Dublin City Council has approved plans to convert a seven-storey office development in the docklands into a 496-bed tourist hostel.
Patrick Crean’s Marlet Group was granted permission for the scheme at Martin’s Terrace, Dublin 2, and adjoining lands at the corner of Macken Street and the newly-realigned Hanover Street East, near the Marker Hotel and the Bord Gáis theatre.
The hostel will be operated by the Berlin-based a&o, which is entering the Irish market after achieving record success last year with 6.1m tourist bed nights.
Planning consultant Kevin Hughes argued that the hostel would enhance local vitality compared to an office building and help relieve pressure on the hospitality sector post-Covid-19.
Local politicians opposed the development, citing concerns about an over-concentration of tourist accommodations in the area.
