By the time next years All-Ireland finals come around, the new Jurys Croke Park Hotel should be fully operational. Here, Pat McCann, Chief Executive, Jurys Doyle Hotel Group plc and Eamonn Laverty of design and build contractors McAleer & Rushe Ltd give the lowdown on how the project is progressing and what it will mean for the north Dublin area. On July 29 last, Jurys Doyle Hotel Group announced details of an agreement with the GAA for the development and lease of a new landmark 4-star hotel at Croke Park. The cost of the development is estimated at EUR30 million, equating to an average development cost of approximately EUR130,000 per bedroom. The new hotel, to be named Jurys Croke Park Hotel, will operate on a 34-year lease from the GAA. It is expected that the hotel will open in time for next year's All-Ireland hurling and football finals. Located on Jones' Road and facing the new 82,300 Croke Park stadium, the hotel will encompass a total of 232 high quality 4-star bedrooms. The hotel will also contain an executive lounge, restaurant , a suite of meeting rooms and bar. A secure car park for up to 178 cars will be located in the basement. Given its proximity to Croke Park's excellent conference facilities, Jurys Croke Park Hotel is expected to benefit from strong conference and incentive businesses as well as the Jurys Doyle traditional business base of corporate and leisure facilities. Jurys Doyle Hotel Group's Chief Executive, Pat McCann, is not only excited by the development but also at the prospect of working alongside the GAA. "This is the coming together of two great Irish brands," he says. "This partnership betwen Ireland's largest hotel group and Ireland's largest sporting organisation is sure to be mutually beneficial for Jurys Doyle Hotel Group, the GAA and our customers. "Given its instantly identifiable address, Jurys Croke Park Hotel will benefit from our traditional year round corporate and leisure customer base and will be boosted by considerable domestic trade coming into the capital seeking well located and easily accessible accommodation close to the city centre. Clearly, we will also benefit from the travelling armies of loyal supporters who visit Croke Park week in week out to celebrate Irish sport at its best." Pat, who hails from Ballymote and is a keen Sligo football supporter, believes the spin-offs will be considerable for the north Dublin area. He is also confident that the Croke Park hotel will give Jurys a greater market presence on the northside of the city. "When the hotel is up-and-running, it should spark off major development in the area. We looked at the Croke Park hinterland and discovered that it wasn't well served in terms of hotel accommodation, yet a lot of corporate industry and activity already existed. "This development is an important demonstration of our ongoing development strategy and it is a positive step towards our commitment to operate quality 4-star Jurys Doyle Hotels and 3-star Jurys Inns in city centre locations. "We are particularly pleased to announce Jurys Croke Park Hotel as this development will give us market presence in the north Dublin 4-star hotel market where we are under-represented. We expect the project to generate up to 120 new jobs when open and we will continue our policy of recruiting and training local people to work in our new properties," he adds. Jurys Doyle Hotel Group currently operates 37 hotels, 20 of which operate outside Ireland. The latest addition is Jurys Inn Parnell Street, which was opened last month. By the time Jurys Croke Park Hotel opens next July/August, three more new hotels will have been opened at Heathrow Airport, Nottingham and Southampton. McAleer & Rushe Ltd, the Cookstown-based design and build contractors who have contructed numerous hotels for Jurys Doyle in the past, have been appointed building contractors by the GAA to construct the new hotel. "We are proud and delighted to be associated with this project," says Eamonn Laverty, managing director of McAleer & Rushe. "We have strong links with both the GAA and Jurys Doyle, so it is entirely fitting that this three-way partnership has come about. Over the past eight or nine years, we have developed approximately 20 hotels for Jurys Doyle. We have also carried out numerous other developments for clients throughout Ireland and the UK." Established in 1967 by Seamus McAleer, McAleer & Rushe is one of Northern Ireland's foremost design and building contractors. With a multi-disciplined in-house team, the company can offer clients a complete design and build service in what is an increasingly complex industry. Initially, McAleer & Rushe concentrated solely on projects in Northern Ireland before branching into the Republic in the 1980s. It has since extended its operations into Britain where it has developed a number of hotels for Jurys Doyle. McAleer and Rushe have always had strong connections with the GAA and many of its 500-strong staff are involved with clubs all over Ireland. The site manager on the Croke Park hotel project is former Tyrone player Eugene Mulligan, whose son Owen was one of the stars of the Red Hands' All-Ireland football success last year. Eamonn Laverty himself is a former player with Stewartstown Harps, a small club situated just outside Cookstown. So how is the new hotel progressing? "We had a bit of a planning delay in the spring but that has since been overcome and it's full steam ahead at this stage," Eamonn explains. "There is a lot of work involved in a development like this, but the plan is to have it fully operational in time for next year's All-Ireland finals. I'm confident that that deadline will be met." Laverty is fulsome in his praise of Des McMahon, a senior partner in Gilroy McMahon architects who designed the new Croke Park. McMahon was a regular on the Tyrone football team during the 1960s. "I would like to pay tribute to Des for coming up with the concept of the Croke Park hotel. It will greatly enhance what must rate as one of the best sports stadia in the world," he concludes. Tweet

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