Patsey Murhpyvisits the Gresham Hotel, Dublin
IT WAS quite an unexpected pleasure to wake up overlooking O'Connell Street in Dublin, with the dome of the Four Courts and steeples around Parnell Square visible in the distance. The Gresham Hotel is one of the few places that affords such a view of what is, after all, our only boulevard.
Countless legends are attached to the Gresham. On the night Nelson's Pillar was blown up, in 1966, for example, the night porter is said to have grabbed a luggage trolley and gone running out the door. "I'll bring back the head!" he announced boldly, before a manager put a stop to his gallop. Later versions have the head being wheeled triumphantly around the lobby, and, ever since, there has been much speculation about where Nelson's head got to that night. In those days no mantelpiece was complete without a bit of granite rubble.
Another story, this one from Ulick O'Connor's brief history of the hotel. In 1907 a pony appeared in the foyer with "Bird" Flanagan in the saddle. He was the ne'er-do-well son of Alderman Flanagan, a prosperous Co Dublin farmer. The Bird asked the head waiter for a drink. Being told it was after hours, he replied: "It's not for me, you fool, it's for the horse." He then leaped his agile mount over the bar and, having made his point, leaped back again. All for the sake of a bet.
The Gresham was one of the few structures left standing on O'Connell Street at the end of Easter Week in 1916, but it was destroyed in July 1922, when Cathal Brugha was fatally shot as he ran from the burning building. It reopened as a hotel in 1927, a symbol of reconstruction after the Civil War, and was famously managed by Timothy James "Toddy" O'Sullivan, who fed and watered bombing refugees as well as British and American soldiers, especially during the 1940s. He later ushered in celebrities such as Liz Taylor and Grace Kelly.
Most people have some kind of memory of the place even if in recent years the street has had its Asbo moments. It remains a place you might go for a quiet drink before or after the Savoy or the Gate or a match at Croke Park, but it does seem caught in a curious time warp. This despite the facts that the rooms were refurbished in 2006 and that developer Byran Cullen, who drives up in his Bentley, is said to have further plans for it.
The rooms are very comfortable, although the corridors are rather grim. We opted for a room on the fourth floor overlooking the action below; double glazing provided efficient soundproofing. The room was hotter than Calcutta when we arrived, but thankfully, it had air conditioning and a window that opened.
The wardrobe held a safe, an ironing board, spare pillows and blankets and a full-length honeycomb cotton robe. There was a minibar, but you have to ask to have it stocked. Tea and coffee-making equipment glide out of a drawer.
Tiny adjustable reading lights connected to the bedside lamps were a welcome detail. No Bible, just a copy of The Teaching of Buddha, plus Business & Finance magazine. What a combo.
The television screen had my name printed on it when I entered, which I always find slightly creepy. Big Brother watching you, etc. Broadband, I'm happy to report, was free of charge, and there was an interactive TV system with a visible digital clock. Movies and popcorn are on the menu.
The bathroom was sparkling and well stocked with all-in-one shower and bath.
Newspapers were delivered upon request in the morning, and we found gym equipment in a room on the fifth floor.
Breakfast in bed costs €18 for continental and a whopping €30 for hot food. Thus the dining room was busy, with a good number of rare spotted American tourists of a certain age. Two chefs presided over a large hot buffet, and service was efficient and friendly. Indeed it was the charm of the porters and staff that made the stay so entertaining.
The streetscape has certainly improved, but you can only wonder what's going to happen ultimately to the Carlton site and the gaping hole beside it now covered with the appalling Magnum ad. Let's hope it isn't too late for city planners and developers to rid the street of tat and bring O'Connell Street truly into the nexus of Dublin.
Where
The Gresham, 23 Upper O'Connell Street, Dublin 1,
01-8746881,
www.gresham-hotels.com.
Ambience
Visiting a dear old dame.
Rooms
288 rooms and nine suites, named after Grace Kelly Elizabeth
Taylor, and, oddly, Ian Ritchie.
Best rate
€140 per room per night, not including
breakfast. Continental breakfast €18, full Irish €30.
Midweek special of two-nights' B&B €169 per person
sharing.
Amenities
22 conference rooms, taking up to 285 people.
Exercise machines and yoga mats are squeezed into a fifth-floor
fitness studio.
Child-friendliness
Hmm. Breakfast room full of "active retired" types.
Baby-sitting organised with 48 hours' notice, however. Child and
cot supplement €50 B&B.
Food and drink
Windlowless Gallery Restaurant totally lacks charm
but serves excellent breakfast, including kippers, haddock and even
liver as well as the usual fare. Good porridge and fruit. Beyond
breakfast, stick to bar-food menu in Writers' Bar.
Access
Ramp, lifts, guide dogs allowed.
Parking
€14 per night in car park behind hotel.