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Ronan plans Docklands hotel

Ronan Group Real Estate (RGRE), owned by Johnny Ronan, is considering a plan for the development of a new boutique hotel in Dublin’s north docklands.

Should it proceed, the proposed hotel on Upper Mayor Street would see the demolition and replacement of a row of five terraced houses which the developer purchased recently for €3.8 million. The overall value of the portfolio was driven by its location immediately adjacent to RGRE’s Project Waterfront site.

Ronan’s company Waterside Devco No 1 Limited is understood to have exchanged contracts with Birr-based Niamh Garry last December to buy 34, 36, 37, and 38 for €3.54 million, and with her family member, Brendan Garry to buy number 35 for €260,000. The Garry family run the well-known short-stay accommodation business Canbe.

Corrigan 'Front Line' Wedding Prize

The chef and restaurateur Richard Corrigan is offering frontline healthcare workers a chance to win a luxury all-inclusive wedding package, worth an estimated €90,000, at his corrigan0520 18th-century Virginia Park Lodge estate, in Co Cavan. The wedding party, for up to 160 guests, can be booked for any available date up to April 2022.

The competition goes live at 9am tomorrow through virginiaparklodge.com. Each entry, or nomination of someone eligible, must be accompanied by a €10 donation to the Society of St Vincent de Paul’s emergency fundraising appeal.

“I’ll be there, and we will give them one hell of a couple of days,” says Corrigan, speaking from his London home. “It’s a full-on bespoke service that we offer, and it will be completely all-inclusive. I am building a town house in the middle of the town, in Virginia, so the winner will be getting the town house the night before the wedding and then a day and a half exclusive use of the lodge.”

Pubs challenge insurer on cover

Test actions brought by publicans on whether their insurance policies with FBD Insurance Plc cover the disruption in their trade caused by Covid-19 have been admitted to the Leopardstown0520 fast track Commercial Court list.

Mr Justice David Barniville was told there could be as many as 1000 pubs and bars all over the country affected by the dispute which arose after the insurer refused to provide them with cover since the pandemic resulted in the closure of businesses in mid-March.

The pub owners claim under their policies of insurance taken out with FBD they are entitled to have their consequential losses covered by what they claim is an insurable risk.

They claim the insurance policy they have taken out with FBD has a clause that states the pub owners will be indemnified if their premises is closed by order of the local or government authority if there are "Outbreaks of contagious or infectious diseases on the premises or within 25 miles of same."

Compass hosts Expert Panel

Compass Group Ireland is launching a series of webinars featuring idiscussions with leading pe rsonalitiesin the industry. The panels will be exploring how the industry will be reimagined in a post COVID-19 world.

The first webinar, at 10am to-morrow (Wednesday) will address the structural and cultural shifts reshaping the business and industry sector in the wake of Covid-19:

Chairing the conversation will be Business Editor of the Irish Independent, Richard Curran.and the panelists are Des Mahon, Managing Director, Authenticate, an industry expert in procurement and contract management.,Grace O’Shaughnessy, managing director, Java Republic,

-David O’Brien, managing director and co-founder Acacia, a leading voice in Facilities Management.,Chris Chidley, managing director, Compass Group Ireland, Food Service Industry expert, Sophie Moran, Programme Manager, The KeepWell Mark (IBEC), an ambassador for workplace wellbeing.

Registration link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5971810896343710221

Health experts support two meter distance

Health experts have resisted calls to reeduce the social distnce from two meters to one. bray0520

One metre social distancing has been advised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and has been adopted in a number of European countries. However, the Government insists the public should stay two metres apart in order to stop the spread of Covid-19.

Hospitality and retail representative bodies have continued to call on the government to reduce social distancing to one metre. They claim that the change would be the difference between a commercially non-viable outlet and a viable one.

The Restaurants Association of Ireland and Irish Hotels Federation are two of the bodies who have lobbied for the reduction, arguing the two metre rule is "not workable" for their sectors. They made a request a number of weeks ago to the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) for a review of the guideline.