As the dynamo of the Irish Republic and one of the UK short-break market’s top three European destinations, Dublin has responded to the demands of business and leisure travellers by opening a wide range of hotels over the past decade. And there are more in the pipeline.
Irish Hotels Federation chief executive John Power said:”The expansion has been driven by the fastest-growing economy in the European Union. Most of the multinationals now have headquarters in the International Financial Services Centre, local companies have helped to make Ireland the world’s second largest exporter of computer software after the US, and there has been annual double-digit growth in tourism since 1988.”
In 1995, for example, there were 2.3m British visitors, who had the choice of staying in top properties such as the Shelbourne, Conrad International, Berkeley Court, Gresham, Burlington, Westbury, and Jury’s Hotel and Towers.
The following year, the Irish rock band U2 joined a consortium to refurbish the Clarence, transforming the old-fashioned property beside the River Liffey into a 50-room example of minimalist design.
And in October 1997, increasing demand for five-star accommodation resulted in the arrival of The Merrion, opposite the Government Buildings on Upper Merrion Street.
A 130-room, 15-suite hotel, created by combining four Georgian town houses, the Merrion is targeted at business travellers, as is Dublin’s latest five-star hotel, the 151-room Radisson SAS St Helen’s (see Hotel Check below).
According to Power, the duo represent a new phase in the city’s hotel expansion programme, geared to host a predicted 3.5m British visitors this year, 10% more than in 1998.
“The Merrion emphasises independent interest in one of Europe’s major capitals, while the Radisson SAS is the herald of a growing international group presence,” said Power.
The city currently has 10,000 rooms, which will be increased when the go-ahead is given for a 150-room, three or four-star property in the Liffey Valley Shopping Centre, a 162-room, four-star hotel on Parnell Street, and the 279-room Thomas Prior in Ballsbridge.
These will be locally funded projects, but more pertinent from an international group perspective is the construction of the Four Seasons Dublin, due early next year, and the Westin Dublin, due to open by Christmas 2000. The Four Seasons Dublin, the group’s first venture in Ireland, is under construction at the Royal Dublin Society’s show grounds in Ballsbridge while The Westin Dublin will be located in the city centre, next to Trinity College.