Berkeley Court, Jurys close their doors for the last time

For the guests at both Jurys Ballsbridge and the Berkeley Court, breakfast will be served as usual between 7am and 10am, they will check out by noon, but at 4pm today, the car park will be closed and the gates will be shut on two great institutions of Dublin life.

Yesterday, both hotels were full, partly as a result of the high season and partly because the Dublin Horse Show was taking place in Ballsbridge.

The only evidence that anything was any different was the staff carrying fixtures and fittings to Jurys' ballroom, where the contents of both hotels will be auctioned off this Friday.

The site on which both hotels stand was bought by developer Sean Dunne for €380 million and now faces an uncertain future after plans to build a 32-storey apartment block was turned down by Dublin City Council.

Whatever the future holds, though, the hotels will be gone forever.

Yesterday, both Jurys Ballsbridge and the Berkeley Court played host to a steady stream of visitors, most of them locals, taking a nostalgic last look around.

Rod and Phyllis Stanley, from Sandymount, took photographs outside Jurys Ballsbridge, where they were married nearly 20 years ago.

Mrs Stanley said: "I remember we got a lovely meal. Everything was really nice. We only had a small wedding, but everybody enjoyed it and the staff couldn't have been nicer. They all know us here."

Mary Thompson, from Ringsend, also remembered not just her own wedding but other great family landmarks.

"We've been using it for the last 26 years. We've had all our children's special birthdays here. The staff are excellent. They made every occasion special.

"It's a beautiful hotel. I never thought Dublin would get so rich that we could knock down such beautiful properties."

Edward and Ailish Ward, from Castlewellan, Co Down, decided on one last nostalgic look before heading off for the horse show.

"I've seen some elderly people in tears today who have eaten here all their lives. They were very moved at the whole idea of it closing," Mr Ward said.

Outside the Berkeley Court, a Globus coach was parked, waiting for the last guests who would get their wake-up call at 6.15am, their breakfast at 7am and then, at 8am, would take the long journey to Killarney.

Earl Smith, from Prince Edward Island in Canada, was surprised to find that on only his second night in Ireland, he would be one of the last guests to stay at the hotel.

"We've seen a few hotels in our time and this compares with the best of them. We've got special treatment since we came here. The staff are exceptional and we really appreciate that, especially when you come from thousands of miles away," he said.

After the gates close this afternoon, a private function will be laid on for all 600 staff in both hotels.

That event will be held in the Burlington Hotel, another Dublin institution which was part of the Jurys Doyle group until earlier this year and has been sold to a developer.

The Burlington is due to close its doors at the end of this year and also faces an uncertain future.