Hotel Meyrick - Galway

Hotel Meyrick first opened its doors in 1852 completed at a cost of £30,000 for owners the Midland & Great Western Railway Company. It has since been reinvented more than once though its façade, designed by architect John Skipton Mulvany, has remained a landmark in the city.
In 2006 Monogram Hotels added the hotel to its portfolio and renamed it ‘Hotel Meyrick’ in order to maintain a link to the historical hotel’s location, which was once called Meyrick Square.

Minor refurbishments to the 97 guestrooms were carried out in 2008 by Colin Jennings, formerly of Douglas Wallace Architects, but it is the public areas have seen the greatest transformation since the takeover. Taylor Howes Designs were commissioned to re-design the restaurant, bar, and lobby to “honour the traditional elements of the hotel as well as attract a younger professional crowd,” explains Design Director Karen Howes.

The overall style of the common areas incorporates an elegant mix of old and new with an injection of the theatrical. “We took a lot of our inspiration from theatre sets and hotels of the Twenties and Thirties which reflect the hotel’s Victorian structure and grand rooms,” says Howes.

The designer has retained the historic standing of the hotel whilst transporting it into the 21st century. In the lobby, black velvet wingback thrones by Andrew Martin sit against a backdrop of antique-style wallpaper matched against the gold stud detail of the seating. The Parlour Lounge, an extension of the lobby, is home to a fine marble fireplace – one of the few surviving original features – zesty lime green bar stools, and button detail ‘Pissarro’ armchairs, again supplied by Andrew Martin. Complementary blinds – emblazoned with the Meyrick’s ‘M’ logo – provide a striking contrast against the monochrome fabrics and black and white chequered marble floor.

Beyond the lobby is the hotel’s main eatery, the Oyster Bar & Grill. The bar area features warm tones of sand and cognac teamed with a zebra print carpet. Bespoke chandeliers are suspended from the ceiling whilst specially commissioned artworks, paying homage to the Galway Races, line the walls.

The restaurant combines the hotel’s trademark black and white with blood red. “The walls are decorated with a black Chinese-inspired grass paper with dark red chinoiserie painted on to it,” says Howes, adding: “The dining chairs are in red and black velvets to provide a sumptuous and elegant feel.”

Natural light floods through the ceiling-height Victorian windows and large drum shades create atmospheric lighting in the evening. A feature wall of black-framed mirrors in varying shapes and sizes has replaced artwork and provides a playful detail.

The refurbishment has brought the hotel in line with Monogram’s other properties, the Philip Treacy-designed the ‘g’ hotel in Galway, and The ‘d’ hotel in Drogheda. The next development for the group will be its first hotel in London, the renovated Bow Street Magistrates Court and Police Station, slated to open within the next 12 months.

HOTEL MEYRICK
Eyre Square, Galway City, County Galway, Republic of Ireland
Tel: +353 (0)91 564 041
www.hotelmeyrick.ie

Rooms    97 guestrooms
Dining    Oyster Bar & Grill
Drinking    The Square Spa
Facilities    Conference and banqueting