Green Hospitality
Hodson Bay Hotel
Westmeath
Hotel
€€€ Eco Accommodation in County Westmeath: Certified Stays
County Westmeath has two independently certified eco properties, both in Athlone: Sheraton Athlone Hotel, which holds the Green Hospitality Eco-Label, and Hodson Bay Hotel on Lough Ree, which holds Green Hospitality Programme certification. Both properties sit on or near the River Shannon system, the ecological and geographical heart of the Irish Midlands.
Sheraton Athlone Hotel: Green Hospitality Eco-Label
Sheraton Athlone Hotel holds the Green Hospitality Eco-Label, independently assessed under Ireland’s hospitality sector environmental standard. The Eco-Label confirms the hotel has implemented a documented Environmental Management System covering energy, water, waste, biodiversity, and community engagement.
The Sheraton is a 4-star property on the west bank of the River Shannon in the centre of Athlone, with 168 rooms, a spa, leisure centre, and a riverside terrace. Its position at the Shannon’s narrowing point as it flows through Lough Ree makes it one of the most distinctively located certified eco hotels in the Midlands.
Athlone is Ireland’s principal Midlands town, with a Norman castle, a medieval old town, and access to the Shannon-Erne Waterway, the longest navigable waterway in Ireland and Britain. The town has developed into a significant food and culture destination over the past decade, making it a more interesting base for eco travellers than the Midlands reputation might suggest.
Hodson Bay Hotel: Green Hospitality on Lough Ree
Hodson Bay Hotel on Lough Ree holds Green Hospitality Programme certification, with a documented sustainability programme committing to reductions in carbon emissions, water usage, and waste.
Hodson Bay is a 4-star property on the eastern shore of Lough Ree, on the outskirts of Athlone. The hotel has 168 rooms, a marina, spa, and rooms overlooking the lough directly. Lough Ree is one of Ireland’s largest lakes, a shallow, island-studded body of water 26km long that forms a Special Protection Area and a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance.
The lakeside position gives Hodson Bay Hotel’s sustainability programme an ecological context that most certified hotels lack: the property directly overlooks a internationally recognised wetland habitat. Environmental management here carries real weight.
Athlone: Two Certified Hotels in Ireland’s Midlands Hub
Athlone having two certified eco hotels is unusual for an Irish Midlands town of its size. The combination of Sheraton Athlone (Green Hospitality Eco-Label, town centre, on the Shannon) and Hodson Bay Hotel (Green Hospitality, lakeside on Lough Ree, 4km from town) gives eco travellers two very different certified stays in the same area.
The Sheraton suits travellers who want a city-centre, full-service hotel experience with walkable access to Athlone’s restaurants, castle, and cultural offering. Hodson Bay suits travellers who want a lake setting, marina access, and a more resort-like experience with the certified eco credentials attached.
Westmeath and the Midlands Eco Landscape
Westmeath is not a county that appears frequently in eco tourism literature, but its position at the geographical centre of Ireland makes it a practical transit point for island-wide eco itineraries. It is equidistant from Dublin (130km), Galway (90km), Limerick (130km), and Sligo (150km).
The county’s lakes, particularly Lough Ree and Lough Derravaragh (associated with the legend of the Children of Lir), are significant freshwater habitats. The Fore Valley in the north of the county contains one of Ireland’s best-preserved medieval monastic sites. These are not standard eco tourism attractions, but they reward eco travellers who take the slower route.
Laois to the south holds Maldron Hotel Portlaoise (Green Tourism Gold), making the midlands corridor between Portlaoise, Athlone, and Sligo a viable certified route through the least-visited part of Ireland.
Find Your Certified Stay in County Westmeath
Two certified eco properties: Sheraton Athlone Hotel (Green Hospitality Eco-Label) and Hodson Bay Hotel (Green Hospitality Programme), both in Athlone.
Certified Stays
