Dublin’s Hotels Bounce Back From The Pandemic with Some New Owners And Fine Restoration

As everywhere in Europe, the economic slump of 2008 hurt Dublin’s tourism and business travel so that there was a shake-up in the hotels, with the inevitable change of hands. The Four Seasons became an Intercontinental; Bono and the Edge still own the building that houses the Clarence Hotel in Temple Bar, but it is now part of the Press Up Entertainment’s portfolio; The Marker Hotel in Docklands has been bought by Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas owned by German-based real estate company Deka Immobilien; and Marriott re-opened the Shelburne after 18 months of renovation, a year before the slump came. Now, with the economy of Ireland well back on track and post-pandemic tourism returning, all the hotels have been spruced up and the best are as modern as any in Europe, albeit with a fine degree of Gaelic history.

On my previous visit to Dublin in 2019 I was so happy staying at the centrally located boutique Brooks Hotel on Drury Street, so I stayed there again this spring. And nothing could have made me more comfortable than being greeted by the redoubtable concierge Conor O’Connell, who still looks like a sprightlier version of Samuel Beckett and never forgets a guest, especially since eight out of ten of the hotel’s guests are regulars. In his well-pressed blue suit and gray vest, club tie and Les Clef d’Or gold pins, he always seems the first person you see each morning and the fellow who asks you how your night has gone. He knows every byway in Dublin and has a book crammed with the telephone numbers of every restaurant manager, museum official, haberdasher, street guide and taxi driver by name. Whatever needs a booking, Conor will see to it at a moment’s notice, and his winking Irish wit is that of a man who puts everyone at ease upon arrival.

Opened in 1996, Brooks Hotel now has 100 rooms, a bright breakfast, lunch and dinner restaurant named Francesca’s under chef Patrick McLarnon offering modern Irish cuisine including black pudding with a poached egg, East Coast chowder and pork fillet with onion stuffing. (Ask for his recipe for Irish soda bread.)

The very well-appointed, modern rooms have well-lighted baths. As noted, it could hardly be more centrally located, within a few meters’ walk of Grafton Street, Nassau Street and Trinity College. And there’s parking right across the street.

At the moment the hotel offers a generous one-night stay (Classic Queen room) with a two-course meal and bottle of house wine and complimentary breakfast from $410. The hotel offers a “best rate guarantee” without the need to search the web for any better, so it’s wise to book directly.

New to me was the 168-room Westbury, one of the Leading Hotels of the World in the Irish-owned Doyle Collection, now one of the city’s most beautiful and ranking with The Shelburne and The Merrion of Dublin’s upper echelon hotels. Up a grand staircase as you enter, there is a superb art collection arrayed in the second story Gallery overlooking Balfe Street, and its flourishes of seasonal flowers add rich color to an already shimmering room, flanked by the city’s most ravishing bar, The Sidecar, overseen by mixologist and sommelier Michael O’Shea, who regularly holds custom whiskey tastings.

Enjoying a very fine complimentary breakfast is a capital way to shrug off jetlag when you arrive in the morning, with bright sun (if there is any) pouring through the Gallery’s tall windows onto plush loveseats and armchairs beneath coffered ceilings. It’s also a prime afternoon tea spot in town.

The Westbury’s rooms are spacious, the color tones muted, and the bathroom is considerably larger than many other deluxe hotels’, more akin to a California style, with an excellent glass shower and extensive vanity. Rooms currently begin at about $520. There is a fitness center, on-site parking and business center. Downstairs is the lively Balfe’s Brasserie with wicker chairs and marble tables, while upstairs is a very fine restaurant, WILDE, which I shall soon be writing about when I report on Dublin’s restaurant scene.

Although it is described as a boutique hotel, The Fitzwilliam Hotel, located off Grafton Street across from St. Stephen’s Green, affords a quick drop-in-and-get-away for business travelers. The quietest rooms overlook the garden now in full bloom, while others have four-posted beds. All rooms are in vivid colors, with varied hues of purple and violet. Currently there is a Spring Escape package at about $320, with extensive complimentary breakfast and free parking. And in you’re feeling posh, the Presidential Suite of 2,000 square feet, with a guestroom study, baby grand piano and complimentary Champagne should be just the ticket.

The award-winning restaurant here, Glovers Alley, will be the subject of my upcoming round-up of Dublin’s best restaurants.