Avoiding the spotlight of a high-profile arrival on the market, Dublin's latest four-star hotel, the Clarion, opened quietly for business last March. Together with the Jurys Inn which has been operating on a site closer to the Matt Talbot Bridge since September 1996, this is one of two hotels along the riverside frontage of the IFSC. The Clarion is one of the buildings designated by the DDDA to bring additional vitality to what is primarily a work environment and to this end in 1998 the authority held an open competition for the design of a hotel.
The winning entry was designed by Scott Tallon Walker, a practice responsible for a number of neighbouring office buildings including A &L Goodbody and Citigroup. In contrast to these large blocks which are monochrome and use granite on their exterior, the Clarion's frontage eschews pale stone for a warmer red brick, at least up to the fifth floor. The final two storeys feature predominantly glass, echoing the same material's use for balconies down the length of the building's two front corners. The glazed terraces on the top of the hotel appear to float above the structure and therefore add little sense of weight to what is, in fact, a very substantial block.
On the ground floor, full-length glass windows are framed by stone and lead the eye into an expansive reception lobby with a floor of polished green/grey Jura stone. Walls and ceilings are white and the only other colour in the space is provided by American white oak used for a line of desks and parallel benches, as well as for cladding of the lift core and a slatted screen separating this area from the lounge.
The latter space is carpeted but otherwise continues the soft tonal palette in which pale greys and beiges most strongly feature, aided once more by furnishings in white oak and walls clad in Croatian limestone. Just as the lobby leads to the lounge, s o too this opens onto the restaurant, although it also has an entrance from Excise Walk. Again pale colours are used but here the most dramatic feature is a full-length glass screen behind which can be seen _ but thankfully not heard _ the kitchen and its staff.
On the ground floor, only the bar breaks the established colour code by opting for darker shades, provided by a bar front in Kilkenny limestone, rich blue upholstery for furniture plus wall paneling and floor made from walnut. All 147 bedrooms, meanwhile, revert to the light shades of off-white, beige and grey. In addition to this accommodation, the Clarion also offers nine meeting rooms with a capacity of between 10 and 100 persons and, on the lower ground floor, a health and fitness centre including an 18-metre swimming pool. Having decided to have a "soft" opening, the Clarion has been gradually building up business; according to managing partner Brendan Curtis, by late last month capacity had reached 65 per cent and he expected it to climb steadily higher as further work proceeds to completion in the area. The hotel will also be responsible for managing a number of apartments in the adjacent Clarion Quay development which will be available for executive letting once ready for occupation. Handsome, confident and in keeping with its surroundings, the Clarion is unquestionably one of the best additions to Dublin's stock of hotels in recent years.
