High society
Over the years, the Shelbourne has had its fair share of glamour, intrigue and olde worlde charm, but can it continue forever? In the final part of our Hotel Legends of the World series, Helen Adkins looks for an answer.
The history of the Shelbourne hotel in Dublin reads like a best seller, with opulence, grandeur and glamour setting the scene, and political turbulence adding the pace. There can be few hotels in the world that can compete with this one for drama and intrigue.
Yet after 175 years, the "grand old lady of St Stephen's Green" is a long way from retirement. A takeover battle in 1996 meant ownership of the hotel, as part of Forte Hotels, was passed to Granada. In July this year ownership changed again when Nomura bought the Le Méridien group for £1.9b.
It remains one of the grandest and most popular hotels in an increasingly competitive Dublin market, with distinguished guests from Hollywood, politics and the stage making regular appearances.
They are joined by a loyal crowd of Dublin's politicians, journalists and intellectuals who haunt the famous Horseshoe and Shelbourne bars.
Jean Ricoux had an impressive 22-year career in hotels behind him when he joined the hotel as general manager in 1997. Yet he insists he has never experienced anything like the Shelbourne.
"Being here has been an extraordinary experience," he says. "I have never found such warmth and atmosphere anywhere else. The cosiness, the culture, and the special relationship we have with our customers is unique. I meet people all the time who tell me that their family has been coming here for four generations."
The Shelbourne has been long established as a social hub. It was founded on 1 November 1824 by Martin Burke, an Irish Catholic entrepreneur from South Tipperary who recognised a good opportunity when he saw one.
In the changing economic climate of the time, when the Anglo-Irish landed gentry were no longer able to run their townhouses all year round, he decided the city needed a "quality" hotel from which the cream of society could play out their lives.
He began to hunt for solid, comfortable accommodation at a fashionable address and found it at 27, 28 and 29 Stephen's Green, a collection of townhouses opposite St Stephen's Green, considered to be one of the finest squares in Europe.
With a downpayment of £1,000, a further £2,000 to be paid at a later date and a yearly rent of £300, Burke and his heirs were granted the leasehold for 150 years.
From the start, the hotel was a success as a meeting place and the starting point for visitors from abroad. William Makepeace Thackeray, one of its illustrious visitors, described the hotel in his Irish Sketch Book as "that respectable old edifice… where the solitary traveller may likewise find society".
In 1882's A Drama in Muslin, Irish writer George Moore painted a similar picture, when the hotel was described by the novel's Mr Harding: "All the events of life are accomplished here. People live here, and die here, and flirt here. Shelbourne life is a thing in itself and a thing to be studied."
Following the death of Burke in 1863, the hotel was sold to a consortium of hoteliers, namely Jury, Cotton and Goodman.
The property, by then in a poor state of repair, was replaced in 1866 by the mid-Victorian building that can be seen today. It was finished in only 10 months and was designed to rival the great hotels of London and Paris.
By 1867, it was complete, with a brand new façade and interior, including a telegraph office, hairdressing salon and reading room.
On the eve of 1914, the Shelbourne boasted one of its busiest seasons ever, to be followed by some of the hardest. The declaration of the First World War led to the arrest of the majority of the Shelbourne's male waiting staff who, as a hotel tradition, were German and Austrian.
Then, at the war's height in 1916, the Irish "troubles" began as nationalists led the Easter rebellion. The fighting lasted a week, left 64 insurgents, 132 Crown forces and 230 civilians dead, and was particularly heavy on the green opposite the hotel.
Reports from the time, however, claim life inside the hotel went on as normal. The traditional Easter Monday afternoon tea was served, regardless of the shooting in the street, to a full drawing room of ladies keen to show off their new hats.
Only a sniper's bullet, which took off the heads of some roses pinned to one of the patron's headgear, was enough to force guests into the reading room.
In 1922, room 112 at the Shelbourne played host to the drafting of the constitution for the new Irish Free State, under the chairmanship of Michael Collins.
During the Second World War the novelist Elizabeth Bowen was a frequent guest, operating from within the hotel as an undercover agent for the British Foreign Office. In her memoirs, The Shelbourne Hotel, she describes the hotel during the war as full of "mystery men with sealed lips and locked briefcases".
In 1960, the hotel changed hands and became part of the Trusthouse Forte Group, undergoing a IR£7m (£5.5m) programme of restoration. In 1996, Forte Hotels was bought by Granada for £3.1b. Granada retained the name, but rebranded the Shelbourne as a Le Méridien hotel.
Becoming part of an international hotel brand meant the Shelbourne was able to increase occupancy and become a wealthier property, says Ricoux. In 1999 and 2000, occupancy hit record highs of 89-91% and, until 11 September, was standing at 80% for this year. Average achieved room rates for 2001 are estimated at IR£130 (£103).
"We were able to secure additional occupancy as a result of becoming an international hotel but, more importantly, we were able to diversify our markets," Ricoux says. "It's proving very valuable today especially, not having all our eggs in one basket."
In 1998, a new IR£3.5m (£2.8m) wing was built on to the hotel to house 28 extra rooms, with a leisure centre and swimming pool below. An ongoing programme of refurbishment of the two restaurants, bedrooms, meeting rooms and the ballroom has cost about IR£12m (£9.5m) so far.
The hotel has even started to equip itself to meet the technological requirements of today's corporate guests, although Ricoux is quick to point out that as far as the outward appearance of the Shelbourne is concerned, little has or will change. The interior is decorated to exacting standards in Georgian style and every aspect of refurbishment is carried out under the watchful eye of the Heritage Council.
"We don't do anything unless we have cleared it with them," Ricoux says. "We do have Internet access in the hotel, and are introducing ISDN lines into the meeting and banqueting rooms, but it is with caution. This hotel is listed and I can't poke a hole into a listed wall."
Technology will be introduced to the Shelbourne, but it will be discreet, promises Ricoux. Other changes, which may come with the new ownership, are yet to be clarified. In the meantime, Ricoux continues to retain the unique atmosphere of the hotel, keep the bars full of people, the rooms full and the decor unchanging.
The Shelbourne
27 St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2, Ireland
Tel: 00 353 1 663 4500
General manager: Jean Ricoux
Rooms: 190
Rack rates: g340-g365/IR£268-IR£287 (£211-£226)
Average achieved room rate 2001: IR£130 (£103)
Projected average achieved room rate 2002: up five percentage points
Occupancy 2001: 80%
Projected occupancy: 70%
