Latest news with #AidanCrowe
Irish Times
19-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Clarence Hotel set to nearly triple in size after appeal dropped
The operator of Dublin's Clarence Hotel is set to almost triple the hotel bedroom capacity of the former U2 -owned hotel, after an appeal against the plan was dropped. Aidan Crowe of Banta Restaurants Ltd withdrew a third party appeal at An Bord Pleanála against the Dublin City Council decision giving the green light to Keywell DAC to increase the number of hotel rooms from 58 to 162 and add an extra floor to The Clarence and adjoining Dollard House. Mr Crowe's Cleaver East restaurant is a tenant at the Clarence Hotel in Dublin's Temple Bar and An Bord Pleanála has now granted planning permission for the development following the appeal's withdrawal. Mr Crowe's appeal was before the board for 19 days. READ MORE Banta Restaurants stalled the redevelopment plan last month after initially lodging a letter of support for the project in December. In the letter of support, Banta Restaurants Ltd said that 'in our capacity as the licensee operator of the restaurant, Cleaver East, which is located within The Clarence Hotel, Banta Restaurants Ltd wishes to express full support for the proposed planning application for the development, extension and refurbishment works at the hotel'. Then last month, in a U-turn by Banta Restaurants Ltd, director at the firm Aidan Crowe lodged the third party appeal. Mr Crowe stated in his appeal that 'approving further tourist accommodation contributes to the gradual erosion of the city centre as a lived in space, undermining national and local policy objectives around compact growth and sustainable communities.' The planned hotel revamp includes Cleaver East becoming a contemporary music pub; replacing Roberta's Restaurant with a premium event facility; refurbishing and relaunching the Workman's Cellar as a premium event driven late night music venue and repositioning Anne's bar as a specialist bar. Keywell DAC is part of Lifestyle Hospitality Capital (LHC) and last year, LHC purchased a majority stake in the Dean Hotel Group, that included the boutique Clarence Hotel, from Press Up Group. The deal came only months after Bono, The Edge and Paddy McKillen Snr sold the Clarence hotel in October 2023 to the Dean Hotel Group. The deal ended Bono and The Edge's connection with the four-star hotel after more than three decades of ownership. However, the hotel continues to trade on its U2 association with the hotel website stating that the hotel is 'also known as the 'U2 Hotel' or 'Bono Hotel' in Dublin'.
RTÉ News
11-06-2025
- Business
- RTÉ News
Dublin will require 1,725 new hotel bed spaces a year up to 2030
Dublin city will require 1,725 new hotel bed spaces a year between now and 2030 to meet projected demand. That is according to a Hotel Concentration Report lodged with Dublin City Council for a new 40 bedroom hotel planned by US billionaire John Malone's MHL's Hotel Collection on Dublin's Drury Street and William Street South, Dublin 2. In the planning application, Drury Leisure Investments Ltd - part of the MHL Hotel Collection that also includes the five star Intercontinental Dublin - has lodged plans for the new hotel adjacent to its four star Brooks Hotel. The planning application also seeks permission for an additional five bedrooms at the Brooks Hotel to bring the total number of rooms at that hotel to 103 bedrooms. In the hotel concentration report by McGill Planning lodged with the application, it states that the catchment area has the potential to grow its room numbers by 56% from 7,919 to 12,375. That includes planning applications for new hotel schemes already granted. However, the report states that as many of these applications have been consented for three or four years and uncommenced to date, it is very unlikely that this level of consents is achievable. The McGill report states that the demand estimates indicate that Dublin City "will need to cater for significantly more bedspaces to meet the need for visitor accommodation and ensure Dublin is positioned to take advantage of its tourism potential". The report states that 8,627 additional hotel bedspaces will be required by 2030 - or an average of 1,725 a year. The report states that based on slowing levels of room completions expected in the market, it is crucial that the Dublin City Council "can ensure a consistent and active pipeline of new rooms entering the market each year to cope with increasing demand, and ensure one of the key growth sectors of the Dublin City economy is effectively supported". The report states that the new 40 bedroom hotel and the additional five bedrooms at the Brooks Hotel "would not result in an over-concentration of hotels in the local area". The McGill report states that given the location of the subject site in the centre of the city, the idea of concentration needs to be weighed against the reality that hotel development within these locations offer the most sustainable, accessible, cultural parts of the city and are capable of providing the best visitor experience for tourists. The report states that an increase in the capacity of 4- star accommodation is considered necessary as an analysis has indicated a deficit of 4-star accommodation within the 1km catchment. Aidan Crowe of Banta Restaurants has lodged a letter in support of the application. Mr Crowe operates the Pink Restaurant which is located at the site under planning consideration and says: "The scheme will revitalise the under-utilised site and provide much-needed additional hotel accommodation, contributing positively to the local economy within the south city centre."
