The unique buildings which comprise our hotel – or compose it – stand proud alongside Trinity College. Each tells a different but complementary tale. Formerly the headquarters of three separate banks, our buildings evolved together, watching over the momentous events that shaped the city. Dublin is today a major European capital where international service with precise attention to detail is delivered as standard. The College Green Hotel Dublin has grown in the midst of our city, honouring the past but welcoming the future. This is the story of where we come from.
1863
A NEW DUBLIN LANDMARK
The Banking Hall Entrance at No. 5 College Green was established in 1813 by the Royal Irish Institution to promote the arts in Ireland through regular exhibitions of Old Master works. The original building was demolished in 1863 and rebuilt in 1866 as the headquarters of the Provincial Bank, one of Ireland’s three main banks, to a design by William G. Murray. The three-storey, seven-bay building features a grand pediment and columns. Murray died while in dispute with the bank over his fees after construction costs doubled.
1900’s
A PLACE IN HISTORY
After more than a century of operation as a bank, during a period of significant social and urban change in Dublin, The Banking Hall became a branch of the newly formed Allied Irish Bank in 1966. It continued to function as a busy banking hall, retaining its original encaustic tiled floors, high ceilings, ornate plasterwork and marble columns. These architectural features clearly distinguished it from an ordinary bank branch, while its location in the heart of the city centre ensured its continued prominence within corporate Ireland.
1999
TURN OF THE MILLENNIUM
The Banking Hall was restored to its former grandeur following extensive construction works beginning in 1999, as part of a major restoration project that saw the opening of The Westin Dublin in September 2001 at Nos. 35- 39 Westmoreland Street. Original hand carvings, plasterwork and encaustic tiled floors were carefully returned to their earliest condition, with the bank logo still visible in the foyer today. Four replica crystal chandeliers were commissioned and installed, each comprising over 8,000 pieces of Waterford Crystal, suspended from the 15-metre-high ceilings. The stained-glass roof was also restored.
2000’s
TODAY
In 2023, the hotel relaunched as The College Green Hotel Dublin, a proud member of the Autograph Collection within Marriott International. The hotel is owned and managed by MHL Hotel Collection, a portfolio of distinctive hotels across Ireland. Overlooking Trinity College Dublin and College Green, the Banking Hall serves as a destination venue with its own private entrance. Its entrance pediment depicts commerce as the central figure, flanked by agricultural, nautical, and commercial scenes, forming a fitting and symbolic threshold.
