Planning permission granted for 55-bed hotel in Dublin 2

Hoteliers Ray Byrne and Eoin Doyle are to open a new hotel in Dublin city centre after securing planning permission for a change of use of an office block off Dame Street previously owned by Eir.

Dublin City Council has approved plans by Vantage Fusion, a company owned by the two business partners, for the change of use of the Hely Building on Dame Court and Dame Lane for the new 55-bedroom hotel.

Eir had secured planning permission in 2019 to convert the former telephone exchange buildings to offices but subsequently abandoned such plans.

A bar that will form part of the new development will be located next to the Stags Head pub.

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Although council planners noted there were a number of hotels in the nearby area including the Central Hotel, the Grafton Hotel and Citi Hotel as well as many licensed premises, they said the new hotel would be located in buildings that had been vacant for a number of years and would provide active street fronts at locations that were not principle retail streets.

Vantage Fusion had sought planning permission for a 57-bedroom hotel but the council directed that two guest rooms on the ground floor should be omitted because of concerns of the noise from a laneway on occupants.

Mr Byrne and Mr Doyle have described the new hotel as "Temple Bar meets Grafton Quarter".

The hotel, which will be named REZz (sic) D2, is scheduled to open in December. A similar 78-bedroom facility in Rathmines called REZz D6 is due to open in October 2022.

The two businessmen own a number of hotels and guesthouses around Ireland including the Wineport Lodge, Glasson, Co Westmeath; the BrookLodge Hotel in Aughrim, Co Wicklow; the Eccles Hotel in Glengarriff, Co Cork; Stauntons on the Green in Dublin; the Shipquay Hotel in Derry; and the Kilkenny Inn in Kilkenny.

Through their company, Nhance Investments, Mr Byrne and Mr Doyle also have plans to open a number of other new hotels over the next two years, including a REZz hotel on the South Mall in Cork and another on MacCurtain Street in Cork as well as a 50-bedroom hotel and restaurant at Goffs in Kildare.