Stauntons on the Green sold to US investor

An American investor has agreed purchase terms for one of Dublin’s best-known boutique townhouses, Stauntons on the Green. Agents JLL had been seeking in excess of €12 million for the four-star, 51-bedroom facility that trades well in its central location on the south side of St Stephen’s Green. The three interlinking period houses are being sold with vacant possession.

The owner, Jim Staunton, has been running the townhouses since 1989 and in recent years has added an attractive extension to the rear to bring the floor area up to more than 1,858 sq m (20,000 sq ft) to accommodate additional bedrooms. A new owner is likely to upgrade the facilities and possibly convert some of the largest bedrooms into suites.

Stauntons charges an average room rate of €90, compared with €250 in the Shelbourne Hotel on the opposite side of the green. Hotel room rates in Dublin have risen over the past year because of the tourist boom and the recovery in business travel. Tourist numbers rose by about 400,000 in the first six months of this year. There is now an acceptance that Dublin will need more hotels in the next few years.

The three Staunton houses at 82, 83 and 84 St Stephen’s Green were built in 1750 and have an interesting history.

Number 84 was once the home of the politician Henry Grattan, while the owners of the other properties included the poet Gerard Manley Hopkins, the Catholic Church and the National University of Ireland.

One of the strong selling points for Stauntons is that the property is the only hotel with a private access to the Iveagh Gardens at the rear.