European-wide tech-powered hospitality provider Bob W is set to make its first foray into the Irish market where it is planning to operate a 143-bedroom aparthotel in Donnybrook in south Dublin.
Planning documents lodged by developer Keith Craddock’s Red Rock Donnybrook Ltd with Dublin City Council show the firm is seeking to construct a seven-storey aparthotel at the Circle K petrol station at the junction of Donnybrook Road and Brookvale Road.
The move comes almost one year since the then An Bord Pleanála refused planning permission to Red Rock Donnybrook for a 10-storey 225-bedspace student accommodation on the same site.
In a planning report lodged with the new application, planning consultant, John Spain reveals that the proposed development will be operated by Bob W which, he said, is recognised “as a market leading operator of exceptional, contemporary, short-stay aparthotels throughout Europe”.
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The proposed aparthotel “has been pre-leased to Bob W. by the developer and is therefore not considered to be a speculative development”, he said.
In a letter of support lodged with the application, chief development officer at Bob W, Philip Grace, requests the city council to grant planning permission, and confirmed that Bob W seeks to become the long-term operator of the proposed aparthotel.
The Helsinki headquartered Bob W already operates in 18 other European cities including London, Stockholm, Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Madrid.
In his report, Mr Spain states that the Donnybrook site is currently underutilised and the provision of a high-quality aparthotel development “creates a significant opportunity to provide much-needed tourist accommodation, promote urban consolidation in an appropriate location”.
Mr Spain stated that the scheme proposes “a number of significant improvements” from the previously proposed student accommodation scheme.
He pointed out that the scheme proposes a reduction in height from 10 storeys to seven storeys and is 8.7 metres lower in height than the student scheme.
Mr Spain states that his consultancy has prepared a Tourist Accommodation Demand, Concentration and Justification Report which demonstrates that there have been only two aparthotels at the outer extremities of the given 2km catchment area which provide only 93 aparthotel bedrooms.
He said that there is “a critical undersupply of tourist accommodation facilities in the context of the accessible, urban area of Donnybrook”.
A decision is due on the application in November.