Shelbourne to reopen two months behind schedule

Dublin's Shelbourne Hotel will reopen on December 1st, more than two months behind schedule and missing the Ryder Cup, one of the country's biggest-ever tourist events. Marriott, the US group that operates the hotel, said the cost of the delay would be covered by a $6 million (€4.7 million) provision made for the closure.

The landmark hotel, which was founded in 1824 and played host in 1922 to the drafting of the Irish Free State Constitution, was closed in April last year for a €40 million-plus renovation. It now plans to open its doors at the start of December as a five-star hotel, joining the ranks of only 22 other such hotels in the Republic. It will operate under the Marriott brand as a Renaissance Hotel.

The delay means the group will miss the Ryder Cup, expected to be one of the most lucrative events for the Irish tourism and hospitality industries, bringing 40,000 people a day to the K-Club in Co Kildare, just half an hour's drive from Dublin, and projected to generate about €130 million for the economy.

With the price of a night in one of Dublin's other nine five-star hotels averaging about €180 when there is no special event in town, the Shelbourne could be missing out on a minimum of €140,000 in room bookings alone during the three-day event, not to mention the additional restaurant reservations and other revenues.

Edwin Fuller, president and managing director of Marriott Lodging International, denied the delay would have any effect on the company's accounts, saying the $6 million (€4.7 million) charge taken in the first quarter of 2005 would be sufficient to cover the costs. He attributed the late opening to the switch of hotel ownership.

Marriott signed a 30-year lease on the hotel at the start of 2004 and soon after the building was sold by its owner Royal Bank of Scotland to a group of Irish property developers, including Bernard McNamara for about €140 million.

According to Mr Fuller, this involved a rethink in the redevelopment plans and as a result extended the length of the time the hotel would remain closed.

The new hotel, to be called simply "The Shelbourne: A Renaissance Hotel" will have 265 guest rooms, compared with the previous 190, a restaurant headed by one of the Marriott's own chefs, and several plush lounges. The famous Horseshoe Bar and the Lord Mayor's Lounge will be unchanged

The lift in the entrance hall has been removed and the original staircase restored; the gym is also being renovated to become a luxury health spa and the hotel will contain a high-tech business centre and executive lounge. The trademark window boxes will also be kept, as will the long curtains and thick carpets, along with some of the furniture and antiques collected over the past 180 years.

"The history of the hotel hasn't been lost on anyone at Marriott," said Mr Fuller, adding that that was one of the main reasons the group got involved with the hotel.

The Shelbourne falls under Marriott's international lodging division, which accounts for just under a quarter of the group's total sales. According to Fuller, total sales were $22 billion last year, with about $5.3 billion coming from the international unit. The group will be able to write off any expenses incurred against income earned, under Irish tax law.