Newpark Hotel in Kilkenny named Best Family Friendly Hotel in Ireland
Irish Hotel Awards: The team at Newpark Hotel also got significant recognition across a number of different awards categories as various staff members at the Kilkenny establishment were crowned best in Leinster
The family-owned Flynn Hotel Collection is celebrating the success of its three hotels at the 2026 Irish Hotel Awards with national honours for Newpark Hotel in Kilkenny and The Old Ground Hotel in Ennis, alongside individual awards recognising colleagues across the collection.
Newpark Hotel was named Best Family Friendly Hotel in Ireland, while The Old Ground Hotel received the award for Best Local Hotel in Ireland. The Park Hotel in Dungarvan was Highly Commended in the Best Self Catering category, with three members of its management team also taking home regional awards.
Founded by Niall and Dottie Flynn over 65 years ago in the spirit of “Let our Family Look After Yours”, the collection is now managed by their sons, John, Allen and Pierce. The awards reflect that family ethos, recognising both the welcome guests receive and the people whose work shapes each stay.
For Newpark Hotel, the Best Family Friendly Hotel in Ireland award celebrates a property where generations of families have come to spend time together.
Set across 25 acres of parkland close to Kilkenny City centre, the hotel combines family accommodation, an adult only floor with hot tub suites, wedding and conference facilities and wellness and leisure amenities.
Outdoors on the grounds of the hotel, Jurassic Newpark captivates and entertains with a dinosaur themed park, featuring giant animatronic dinosaurs, a wildlife farm, fairy trail, adventure castle playground, inflatable bounce park ‘Jurassic Bounce’, dino themed rides, a train and live performances in the dino den theatre.
Outdoor adventures at Jurassic Newpark make the stay enjoyable and memorable for the whole family, with seasonal events and new additions giving reasons to keep coming back.
The awards assessor particularly praised the team’s thoughtful approach to families, from staff engaging directly with children to making mealtimes easy for parents. Small touches, including cookies and milk in reception at night, were also singled out as helping to make the stay special.
At Newpark Hotel in Kilkenny, the team got a significant recognition headed up by Mark Flynn and Niall Dunne who were recognised as Best General Managers in Leinster.
Meanwhile Marketing Manager Philip Kelly, MIHI, received Best Marketing Manager in Leinster and People and Culture Manager Mary O’Neill was named Best HR Manager in the region.
Revenue Manager Elaine Scott won Best Revenue Manager in Leinster and Events Sales Manager Gill Long received the national award for Best Events Manager in Ireland.
The individual awards reflect the range of work involved in running the hotels, from preparing bedrooms and planning special occasions to supporting colleagues and welcoming guests.
John Flynn of the Flynn Hotel Collection said that his parents founded the collection with a simple idea: ‘Let our Family Look After Yours’.
“That spirit lives on today throughout each hotel, brought to life by our dedicated and passionate teams, in how they care for guests and how they support one another,” he said.
“We are very proud of our winners and everyone working alongside them. It is particularly special to see both our hotels and our people recognised.”
The Irish Hotel Awards recognise excellence in Irish hospitality through independent, in-depth inspections, celebrating hotels that deliver distinctive guest experiences and the people helping to raise standards across the industry.
The Flynn Hotel Collection comprises Newpark Hotel in Kilkenny, The Park Hotel in Dungarvan and The Old Ground Hotel in Ennis.