Following a major renovation, Dublin's iconic Shelbourne Hotel is open again.
Dublin's historic Shelbourne Hotel overlooking St. Stephen's Green reopens to the public after it closed for a two year refurbishment project. The hotel was set up in 1824 by Martin Burke but is now owned by the Marriott group. The hotel has 265 guest rooms including 19 suites named after famous guests including Michael Collins and Princess Grace.
The owners say the Shelbourne has been restored to its former glory and can regain it's position as Dublin's premier hotel. Head of marketing Anne Marie Whelan acknowledges the increased competition from other hotels, but thinks the Shelbourne's past gives it a special standing,
The tradition and the history that we've always had for 183 years in the city, our guests are going to want to come back.
The Horseshoe Bar is a feature of the Shelbourne Hotel. According to head barman John McLoughlin the bar now looks as it did when designed by architect Sam Stephenson in 1957.
It's a lovely feature to the hotel and to take it away would have been a disgrace to this town.
Historian Michael O'Sullivan was hired to ensure the restoration of the 19th century hotel was accurate. He believes regular visitors to the Shelbourne will immediately notice the removal of the central lift in the old staircase,
The effect of that is to open the whole central stairwell up.
More work is being undertaken on a spa area and some of the rooms are yet to be completed, so a total for the refurbishment cannot be calculated. However it is reported the refurbishment cost is in the region of €90 million euro.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 12 March 2007. The reporter is John Kilraine.
