Mayo mourns death of Ashford Castle owner Stanley Tollman

GLOBAL tourism industry visionary, philanthropist and owner of Ashford Castle, Stanley Tollman, has died at the age of 91 following a battle with cancer.

Celebrated as one of the architects of the global tourism industry, South African born Tollman became a household name in Ireland when, in 2013, The Travel Corporation purchased Ashford Castle, followed by The Lodge at Ashford Castle in 2014.

Tollman was a much beloved patriarch who closed the final days of his life in France surrounded by his close-knit family.

He was chairman of The Travel Corporation (TTC), one of the most innovative and respected privately held travel companies in the world. Admired for his visionary leadership, innovative approach to travel experience development, innate understanding of excellence in hospitality, and commitment to employee care, Tollman’s death will be felt across the over 10,000 employees working within TTC’s portfolio of 40 award-winning brands operating in 70 countries worldwide, as well as the travel industry at large.

Stanley Tollman’s TTC brands have been instrumental in building tourism in Ireland. This began in 2006 when TTC acquired Brendan Vacations, one of Ireland’s largest tour and package operators for North American visitors. Tollman transformed the tour operator to become the premier Ireland destination specialist with a unique approach to showcasing Ireland through its people and places in a way that was designed to ignite the sense of wonder in each visitor.

He became a household name in Ireland when, in 2013, TTC purchased Ashford Castle, and The Lodge at Ashford Castle the following year.

TTC invested €75 million to the castle’s extensive restoration, providing significant local employment in Cong and far beyond. Tollman, together with his wife Beatrice and his daughter Toni, worked closely with local suppliers to undertake the delicate restoration process and bring the castle back to its former glory.

Reopened in 2015 as part of The Red Carnation Hotel Collection by then Taoiseach Enda Kenny, Ashford Castle has continued to provide long-term employment to the local community of Cong with many of the team employed at the castle for over 30 years.

Tollman’s bold transformation of the heritage property transformed Ashford Castle into what many consider the best hotel in the world, winning numerous international awards for its hospitality, service, sustainability, and the culinary and wine offering.

Following the success of Ashford Castle, Tollman added the development of Hatch Hall as a new Irish offering within The Red Carnation Hotel Collection in 2019. Hatch Hall, which was originally built by the Jesuits to accommodate the students of University College Dublin and was once home to George Bernard Shaw, is currently undergoing planning permission for a significant regeneration to become Dublin’s leading five-star hotel.

The contribution of Tollman to Ireland as a destination and tourism economy is well-known and widely saluted. Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland, said: “We in Ireland are eternally grateful for the lasting impact and legacy of Stanley Tollman. His vision, positivity and values left a positive influence on us all.

“The investment of Red Carnation Hotels into Ashford Castle has meant Ireland continues to punch above its weight on the world stage. The consequential impact on rural Ireland cannot be overstated. Our thoughts are with his wife Bea and entire family at this time.”

A devoted philanthropist and acutely aware of the need to protect the people and places visited by his portfolio of companies, Tollman set up The Travel Corporation Conservation Foundation (TTC-CF) - a not for profit focused on activation of community and conservation projects and partnerships. This was a unique move as few, if any, tourism industry leaders had sustainability and responsible travel on their radars. Renamed The TreadRight Foundation in 2012, today TreadRight supports over 55 projects worldwide, has developed a five-year sustainability strategy directly aligned to the UNSDGs (United Nations Sustainable Development Goals) directly engaging all TTC brands in measurable efforts to embed sustainability in across the business, and is championing a traveller-facing campaign (#MakeTravelMatter) to raise the awareness and engagement of travellers in more responsible travel choices.

In Ireland, TreadRight and the Tollman family have supported over 22 local communities, organisations and learning institutions including Western Care, Ballinrobe, Cope Galway, The Neale GAA Club and Cong National School. In addition, inspired by the affinity between the team at Ashford Castle and the Mayo Roscommon Hospice, the Tollman family substantially contributed to the build of a new hospice facility in Castlebar.