Doyle Collection gives Westbury Hotel €2m upgrade

The five-star Westbury Hotel, which opened off Grafton Street in Dublin 30 years ago, has been given a €2 million upgrade by its owner, the Irish-owned Doyle Collection group.

This includes a new 110-seat restaurant at street level called Balfes, triple-glazed windows for each of the 205 rooms and an investment of €800,000 on its Grafton Suite which hosts conferences, weddings and product launches.

Balfes replaces Cafe Novo, which had operated for a number of years. The restaurant was closed for three weeks to facilitate the refurbishment and the new eatery now features a terrace with seating for 20 customers.

"Trends move on," said Doyle Collection chief executive Pat King. "We decided to reposition in the marketplace and to change the experience."

The new Grafton Suite also features a 3m square high definition video wall, a first of its kind in Ireland. “We decided to go that extra mile with the sound system and technology, and we’re looking forward to the reaction from customers.”

Three balconies off the suite have also been opened up, offering views of the Powerscourt centre.

“People want daylight and it’s great to be able to offer them a terrace where they can gather or have a drinks reception.”.

Mr King said the Westbury was trading well, with its average occupancy at around 80 per cent this year.

The investment in the Westbury is part of a wider capital spend by the Doyle group on its hotels. In Washington DC it is spending about $2 million upgrading three ballrooms at the Dupont, the biggest hotel in the chain.

The Dupont is the only US hotel left in the Doyle Collection after it sold two sister properties in Washington DC and the Back Bay in Boston. Mr King said the sales were a combination of them not quite fitting the “brand experience” and strong offers being received.

The Doyle Collection now comprises eight hotels in Dublin, London, Cork, Bristol and Washington DC. “What we’ve done in the past two to three years is to invest as much as we can in eight hotels to make them the best that they can be.” Mr King also called on the Government to retain the reduced 9 per cent VAT rate for the hospitality sector when the budget is announced tomorrow.

“I’d be fearful of it increasing,” he said.

“It’s a competitiveness issue . . . it has to be viewed in the context of capital investment in hotels. Anything that takes capital investment out of hotels would be a double-edged sword.”

In terms of other measures the Government might consider, Mr King said it should look at improved access to funding and more forward planning.