The Shelbourne Hotel has denied it is opting out of the Fáilte Ireland hotel rating system because of a proposal to reduce its rating from five stars to four, writes Liam Reid.
The landmark Dublin hotel said it was seeking to be listed as "unclassified" next year because it is to undergo a €45 million refurbishment programme.
In a statement, it said this was "common practice" in the hospitality industry, "as all facilities may not be available to guests during the restoration period".
The Shelbourne was one of four major hotels in Dublin which inspectors have proposed to reduce from five- to four-star status in the first review of official hotel ratings in more than five years.
These include the Conrad on Earlsfort Terrace, the Radisson SAS in Stillorgan, and Jurys Doyle Hotel in Ballsbridge.
Yesterday a spokesman for Fáilte Ireland said the three hotels were appealing the proposal to reduce their ratings.
The proposal was made following inspections carried out for Fáilte Ireland by a private firm commissioned to provide proposed ratings for hotels.
The appeal is being heard by an independent review body headed by Mr Finbarr Flood, the former chairman of the Labour Court.