be nice.
Even closer to home, in fact, right next door to Jewel Lodge,
there's another obvious tie-in that's too good to miss.
So this is another very interesting business locally,
for two reasons, okay?
First reason is it brings an awful lot of business to the area
because people come, societies and things like that. Yeah.
But more important, in my mind,
is its membership, which you can get access to.
(thwack)
Time for a chat with the club's manager, David O'Sullivan.
Hi, David. How are ya? How are ya?
John, nice to meet you. Welcome to Glengarriff Golf Club.
So now the ladies are opening a spa
just literally across the road, okay? Great.
So we want to enquire, what are the synergies and what do you see
would be the benefit for the both of ye together?
Well, the fact you've got bedrooms is a massive help,
so close to the golf club.
What we have is a lot of couples would come in,
and they would stay for the week,
and the ladies would play the one weekend, the gents on the other,
and in between, there's obviously gonna be crossovers
and something to do, so
between this lodge nearby and the spa, it'll be super.
How many members would you have here?
So we have about 100 active local members. Right.
And we're probably closer to 200 overall than, with the wider net.
So if the spa was able to offer a special offer for members,
would that be something you'd be interested in circulating?
Absolutely. Yeah, yeah. We'd love to support a local business,
and if there's benefit for our members, too, that'd be fantastic.
So perhaps we have an open day,
and we invite the members over or something of that nature...
Yeah! Super! Or give them a pass to come for their first time.
That's an idea. Super idea. Absolutely.
Be delighted. That's how do we get access to them, yeah.
Absolutely. We'd be delighted. Yeah, yeah.
And you're also getting access locally
to get the word out locally. Uh huh.
Like, it's a huge resource, particularly on your doorstep.
It's literally... you can walk across.
You're literally a shot away.
(laughter) You are, really! Yeah! Yeah!
Well, the way some people are playing today,
you could be a shot away! (laughter)
(Francis) So far, we've shown Aiveen and Keelin the big picture.
But when it comes to creating a personalised experience
for guests, it's all in the detail.
So today, I'm taking them to one of my very own happy places.
Where have you brought me?
I brought you to Murrays Textiles in Charleville.
They're in business for 110 years.
I've dealt with grandad, daddy, and now, Áine.
Wow! So we're on three generations.
Wow! Yeah, isn't it great?
So now, what are we doing first, Áine?
We're gonna show Keelin our range of towels.
Towels, right.
So now, what have you got for us?
So here we have a 500 gram bath sheet and a 600 gram bath sheet.
So what's the advantage of the heavier one then?
It's a more luxurious towel, yeah, yeah.
It's just a more luxurious towel. Okay.
Okay. But there's very little difference in it.
The 500 one is just as good, you know, and it dries quicker.
Do you have to go for white?
Well, look, give me those colours there,
till I just show you, alright?
Somebody spills bleach on that, and you can see it immediately.
This, you never have to worry.
It washes forever.
And what price are they running at?
Hand towels, you'd be talking 2 Euros,
bath sheet, 8 Euros, and a facecloth, about 50 cents or so.
Right. Yeah. Well, that's a good price. Okay.
I can tell you straight away. Alright.
And how many sets would you need for every bathroom?
So you would need six different sets per your bathroom.
Okay.
Here we have... it's a 180 TC polycotton.
So it's 50% poly, 50% cotton. Don't want it.
Okay. (laughs)
It's... We don't want poly at all. Okay, so just cotton.
So what have we got here? This is a non-allergenic
microfibre duvet. microfibre? Yeah.
People love the fact that the feather duvets hug the body
and perform very well. And this is made to do the same.
If these are as promised, I think these are a better buy for you...
Okay. ..Keelin, than the feather and down. Now onto pillows, is it?
Yeah! And the duvets. Yeah, right.
Similar to the duvets, it's made to feel like a feather pillow...
Oh, yes. But it's also a microfibre synthetic option. Right.
Anyway, this is brilliant.
I'm very happy with this, and I think you should be, too.
Perfect.
This would be our velour robe.
So this for us now, we would do this in a charcoal grey,
and we do it in a white. It's probably our most popular seller.
You'd see it in spas, you'd see it in all hotel bedrooms.
Francis, would we go for two different colours?
Like, one for the spa, one for the bedroom? No,
we'll go the one colour throughout.
A spa EATS robes.
Yeah, okay. Eats them!
Don't ask me how.
It's like as everybody wears three robes. Okay. So,
we'll be buying a good few,
then we won't be buying, like, two extra
because we have 12 people staying
and we only want 14. Forget it. Okay.
You'll be ordering 35 or 36 or something. Ah, okay.
But that is a lovely robe. Right.
And what price is that actually?
That will be coming in at about 20.95, isn't it?
About 21 or 2 Euros. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah.
And size-wise, one fits all, you're saying.
Even though a lot of our guests will be ladies, probably.
Forget it. Wrap them round 'em.
Wrap it round 'em. You can't be doing large, small and medium,
you'll be driven mad! Okay, okay.
And you've to buy a whole pile of stock!
I'm gonna have to sit down, really,
and just look at the budget.
I wasn't expecting that we'd need as many robes or as many towels.
So look, it's absolutely... we have to do it this way.
So there's a non... no compromise, really,
when it comes to what we're buying here.
So it's just gonna have to fit into the budget.
If only the rest of the spa was as easy to buy off the shelf.
With launch day barely a month away,
we really need to keep the pressure on.
(Aiveen laughs) Oh, I was worried about John Brennan visiting.
All our great plans turn out to not be great plans after talking!
Oh, it's nicely painted. Yeah. Lovely colour.
And you always wait for him to kind of make you think
that you haven't a clue what you're doing.
He'll have to find something wrong, and he probably will.
We're doing what we can!
So your sauna's here then, is it? Yeah.
Yes, at the back here. Okay. And then here is...
Hot tub. Hot tub. Okay.
If he says anything, I'll have to go at him because we've
done exactly what he's told us. Yeah.
But. eh, no, in other words, we are worried. (laughs)
Your path is lovely,
and your planting each side I think is gorgeous.
Are you going to keep this grass or what are you thinking of?
We put it down to see what it actually would look like.
Everything here should be natural. Yeah.
Okay? That's the whole beauty of this place
is that you're making the most of your river. Yeah. Yeah.
Plastic grass doesn't come into it. Yeah. Okay.
We just thought it'd be nice.
The spa will attract one type of customer,
the apartments will attract another,
but both need to work in harmony.
The style of the furniture and the table,
you could buy it in any furniture shop on any roundabout,
in any town in the country.
I I thought ye'd go for a little bit more design-orientated,
Danish-influenced Scandinavian feel.
Now, the chairs aren't Scandi... We put these in last night. Yes.
Just to kinda finish it off. To relax, was it?
Yeah, at about half past twelve, because we knew you were coming,
but they will be gone.
And where do you eat?
We're waiting on our Scandinavian-style table.
So we are gonna go... It's being flown in, is it?
It's being flown in from, yeah, Scandinavia.
It's a fine space, isn't it? Yeah, this is a lovely room.
It is, yeah. Lovely outside. Yeah, yeah.
Okay, now, where do you honestly believe you are on time?
Well, we have painters coming next week,
and they're quite happy this will be
painted within two weeks, the two areas.
We've furniture that's ready to go.
And tell me now, what are you doing here, lighting-wise?
We'll probably keep the lights that are there.
They're not that bright. Right, okay. So...
We'll put lamps and maybe, em, kind of mood lighting. Okay. Yeah.
And do you think the look of them is right for a relaxation room?
Probably not. Well, we can always replace them
and just put something more simple.
It is extremely important when the people walk through that door
for their very first time, that they get a "wow",
because what you have going on here deserves a "wow".
Right. But if it's not right, you've lost the bite of the cherry.
Okay. All that needs to be thought through...
Yeah. And you need to have a plan because up until five minutes ago,
these lights were grand on the wall. Okay, so I think there's a
ferocious amount of work to be done in here
in three or four weeks' time.
And I think it takes all the shoulders to the wheel
to get it across the line,
and it has to be across the line the day you open.
The one thing that I'm most concerned about today
is actually the opening date that they have in their mind,
'cause I do not believe this place will be ready
to the standard it should be brought to the market at
in four to five weeks.
I just think that's totally unrealistic,
and I think the ladies' thoughts on getting it finished
isn't where it should be.
A week later, with John's words ringing in their ears,
the pace of the build has really picked up.
(Dennis) I'm very relieved to have that in there,
and I know everything is the right size.
I know all the concrete is right,
and it went in there without a hitch.
It went in without a hitch, thanks be to God.
We got slated by John Brennan last week about our furniture.
So Aiveen went out on a whim the other day,
and she literally went and bought
new couches and new furniture. It's just worth it.
Let's get it right from the start.
So that's coming today as well.
These are the kind of the main...
last main things are being delivered today, now.
So it's beginning to come together.
Hopefully in time for opening in under four weeks' time.
We'll prove John Brennan wrong yet! (laughs)
(John) Well, I sincerely hope you do, because time's running out.
Oh, and the sauna? Yeah.
That doesn't look as if it's been treated. It's not treated.
Yeah. We asked the guy before he left.
We were told it was treated, were we?
We were told that was all treated timber.
We'll have to treat it immediately before it gets wet.
Before it gets wet? In West Cork? Yeah.
Oh, that's ridiculous, Keelin!
That really annoys me now.
Do we have to treat inside as well?
That's not finished off at all.
Well, it's very annoying because we're under severe pressure now
to prove John wrong, to be open when we want to be open.
And now that's... it's probably going to be a day's work
to do that, if it's going to take three coats,
it can't get wet and it has to be painted
before it gets wet, which is probably overnight.
We've an awful lot of work to do,
and that would have been something we
would have particularly hoped would have been done already,
like they promised us. Yeah.
Oops! Sorry.
A month later, Aiveen and Keelin
have risen to the challenge.
Jewel Lodge is all polished up and ready for its first guests.
All done? Job done.
Hello, ladies. Ah, hello! How are ya? Hi Francis!
Are ye all set for a busy few days? We are, we are!
Well, that's great now. So I'll have a great look around. Okay?
Brilliant. Yeah. Yeah! (Aiveen sighs)
Hopefully, he likes it, yeah!
(Aiveen laughs) That's it. That's it.
First things first.
Those new apartments.
So this is the lounge...
Very hospitable, I must say.
This room is a lovely feel, too, and the colours are lovely.
It's very soothing, the whole place.
And the kitchen is well-equipped, which is good.
Yeah, this has a lovely feel.
I must say the colour coordination is terrific.
And it... I love that green. It's very nice.
Now, this is good. There's a bit of a Scandi feel here
with the wood finish, which looks nice.
There's a nice little feel about it.
The sisters couldn't afford a third apartment, so instead,
they've created an extra-large overspill bedroom
and spent the rest of their budget on the all-important spa.
Oh, this is lovely.
The height is what makes it here, the windows,
with gorgeous views out over the river.
(whispering) It's very relaxing.
The colour blends in very well.
This looks like a wine fridge.
Oh, no, it's the infra-red sauna.
Very compact and very nice.
It's a great size.
♪ (gentle piano music)
(water rushing)
They've it very nicely landscaped, which is good.
Oh, the hot tub! I wonder, is it hot?
Oh, it is! It's lovely and hot!
Now.
It's lovely and warm.
Really rejuvenating my skin.
If I had time to get into it, but it's really lovely,
and it fits in gorgeous on the site.
Terrific! Oh, I'll have to have a go at this.
(splash)
(laughs)
It's a good job I wasn't under it!
It's absolutely fantastic now,
and the environment is just beautiful.
So well done.
There ye are now. Hi!
Ladies of leisure! We wish! You wish, yeah, yeah.
Now, I had a great look around, and you're ready to open?
Yes! Yes. (both laugh)
I'm very proud of the pair of you.
And instead of doing a ribbon, we were going to do a candle
in the honour of the spa.
Now, congratulations. (applause)
Aiveen and Keelin are hosting a soft launch
in the form of an open weekend.
First up... (ding)
Let's clear our minds and consider the benefits of
losing a tiny pool and gaining a spacious meditation room.
(in Irish) Quiet now!
(whispers) I haven't been this quiet for years.
Hi there, how are ya? Hi!
You're very welcome. And with that,
Jewel Lodge welcomes its very first guests.
..is the living room area and kitchen.
So you can make yourselves comfortable here. Yeah.
It's fab.
Thanks very much.
I was so impressed by the level of detail that they went to here.
It feels like somewhere that's been open for years.
The view and the set up and everything, it's so natural.
It was amazing.
(crowd chattering)
I suppose the high point was to see the
saunas and hot tubs come in here
because I knew it was coming to an end then.
I knew it was coming to an end and I knew it was a success.
It's lovely.
So now, it's time for me to go,
so I'll leave you with a big party.
Please God it'll go on till all hours.
So I just wanted to say you've done a fantastic job here.
The finish here, and the style,
and the running water is just lovely.
The biggest thing you have to do now is sales.
Sales, sales, sales.
That's what it's all about.
Follow your dreams! It was always my dream
to open a spa, and I can't believe it's actually come true!
You know? So, keep going, and it does happen.
Subtitles: RTÉ 2024