The National Treasury Management Agency has awarded 41 contracts for advisers to review and evaluate borrowers’ business plans for the National Asset Management Agency (Nama).

The firms chosen will also help Nama in its ‘‘interface’’ with borrowers whose loans are transferred to the agency.  The contracts were awarded to companies in Ireland and Britain in recent weeks, following 163 tenders from financial companies.

Amethyst Consulting, headed up by Ronan King, has won the tender to join this list.  Taking a targeted team based approach, Amethyst will use the resources available from PREM Group  and HAMS to help review the business plans on behalf of NAMA.

In an article published online today at insolvencyjournal.ie,  Claire Hartnett talks to Ronan King, chairman of Hotel Asset Management Services (HAMS) and head of the Chartered Accountants Ireland NAMA forum, about how struggling hotels can be managed through the downturn.

“Even before NAMA was set up, we saw the need to manage property assets,” says King. “Hotels are a special breed of property. Unlike normal leases, they’re a mix of property and trading. Location is vital – but understanding your market segments and exploiting these is key.”  Read the full article

HAMS is a joint venture between PREM Group and consulting firm Amethyst – managing properties on a short-to-medium term basis.  Through HAMS we help to stabilise and secure the business with a view to selling the property at an appropriate time in the future.

HAMS has been operating Tulfarris House and Golf Resort since it reopened in April 2009 and in May, it was appointed managing agent to assist the reciever , Grant Thornton , with the  management of the 120 room Clanree Hotel in Letterkenny, Co. Donegal.

The new M3 officially opens today, two months ahead of schedule.

The road could cut an hour or more off peak journey times between Dublin and Cavan, making the beautiful county more accessible than ever.  The 60km stretch bypasses the towns of Navan, Kells and Dunshaughlin and the faster access times from Dublin should be a great boost for the regions tourism.  Opening in time for the bank holiday weekend will allow many more people to enjoy the countryside.

The M3 finishes just north of Kells and very close to picturesque Virginia.  The Park Hotel, situated on the banks of Lough Ramor, is in a stunning location, its country house hotel specials make it the perfect escape for a night or two.  Enjoy delicious dining, fine wine and elegant surroundings in this former lodge of the Marquis of Headfort.

Guests planning a cultural visit to any of the Flemish art cities of Bruges, Antwerp, Ghent, Leuven or Mechelen will now be able to download an interactive guide to the smart-phone.  In an exciting project launched by the Flemish Minister of Tourism Geert Bourgeois the first 25,000 downloads of these fantastic city guides are free.

The multilingual walking tours through the cities highlight cultural places of interest and give funny anecdotes on the lives and history of the local people.

The Leuven and Antwerp guides boast three themed routes whilst the guides for the other cities are designed for users who enjoy rambling through the city, uncovering delights as they go.  Currently the guides are available to users with Android phones and can be downloaded from Story Nations.