The Sandymount Hotel: a family owned hotel, a stone's throw from the Aviva

Earlier this year, two reporters from The Nationalist were invited to stay at The Sandymount Hotel in Dublin, one of the city’s last family-owned hotels.

They found the 175 newly refurbished bedrooms to be spacious and clean, kitted out with Ritual brand soaps, a Dyson hairdryer and the all-too-necessary bathrobe.

But its best asset is the hotel’s location, being a stone’s throw from the Aviva Stadium. The 3 Arena and RDS Simmoncourt are also within walking distance for those who need a place to stay for events and concerts.

For those driving, there are complementary, secure parking and EV charging spaces. The hotel offers a courtesy shuttle bus for trips around the city and it is a five-minute walk to Lansdowne Road Dart station.

In terms of food, a buffet breakfast is served in Whitty’s restaurant every morning and the Line Out Bar is open for dining or drinks from 12.30pm until late every evening. The menu has something for everyone, from fish to steak, to pizza and curry. The over-the-top desserts are also enjoyable.

The Garden Terrace serves pizzas and is open in the spring and summer months. The front space is also used to host rugby match festivities. Inside, we appreciated the cosy nooks and seating areas dotted around the ground floor where we could meet people, read a book, have a coffee and relax.

Staff at the hotel pride themselves on their personal approach to hospitality, we were addressed by name throughout our stay and were continuously offered ways to make our stay more enjoyable.

The homely atmosphere of the hotel goes back to its origins as a bed and breakfast. “My parents started with four bedrooms and we now have 175 bedrooms,” said John Loughran, director of the hotel. He has been involved from the beginning: “We all had to make beds, wash dishes, do whatever needed to be done.” He believes it is this family ethos that makes the hotel stand out from the competition. “The dynamic of a family business and the relationship with staff is very different to a commercial business. My longest serving member of staff is Beatrice, who is 45 years on reception. My head of housekeeping is 38 years here.

“Traditionally in the hotel industry there's a perception that staff are poorly treated and, as a result, they only stay as long as they have to. That's certainly not true here. There's 180 hotels in Dublin, my staff can walk out the door and go to any one of them, but they choose to remain.” John became the sole owner of the hotel in 1999 and ran the business alone for 26 years, navigating it through the dark seas of the financial crash in 2008. Last year, the 70th anniversary of the hotel, saw John’s son Gerard take over the business, securing it in family ownership for at least the next generation.

While the hotel is not a destination in and of itself, as it lacks additional facilities like a spa, it is a convenient and comfortable place to base yourself when attending events in the city. With such kind and attentive staff, one can see why the hotel has so many repeat customers.