The Travel Corporation’s luxury hotel collection, Red Carnation Hotels, has launched its own dedicated chain code in the GDS, in the process concluding a longstanding affiliation with the Leading Hotels of the World.

Ashford Castle, three hours’ drive west of Dublin near Cong, County Mayo, is now the Irish treasure in Red Carnation Hotels’ portfolio. Red Carnation’s owners, the Tollman family, bought the massive estate in 2013 and they have since spent ‘many millions’ on overall enhancements, including accommodation for some of the 465-strong team, who are augmented by outsourced gardeners.