Ireland Premier Hospitality

Conrad Dublin hotel

Conrad
Written by Roma Publications

A luxurious stay in Dublin – the Conrad Hotel

Conrad

Located in the heart of vibrant Dublin, the Conrad Dublin hotel offers a five star luxury retreat perfect for business and leisure, offering 191 luxurious hotel guestrooms, nine conference rooms and a selection of banqueting rooms.

Excitingly, the hotel has undergone a thorough refurbishment which has been taking place since December 2015. These developments are due to finish at the end of this month.

Responsible for the interior design aspects was London based interior design studio, Fabled Studio, specialising in hospitality, retail and commercial residential design. Founded by Tom Strother, Steven Saunders and Simon Gallagher in 2011, the company has a creative and forward thinking design approach, allowing them to tell a story with each project they take on.

Tom Strother, Director at Fabled Studio, revealed to Premier Hospitality that:

“The refurbishments have taken place across the building from the lobby to the guestrooms, and the restaurant and bar, as well as the public areas and the exterior façade.

“Guestrooms now feature fumed timber flooring and bespoke inset carpets with pale green leather upholstered headboard and matching upholstery to the desk chairs; limed oak louvered wall panels, and pale green lacquer for the wardrobe and mini bar doors with brass accents. The rooms are designed to be clean and contemporary with a palette based on the nearby Iveagh Gardens.”

All bedrooms are equipped with mini bars, and come in a variety of styles and sizes allowing for guests to occupy the room that suits them – whether a family room is required, or a balcony or view is desired. Complimentary Wi-Fi is also available to guests staying at the Conrad Dublin.

Moving onto the public areas, the lobby now boasts stylish stone flooring with inset chopped marble mosaic, complemented by striated textured wall panels, off set with pale pinks and green upholstery fabrics and leathers – picking up on the rosarium at the Iveagh Gardens situated very closely to the hotel. The lobby area is elegant in style, with contemporary detailing.

Tom commented:

“The idea for the whole hotel was drawing on the lesser known Iveagh Gardens which are very close to the hotel. The gardens are steeped in history having previously been called the Coburgh Gardens, which we drew the name for the restaurant from. They are lesser known that the nearby St Stephens Green, but are a beautiful place to get lost and explore the rosarium with it’s beautiful pink roses and pale greens which we took inspiration from.

“We built a colour palette around the gardens as well as a reimagining of the Iveagh Gardens maze in the design for the lobby rugs. We’ve also used a split stone face on the reception and concierge desks drawing on the waterfalls of the gardens to try to bring the outside inside.”

Guests can dine and drink in the renovated Coburg Restaurant, a modern Irish Brasserie, which draws on the Royal Horse Bazaar that was the entrance to the Iveagh Gardens in the 1800’s when it was home to the Dublin Exhibition Palace. The restaurant upholstery features equestrian detailing such as stirrup fastenings as well as stitched saddlery leather used to hang the mirrors.

Tom added:

“Our biggest challenge was probably the ambitious timescale – as well as the fact it was the first refurbishment project of its scale that has to comply with the updated Irish building and fire regulations!

“It is a fantastic project for us – we set up the studio five years ago and this is our first hotel project, which we’re thrilled to have been given the opportunity to transform. It is a great hotel to be involved with as one of Hilton’s luxury brands and is a spectacular location in Dublin city centre. We’re really proud to have achieved so much on this large hotel project with the challenging constraints.”

Conrad

Dunmore Fitout

Specialising in joinery for leading hospitality brands, Dunmore Fitout undertakes fit out projects on restaurants, bars and hotels – specifically bar counters, wall panelling, waiter stations and reception desks.

Having been in operation for 32 years, the establishment has worked on a variety of projects with a range of clients, including the esteemed Restaurant Gordon Ramsey situated on Royal Hospital Road, London; Claridges in luxury Mayfair, and The Berkeley – a stunning hotel on the corner of Piccadilly.

Premier Hospitality caught up with John McDermott, of Dunmore Fitout, to discuss the company’s involvement with refurbishment of The Conrad Dub. John commented:

“Working with The Conrad we manufactured and installed specialist joinery throughout the public areas including the Coburg restaurant, Lemuel’s bar and the new hotel lobby. To help create such interesting and inviting spaces in the heart of Dublin is something that we’re very proud of.”

When asked why it was important to be involved with the two projects, John responded:

“We value the opportunity to work with market leading hospitality operators like Hilton and creative designers such as Fabled Studio. When you can deliver high quality interior joinery on an efficient and professionally managed project it gives Dunmore the chance to build long term relationships with our customers. We deliver real value to our clients’ business by creating spaces that their customers love. Our approach to project management means that our clients’ vision is delivered in a seamless manner.”

When asked what the company prides itself on, John replied:

“We value the skill and craft of our joiners, cabinet makers and wood finishers, their ability creates the quality tactile finish to our projects. We are a family run business that places an importance on integrity, service and creating value for our customer. Dunmore is a progressive company, in terms of the quality of our staff and our ability to deliver complex design. We enjoy the challenge of working with different materials and crafting that into a space that people enjoy.”

For more information please visit: www.dunmorefitout.com.

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Roma Publications