Gordon Deegan
Plans are to be lodged in the coming days for almost a tripling in the room capacity of the former U2 hotel, The Clarence in Dublin’s Temple Bar.
The new owners of the hotel, Keywell DAC have given notice that it is to lodge plans for the major revamp and extension of the Clarence Hotel with Dublin City Council.
The application by Dean Group subsidiary, Keywell DAC states that it is to increase the number of rooms from the current 58 to 162. The additional 104 bedrooms will include a six storey extension at the site.
The Dean Group is owned by Lifestyle Hospitality Capital (LHC) and a spokeswoman for the Dean Group said on Friday: “The Clarence hotel is set to undergo a thoughtfully designed renovation and expansion starting in 2025, marking an exciting new chapter for Dublin’s most iconic hotel.
She said: “Plans include the addition of new guest bedrooms, along with unique spaces dedicated to entertainment, dining, and events. This ambitious development will further cement The Clarence’s historic legacy as a cultural and social hub in the heart of Dublin City.”
In March of this year, Paddy McKillen Jnr and business partner, Matt Ryan from the Press Up Group sold a majority stake in the Dean Hotel Group, that included the boutique Clarence Hotel, to British property group Lifestyle Hospitality Capital (LHC) and Elliott Investment Management, the New York-headquartered investment giant founded by billionaire Paul Singer.
The deal valued the hotels at about €355 million and gave LHC and Elliott a stake of more than 70 per cent.
The deal came only months after Bono, The Edge and Paddy McKillen Snr sold the Clarence hotel last October 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”.
The hotel refurbishment will comprise 8,544 sq metres when complete and will accommodate the additional 104 rooms.
The applicants intend to add one storey dormer extension to the Clarence and the refurbishment of floors one to six to accommodate 37 additional rooms.
The revamp will include a refurbished Octagon Bar, a stout bar and a contemporary music bar at ground level along with a gym and a live music venue at basement level.
On plans for the adjoining Dollard House, the applicants are to change the use of the upper floors to accommodate 46 hotel rooms and change the ground floor use to ancillary restaurant, retail bakery coffee shop and new event and banqueting space.
Keywell is also seeking to demolish the existing Anne’s Bar and construct a new six storey extension to accommodate 15 new hotel rooms.
The Clarence had previously obtained planning permission in December 2019 for a 56 bedroom extension to the hotel.
However, the planning grant of permission came only three months before the Covid-19 pandemic which shut down the hospitality industry for much of the following two years and the scheme was not proceeded with.
In 2008, the city Council granted planning permission for a €150 million plan, designed by British architect Norman Foster, to transform the Clarence into a 141-bedroom five-star hotel and spa and that project never got off the ground due to the recession at the time.
