Strobe lights, champagne, liveried doormen, cockles 'n' mussels - the lavish opening of the Westin Hotel this week took all 600 guests by surprise. Here were characters in restoration garb, garda uniforms and Molly Malone outfits to entertain; the hotel has been open for 18 months, but last September was hardly a time for celebration.
The Tánaiste, Mary Harney, addressed the black-tie gathering in the Banking Hall, teasing general manager Enda Mullin and his team by assuring him that the thousands welcoming the World Cup players at the Phoenix Park were on their way to join the already comfortably full hotel.
In an amusing speech she talked about the original plan for offices in the former bank building. This plan changed, she said, because the economy was doing so badly - under another government, she grinned.
Ballina man Richard Barrett, one of the developers with the hotel's owners, Treasury Holdings, chatted to Michael Wale, of Starwood, the world's largest hotel group, which owns the Westin hotels. Developer Sean McKeon and his wife, Mary McKeon, with their son, John, who is also in the business - a bachelor, they pointed out - were all enjoying the night.
Flying through the lobby, Sarah Harvey of Starwood and her friend Berenice Brindley seemed breathless with excitement. The celebration, called Moments in Time, was deemed a great success. "It's been fantastic from start to finish," said Sinéad Maccabee, who was with her husband, Padraig Bourke.