Staff and guests were forced to leave a Dublin hotel this afternoon after a row between the hotel operators and the owners of the building forced it to close.
Up to 40 employees were given notices this morning stating that the Ballymun Plaza had been repossessed by the landlord, BBT Developments Ltd.
After a meeting between hotel management and the landlord, staff were escorted from the premises and guests were taken to alternative hotels.
“People went to work this morning as normal but security guards rounded up workers and brought them to a meeting room,” Miriam Hamilton of the Siptu trade union said. They were later asked to leave the hotel, she said.
It is believed the hotel had an average occupancy of 60 per cent over the last month and that up to 80 guests were in the 120 bedroom hotel last night.
“There are a lot of outstanding issues,” Ms Hamilton added. She said the union was seeking clarification on the future of the hotel’s employees as a matter of urgency.
In a statement, BBT said it had closed the hotel “due to a commercial dispute with the operator of the premises” and said it was taking legal proceedings to recover outstanding rent.
A temporary management team has been put in place at the hotel to “ensure an orderly closure”.
The team has been tasked with fining new accommodation for guests and for those who have made bookings.
“BBT Developments has been a key partner with Ballymun Regeneration in the redevelopment of the area. BBT remains committed to Ballymun and once the current dispute is resolved, it will renew its commitment to the area.
“BBT Developments regrets that this action to close the hotel has been necessary. The workers at the hotel were retained by the operator of the hotel and BBT regrets that they have been caught up in the dispute.”
Today's news is the latest blow for the Ballymun regeneration project – a masterplan for the suburb drawn up in 1998. The Comptroller and Auditor General said last month the scheme would cost €942 million and not the original budget of €442. It will also not be finished until 2012 instead of the original target date of 2006 , the C&AG said.
