Checking out of a hotel was never such a momentous occasion. At 12.30pm, the lift doors at the Burlington Hotel opened and the unsuspecting guests from room 537 stepped into an explosion of photographers' flashbulbs.
Lesley, David and Tara Elbilia from London were the last guests to check out of Dublin's Burlington Hotel before it closed its doors for the last time yesterday.
When it opened on Upper Leeson Street in 1972, the "Burlo" was one of the city's most luxurious hotels with Dublin's first indoor swimming pool. Muhammad Ali, Johnny Cash, Bill Clinton and Quentin Tarantino were just a few of the stars who stayed at the hotel.
The huge ballroom lay empty, with hundreds of chairs piled high and round tables stacked at the sides of the room. Tearful staff hugged each other and took photographs as they waited for the guests to vacate their rooms.
But it was also business as normal and Anne Brennan quietly polished the lift as people bade their farewells.
"The job still has to be done but I hope we might finish up early," she said. "It's a lovely place to work. I don't stay in a place if I don't like it and I was very happy here."
General manager John Clifton was receiving hugs from customers and staff as he reflected on his 32 years at the hotel. The hotel acted as matchmaker for him as he met his wife Fidelma "across the crowded potwash".
"There is no other hotel like the Burlington so if you get to the position of general manager here, it's top of the peak really," he said. "It's an institution and the crew that have worked here are all very, very loyal."
Of all the celebrities who passed through the hotel, he was most impressed by some of the home-grown talent.
"You have the likes of Mick O'Dwyer who comes in here and has his pot of tea at night time. He's a fantastic character. Páidí Ó Sé comes in. I remember I had the Brazil football team staying here and Páidí arrived on the same day so we got a photograph of Páidí from Kerry with the Brazil football team. That's what the Burlington means."
Being the manager of the Burlington also requires a certain degree of GAA knowledge.
"You need to know who the winning team will be in September and make sure they are staying with you," he said. "I have to thank Cork for the last few years and Kilkenny were good to us as well."
Head concierge Frank Treacey, who joined the hotel 35 years ago, was too discreet to reveal some of the more unusual requests from guests.
"We've certainly got some strange requests that I definitely wouldn't talk about," he said diplomatically. "All our guests are well behaved."
Shortly after he started working at the Burlington, he remembered a young Arab prince arriving. "He was about eight years of age . . . but he had this train set that was worth £4,000 at the time. He gave it to someone when he left as a present," he said. "No, it wasn't me."
Conference and banqueting manager John Conmee remembered Coronation Street actor Bill Tarmey getting riled when friends set him up with an actor masquerading as a drunken waiter.
The "waiter" spilt his drink and threw potatoes on his plate before the actor lost his patience. "He read me the riot act. I literally couldn't get a word in edgeways," he said. "He saw the funny side then."
Comedian Noel V Ginnity spent 31 years doing cabaret at the hotel and played to more than two million people. "I reared my kids on this place and paid my mortgage. That can't be bad."
Tour guide Anne Mulligan was among those taking a last look around. "I think it's terrible, 35 years is a very short life for a hotel," while hotel regular Terry Cooney was more dramatic, describing it as a tragedy.
"It really is the end of an era," he said.
"I would come here at least once a week. It's very, very sad to see it close."
Hotel Facts
When it opened in 1972, the Burlington was the largest hotel in Dublin with 500 bedrooms. At the time of closing, it employed 447 people, 163 full-time and 284 casual workers.
It was originally owned by the Doyle Hotel Group, which was acquired by the Jurys Hotel Group in 1999. Last April the group sold the hotel to a company controlled by developer Bernard McNamara for €288 million.
Famous guests include: John Wayne, Cliff Richard, Leonardo Di Caprio, Gabriel Byrne, Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Daniel Day-Lewis, Maureen O'Hara, Robbie Williams, Celine Dion and Pierce Brosnan.
