LATEST: New boutique hotel planned for the heart of Galway City
A new 27-bedroom boutique hotel is planned for the heart of the city.
Planning permission is being sought for the conversion of the Acorn Life office building, which is bounded by St Augustine Street, Cross Street and Middle Street.
The property is a four-storey commercial building currently in office use, with a gross floor area of 977 square metres.
The applicants, assurance company Acorn Life DAC, plan to internally reconfigure the building to provide 27 en-suite guest bedrooms located across the first, second and third floors.
Reception, kitchen and dining facilities will be located at first floor level to serve hotel guests, while a guest bag drop area will be provided at ground floor level to facilitate arrivals and departures
While limited alterations are proposed to the internal courtyard to improve daylight, ventilation and internal amenity, no alterations are proposed to the street-facing façades.
“Through the repurposing of the building, the development transforms an underutilised office property into an active hospitality destination that contributes to the vibrancy of the surrounding area,” said a report from consultants urbanARQ Ltd accompanying the application.
“The primary objective of the design approach is to sensitively repurpose the existing building in a manner that respects the historic character of the surrounding streetscape while enabling the building to operate effectively as high-quality visitor accommodation within the city centre,” it added.
The report said that despite the strong presence of hospitality and tourism-related uses within the area, there was a limited supply of hotel accommodation located directly within the Latin Quarter itself.
‘Hotel accommodation within the medieval core remains comparatively limited’
“While additional hotels are located elsewhere within Galway City Centre, particularly in the vicinity of Eyre Square and along the waterfront areas, the availability of hotel accommodation within the medieval core remains comparatively limited relative to the level of tourism activity experienced in this part of the city.
“Much of the visitor accommodation within the Latin Quarter is therefore provided through smaller guesthouses or short-term rental accommodation rather than traditional hotel establishments. This results in a comparatively limited capacity for visitors to stay directly within the historic core where much of the city’s cultural and hospitality activity takes place.
“The provision of additional boutique hotel accommodation within the Latin Quarter therefore represents a logical and appropriate response to this context. Visitors staying within the historic core benefit from immediate access to Galway’s restaurants, cultural venues, retail streets and waterfront attractions, allowing them to experience the city within a compact and walkable urban environment,” the consultants' report added.
A decision on the planning application is due to be made by Galway City Council by May 5.