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High costs drag Fota Island resort owner into loss

High costs drag Fota Island resort owner into loss

By Gordon Deegan

The Hong Kong-owned firm that operates Fota Island Resort in Cork recorded a modest loss of €4,478 last year as the company further invested in the resort.

In 2013, the Kang family purchased the five-star Fota Island Resort for a reported €20m and quickly followed that purchase by snapping up the Kingsley Hotel in Cork City for €6m.

The Fota resort had been built by Irish developer John Fleming for over €90m and was sold on behalf of Nama to the Kang hotelier family.

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Newly filed accounts for Xiu Lan Hotels Ltd, which operates the hotel, convention centre, and spa resort, show that the business recorded a small loss of €4,478 in the 12 months to the end of September.

That loss followed a profit of €417,814 in 2016. The latest loss takes account of hefty non-cash depreciation costs of €971,238.

The accounts also disclose that the company has a capital commitment of €960,000 this year in relation to the renovation of 30 bedrooms.

The investment this year followed investment in the property last year which resulted in an additional €2.4m being added to the book value of the company’s fixed assets.

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Separate accounts for the company that operates the Kingsley Hotel in Cork, Xiu Lan Riverside Hotel Ltd, show that pre-tax profits last year decreased by 10% to €659,126.

The drop in profits came in spite of the company’s gross profit increasing from €7.5m to €8.05m.

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