Today, Irish hotels are cool. They’re hip, sophisticated and on the cutting edge of style. They have the latest iPod accessories in the rooms, and the most luxurious of products in the bedrooms. They’re ecofriendly, quirky and full of wow-factor. Service is top notch, food is aspiring to a Michelin Star and the interior design is dramatic. Irish people have always been renowned for their hospitality and céad mile failte. Not so long ago, visitors came to here to discover the country’s history, culture and beautiful landscape. Back then, Irish people themselves traveled to the beaches or cities of this country too, but it was for these beaches and cities, and the activities on offer there, that they would venture to these places – and rarely to stay in a particular hotel. Today, however, modern, with all its glitz and glamour, has witnessed a new breed of hotels. It is not uncommon nowadays to hear of a couple or group of friends travelling “to a hotel”. They’ll go to the g in Galway, the Dylan in Dublin or the Radisson Farnham Estate in Cavan, just to stay in these highly stylised places that they have heard so much about. Even the residents neighbouring these gems in hostelry often “treat” themselves to a night in a hotel that might only be a few minutes away, all to experience the luxury and individuality that they have to offer.
Galway’s g hotel is probably the most obvious example of a new breed of classy lodgings. With the interiors designed by world-famous milliner and Galwegian Philip Treacy, in conjunction with architects and designers Douglas Wallace, this hotel made many headlines when it opened its doors just over two years ago. The flagship of Monogram hotels, a new group that now also runs the d in Drogheda and the Meyrick in Galway, the g is extravagant, flamboyant and over-the-top; loved by many, but ghastly to others. Using shocking pinks, metallic golds, bright purples, clever lighting, chequered black and white and plenty of swirls (both in the carpets and in the furniture), the interiors were like nothing seen before in . Yes, we had the likes of the Merrion and the Westbury in Dublin, where the famous and rich could stay and play, but none of these were as stylised as the g; this hotel was more like a nightclub. Since then, other hotels seem to have jumped on the style bandwagon. Staying in the west of the country, the Twelve in Bearna followed in the footsteps of the g and used brilliant colours, unique furniture pieces and an underlying sense of luxury to capture the imaginations of its guests. Its most costly suites have superkingsized beds, iPod docks, 32-inch plasma televisions, open fire places and mini wet bars – and this is still merely four-star lodging.
Bellinter House in Co Meath, which is owned and run by Jay Bourke and John Reynolds of POD nightclubs fame, gained much public interest when it opened for business last year. An old house that was given the modern redesign treatment, it too went in for that quirky, flock-wallpapered look, incorporating such notable installations as a light shade in the form of a buffalo’s head and a cow-print armchair. More recently, the Dylan Hotel in the centre of Dublin opened its doors to the wonder and amazement of all who walked through them. The bar alone is a decadent affair, complete with an ice cold silver and blue counter, oversized velvet couches, gold padding on the walls and a glittering ruby red floor. At night, the atmosphere is mysterious: dark, yet richly colourful. The Still Restaurant, in contrast, is pure white, and serves “delicate Irish food”.
All of these would be considered high-end hotels, and therefore the fact that their interior design is of a remarkable quality is probably to be expected. All the same, however, they seem to have set a trend. An element of eccentricity has seeped into most Irish hotels that have either been built or redesigned in the last two or three years. Where once there were plain walls; there is now unusual wallpaper. Where once there was a carpet; there is now curious tiling. Picture frames hang with no pictures contained in them. Fireplaces are given a lick of metallic paint. Chairs are suede – pink suede! It appears that hotel guests in today are no longer happy with simply visiting another part of the world; they want to be transformed to another world altogether. P
Philip Treacy certainly thinks so. On the g’s website, he states: “21st century travelers are discerning creatures. We want to escape, but we also want to indulge our desire for comfort and luxury. Bland, corporate hotels no longer suffice. They capture nothing of the essence of their location and could, too easily, be anywhere.” So, bland is out and bizarre is in. Of course, the problem is that, if everyone’s doing it, no one stands out. If every hotel decides to redecorate their lobby with an orgy of purple swirls, this style will no longer be so different, and thus the desired effect will get lost in translation. Also, the g, which remains’s a most peculiar hotel, only works because it is designed so well and because the materials used are of such a high quality.
A hotel manager would be mistaken if he thinks that he can recreate the weird pretentiousness of the g on the cheap. Less expensive materials will fray, rip and fade in colour quicker than more pricey furnishings, making a lobby look old and unkempt in no time. The devil, as they say, is in the detail. As well as that, one has to wonder how long this trend of lavish hotel design can last. As if anyone needs reminding, is now in recession. The g was designed when the economy was still reeling from 15 years of GDP growth. With tough times ahead, will the blaringly obvious opulence of this style begin to come across as crass and somewhat out of place? Or alternatively, will we more than ever need to escape to a wonderland of silk pea green pillows and silver rugs? For now, hotels across the country will continue to make themselves seem ever more individual in order to attract paying individuals through their oversized, electric blue doors – and we’re still succumbing to their charms.