A hotel built in the mid 1850s reopens at 2 p.m. today, after a €15 million refurbishment. It means the hotel, which has been visited by almost every politician of note in the history of the state, will be open in time for polling day high tea.
The public areas of the Great Southern Hotel in Killarney, built to coincide with the coming of the railway and before the visit of Queen Victoria to Killarney in 1861, have been restored to period grandeur.
A peep through the front doors yesterday revealed a black-and- white solid marble floor, much gilding on the decorative ceiling and a magnificent chandelier, along with an impressive inlaid porter's desk.
Missing are the the hotel's famous revolving doors, through which every Taoiseach in the country's history and several of its presidents have walked.
The doors were regarded as a fire hazard, Ms Michelle King, marketing manager, explained yesterday on the steps of the hotel.
The refurbishment has taken seven months and involved a radical upgrading of accommodation, conference and leisure facilities with 24-carat gold leaf applied to the dome of the garden room restaurant.
The presidential and ambassador suites have also been renovated. There were fears among the SIPTU staff as recently as early last year that the Aer Rianta company hotel, along with others in the Great Southern Hotel group, might be sold off.
However, that now seems highly unlikely with the refurbishment seen as a vote of confidence in the future of the hotel.