David Doyle, former CEO of the Doyle hotel group, has passed away at his home in Spain.
He is remembered for his leadership as the Doyle group founded by his father, which, at its peak, owned prominent hotels like the Montrose and Berkeley Court.
The family feud in the 1990s led to his departure from the Doyle group after negotiations with his sisters.
Survived by his wife Christina and children Ashley and Sophie, he also leaves three grandchildren behind.
A private funeral service is scheduled for next week.
David’s father PV Doyle
David’s father Pascal Vincent (P.V.) Doyle (17 May 1923 – 6 February 1988) was a charismatic Irish hotelier. Born in Dundrum, Dublin, to Michael and Eileen Doyle, he was one of seven children, and went on to become a property developer, and builder whose vision laid the foundation for The Doyle Collection.
Doyle’s entrepreneurial spirit emerged early. At age 22, in 1945, he built the County Club, a pub and leisure complex in Churchtown, Dublin, which proved successful and funded his entry into hospitality. A tall, dapper figure with a mustache, Doyle was a quintessential 1960s Irish businessman, known for his charm, vision, and willingness to navigate the era’s business landscape, including alleged interactions with officials like corrupt planner George Redmond.
Doyle’s hotel ventures began with the South County Hotel, but his ambition was to create quality hotels that balanced affordability with excellence. His developments, like the Montrose, Burlington, and Berkeley Court, transformed Dublin’s hospitality scene. The Westbury, opened in 1984, cemented his legacy as a pioneer of luxury hospitality in Ireland.
He was a complex figure. His alleged dealings with the infamous George Redmond raise questions about the ethics of his business practices, though such interactions were not uncommon in 1960s Ireland.
Doyle was a hands-on leader, often described as a visionary who avoided excessive reliance on accountants, focusing instead on bold expansion. He married Margaret Ellen Briody, a nurse, in 1947, and they had five children: sons Michael and David, and daughters Anne, Eileen, and Bernie. After his death in 1988, family dynamics led to tensions, particularly between David and his sisters, resulting in David’s ousting as managing director in the 1990s and his eventual sale of his stake for £40m in 1999.
It started in Stillorgan
The Doyle Hotel Group traces its roots to 1962, when P.V. Doyle opened the South County Hotel (now the Stillorgan Park Hotel) in Mount Merrion, Dublin. Doyle, a builder and entrepreneur, sold this property to finance the more upscale Montrose Hotel in Donnybrook, Dublin, which opened in 1964, marking the official start of the Doyle Hotel Group. The company was formally registered as P.V. Doyle Hotels Limited in 1969.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Doyle expanded rapidly, capitalizing on Ireland’s growing tourism market. Key developments included:
- Green Isle Hotel (Newlands Cross, Dublin, 1960s)
- Skylon Hotel (Drumcondra, Dublin, 1969)
- Tara Tower Hotel (Booterstown, Dublin, 1970)
- Burlington Hotel (Dublin, 1972), which became Ireland’s largest hotel at the time
- Berkeley Court (Ballsbridge, Dublin, 1978), a five-star property
These hotels catered to a mix of business and leisure travelers, establishing the Doyle name as a significant player in Ireland’s hospitality sector. Doyle’s strategy focused on quality accommodations at accessible prices, reflecting his vision of blending affordability with excellence.
In 1984, the group shifted toward the luxury market with the opening of the Westbury Hotel in Dublin, just off Grafton Street. This five-star property was designed to attract North American tourists and quickly became an iconic Dublin landmark. That same year, the group expanded internationally with the Marylebone Hotel in London, marking its first venture outside Ireland.
Jury’s venture
Following P.V. Doyle’s death in 1988, his family, led by his widow Margaret and their children, continued his legacy. The 1990s saw further growth:
- The Kensington (London, 1993)
- The Bristol (Bristol, 1994)
- The Dupont Circle (Washington, D.C., 1999)
Additionally, the group had acquired two other U.S. properties in the early 1980s: The Normandy and The Courtyard by Marriott Northwest in Washington, D.C. By the late 1990s, the Doyle Hotel Group was a major Irish hospitality brand with a growing international footprint.
The group’s focus on luxury post-2008 has been successful but limits its scale compared to larger chains, reflecting a deliberate choice to prioritize quality over quantity.
The Doyle family, particularly Bernie Gallagher, has maintained control of the group. Margaret Doyle was a unifying force after P.V.’s death, insisting that portraits of her husband remain in the hotels. The family’s stake, alongside the Beatty family, has been pivotal in the group’s direction, with Bernie steering the 1999 Jurys merger and the 2005 privatization.
Doyle’s vision of quality hospitality, rooted in Irish heritage, continues to define the group, with his daughter Bernie Gallagher upholding his legacy. Despite challenges like family disputes and economic disruptions, the group’s resilience and focus on bespoke experiences have solidified its place in the global luxury market
In 1999, the Jurys Hotel Group, another prominent Irish hotel chain, acquired Doyle Hotels in a cash-and-shares deal valued at IRP194.5m (approximately £314m). The merger created the Jurys Doyle Hotel Group, the largest hotel group in Ireland, with over 30 hotels and nearly 5,500 rooms across Ireland, the UK, and the US. The Doyle family, including Margaret Doyle and daughters Bernie Gallagher and Eileen Monahan, retained a significant stake (around 23pc) in the new entity and held seats on the board.
In 2005, the Jurys Doyle Hotel Group was taken private in a €1.1 billion deal led by Bernie Gallagher. The group sold significant assets, including the Berkeley Court and Jurys in Ballsbridge to developer Sean Dunne for €380m and the Jurys Inn chain to Quinlan Private for €1.16bn.
The Doyle Collection
Today’s Doyle Hotel Group, as The Doyle Collection, has evolved from P.V. Doyle’s ambitious beginnings in 1964 to a curated portfolio of eight luxury and urban hotels.
In 2008, the group rebranded as The Doyle Collection, signaling a strategic pivot to focus exclusively on luxury and upper-upscale properties. This involved divesting the Jurys Inn brand and refurbishing nine of its eleven hotels to reposition the group in the luxury market.
Since the rebranding, The Doyle Collection has streamlined its portfolio to eight hotels in five cities:
- Ireland: The Westbury (Dublin), The Croke Park (Dublin), The River Lee (Cork)
- England: The Marylebone, The Kensington, The Bloomsbury (London), The Bristol (Bristol)
- US: The Dupont Circle (Washington, D.C.)
In 2013, the group sold three U.S. properties (The Courtyard and The Normandy in Washington, D.C., and The Back Bay in Boston) for €108.9m, focusing on its core luxury and urban properties. The group has invested heavily in its portfolio, with €200m spent on refurbishments between 2006 and 2013, €65m from 2018 to 2022, and recent upgrades to The Westbury, including the addition of 18 luxury suites, one named the P.V. Doyle Suite.
The Doyle Collection faced challenges during the pandemic, with an after-tax loss of €70m in 2020 due to global lockdowns. However, it rebounded strongly, posting a €28m pre-tax profit in 2022 as tourism and corporate business recovered. The group has emphasized its Irish heritage, incorporating elements like Guinness breads and Barry’s tea, and is part of te Global Hotel Alliance loyalty program.
Pat King serving as CEO from 2011 to 2022, succeeded by Gordon Drake in July 2022. Bernie Gallagher, P.V. Doyle’s daughter, remains Chairwoman of the Board. The group employs over 1,400 staff and promotes what it calls its “Proud Programme” focused on customer service and employee development.
