The devil is in the detail…

On a recent visit to the new Jurys Hotel in Cork, I was bowled over by just how different the new structure and interior is to the former and will surely become a popular destination for visitors to the city and locals alike.

But ever the stickler for detail, I found myself questioning a few details which, although they are easily remedied, stuck in my mind for the wrong reasons:

• A great job has been done on adding a dedicated floor of conference/syndicate rooms with it’s own reception area and toilets, but with so much money put into design, usefulness came second it seems when it came to toilet doors. While the frosted glass is a novel twist, the absence of hooks on the back of the doors is sure to annoy business delegates laden down with overcoats and suit jackets. So, if hooks cannot be added to the frosted glass doors, perhaps adding them to the wooden cubicle surrounding walls would be a helpful alternative.
• On a visit to the Bar at 11am for a bite of breakfast. (breakfast menu: 8.30-14.30), a full range of scones, croissants, danish pastries, coffees etc were available. I noted that there were no juices on the menu. An enquiry with the server confirmed that the only juices available were the bottled Britvic variety from the shelf. A request for freshly squeezed juice from the restaurant was also declined.  Considering the success of juice bars, smoothies, slurpies and every other kind of variation on pressed fruit and vegetables, would a more substantial juice offering be in order for a four star hotel?
• Always delighted to get back to my native Cork, I was looking forward to a nice cup of Cork’s own Barry’s Tea, but alas, according to the server, the hotel does not stock Barry’s Tea! Is this the equivalent of a Dublin Pub not serving Guinness? Worth considering surely….

 

Would you sell up for a Quarter of a Billion Euros?

Dublin and indeed Ireland’s one time largest bed factory is to be sold to make way for more beds, those that are housed in upmarket apartments.

Following the announcement of favourable trading results today, Jurys Doyle confirmed that it would indeed be offloading the Burlington Hotel in order to “invest in it’s existing assets”.

It appears that the sale was prompted by the sale recently of an adjoining parcel of land for €100 million which consequently valued the Burlington on its 4 acre site at close to €250 million.

Jury’s Doyle has certainly gone through a metamorphosis in the past couple of years but as a business decision, this sale makes absolute sense. The group reported profit figures from it’s first year of trading as a private company of €125 million, which means that this one sale will yield the equivalent of two year’s profits. This will create quite a war chest to reinvest into their most profitable properties.

In the last few years, the Jurys Inn brand seemed to be the jewel in the Jurys Doyle crown but recent media reports indicate that a sale of this brand may also be on the cards.