TOURIST GUIDE TO THE BUDGET

Well the Session (Celtic Tiger) is well and truly over and Alka-Seltzar is being administered for the hangover. I’m sure you’ve heard that the Irish government have decided the cure, sorry Budget, needs to be strong.
The effectiveness of the cure, we’re told, has more consequences than just for the Irish people. It is hard to imagine that this small country can hold the faith of the Euro in our hands but if you are believe the media it is true. Europe held its breath as our finance minister, Brian Lenihan, announced the details of the budget to the world.
If your thinking about or actually coming do Dublin in the near or distant future DON’T worry. We're not French or Greek for that matter, so don't believe those images in the international media of riots and protests in Dublin. The reality is that the only thing we have in common with our French cousins is a Gaelic heritage and a strong love for wine (mine's a red thank you). Indeed the only large protest that happened here recently was the senior citizens and despite their best efforts it past off very peacefully.
So what does it mean to the visitor coming to Dublin...this Budget? Well believe it or not it’s all good…for you guys at least. I've taken the time to offer a tourist guide to what the budget and the IMF/EU bailout means to our visitors.
Tax - While the poor souls of the Republic of Ireland have been handed severe tax burdens from the budget our overseas visitors will be delighted to learn that Mr Cowen has actually reduced the travel tax into Ireland from €10 to €3, something that the Chief Executive of Ryanair, Mr Michael O'Leary, will no doubt be encouraged by...any chance of those 5,000 jobs you promised us Michael. So to cut a long story short the cost of flying to our beautiful island is now cheaper.
VAT - there were no VAT increases on food or services in the budget so the continued downward cost of alcohol and eating out is reduced further...we've learned our lesson.
Minimum Wage - again while the unfortunate in society face the prospect of having the minimum wage reduced by €1 and therefore may have to depend on charity from friends and neighbours the traveller will by encouraged by the cost of services being reduced and consequently the cost attractions, restaurants, hotels etc.
More Historical Sites - Tourism Ireland likes to portrait Dublin as a fun loving city, easy to get around with over 1000 years of history. It uses images of Haypenny Bridge, GPO, the Spire, Grafton Street, Guinness etc to help promote it. But what has the recent Celtic Tiger added to Dublin? History will spend a lot of time covering events of these times. There will be chapters in future school history books called "Celtic Tiger" and "Boom to Bust".
The banks billions have given us some fantastic and truly spectacular buildings. I'd even dare say that Dublin has a stunning skyline. The Ulster Bank towers in City Quay, the Convention Centre and it's Red Bull like dome, the O2, the Point Village, the Grand Canal Theatre, Grand Canal Square, Samuel Beckett Bridge and much more. But ironically enough, while these buildings and structures will attract many an admiring glance the historical significance of the recent period lies wedged between the CCD and the O2. Sticking out like the mole on Enrique Inglesias face is an unfinished shell of a building.
This was to be Anglo Irish Banks (yes the bank that could bring down Europe) new head office. Tourist should be brought down past the half empty glass buildings of the Irish Financial Services Centre and toward the Dublin Wheel to see this iconic ghost of the Celtic Tiger. It is essentially a building site with cranes still in place. Looking at it you almost expect the cranes to start moving...but nothing will happen here for a long time. It should be part of the Dublin Bus Tour...indeed it my be.
Meet the Dubliner - One of the sadder (yes I just made up a word) elements of our economic problems has been the exodus of foreign nationals from Dublin. As any visitor to the island in recent times can attest that it was most unusual to come across and Dubliner serving in a restaurant or a hotel for that matter. You had to look hard to find one of those funny talking, wise cracking natives. We have much to thank from our international residence and we do still benefit from the ones that remain. But it is all good for the visitor!!!
They have made our Capital a much more cosmopolitan place to visit, but fear not because on your return you are going to meet the Dubliner, a character so brilliantly captured by James Joyce and Roddy Doyle in their famous novels. Think Colin Farrell (mostly without the looks), think the Commitments, think Colm Meeney, Brendan Gleeson (minus the eye patch), think Coronation Street and Boyzone’s Keith Duffy...you get my drift. Real Dublin is easier to access in debt ridden Ireland.
So there you have it people. While the citizens of Ireland face the music and deal with the hangover from the Celtic Session...sorry Tiger, tourists have a lot to look forward to.
Dublin can now compete with any city in Europe in terms of price competitiveness...just have a look at www.grandcanalhotel.com to see the value. Eating out is cheaper, the booze is cheaper, the flights will be cheaper and it is only going to get even cheaper.
But don't take Ollie McGrath's word for it. Come and visit. Go to any bar, ask any taxi man, talk to the man on the street...everyone has an opinion. The best things about Dubliners is that we love to talk.
Yours Ollie McGrath.

A WARM WELCOME TO THE IMF

So the IMF have arrived and our lovely island nation is front page news across the globe with headlines screaming..."humiliation"..."Ireland Bailed Out"...etc.

I don't think that people from outside Ireland realise that we've been reading/listening to recession/depression/bail out/IMF stories for years now. The IMF's coup is like a weight off our shoulders. It's like we've finally come out of the closet. Our little dirty secret.

If I hear anything else about Good Banks/Bad Banks...bond markets...interest rates...I'm going to scream...please SHUT UP. I've made a conscious not to listen to the radio or read the newspaper today because I'm sick of it.

How about a good radio station and a bad radio station...a good newspaper and a bad newspaper. Change the record please. We've had enough of bad news. Dublin is open for business.

The hotel was buzzing on the weekend and we even had George Hook and Brent Pope in entertaining the masses with RTE...George even managed to stay awake this time. The hotel is full for most of the week...granted that could be thanks to the thousands of journalists that are hear to cover our fall from grace.

I could still afford me few pints last night, bought meself the usual cup of tasty coffee from Marta in the Coffee Dock and even arranged to go and see Harry Potter during the week.

I was in London last week and I had people coming up to me commiserating and offering their sorrow...as if I can't feed the kids. It reminds me of the height of the troubles when American visitors to Dublin were genuinely surprised not to see tanks patrolling O'Connell Street.

For people looking to visit Dublin or Ireland in the near future know this...there has never been a better time to come here. Drink, food, entertainment are all cheaper and most importantly we've got our sense of humour back. Being the rich kids of Europe didn't suit us anyway.

So take some advice from Ollie. No more talk of recession/depression etc. Dublin is open for business.

Ollie McGrath (OMG)

WEDDING FAIR COMES TO TOWN

The Wedding and Honeymoon Show kick off in the RDS this weekend September 4th and 5th.

Now we at the Grand Canal Hotel know as well as anyone else that it is a very tough time financially for everybody but it is hard to stand in the way of love and believe it or not people are still getting married.

We should know. The hotel recently completed a refurbishment of the Epic Restaurant with hosting weddings as the main concept. This and the fact that we are located just a short stroll from the Registry Office in Dublin 2 means that things have been rather busy for us on the wedding front.

Budget is a big concern for people these days. We have taken this on board and now offer a range of options from just €20 per head right up to the more expensive options.

So while it is easy for us to gauge the health of weddings these days due to the fact that we are a popular venue...don't take our word for it. The Wedding and Honeymoon Show regularly attracts 10s of thousands of people to the RDS and they are not expecting this year to be any different.

Everything is covered on the day from florists, bands, cakes, planners and even salsa dancing while it will be possible to quench your thirst on a cocktail...if it takes your fancy. So why not park up in the Grand Canal Hotel, have a bit of lunch and then stoll down (takes 10 minutes) to the RDS and see if anything can help you on the road to your big day.

Check out our website for information on weddings or give us a shout on 01-6461000. It would be our pleasure to give you a show around.

RYANAIR STYLE HOTELS?

A Malaysian hotel chain are hoping to bring Ryanair type bedroom prices to Britain this year...and maybe Dublin to follow?

The room would cost you as little as €25 but but you'll also be charged for using the hotel's hair-drier (£2), its towels (£1 each) and storing your luggage (£2)? Your ride upstairs in a lift is free, as is the air conditioning, but your budget will need to stretch a further pound to secure your belongings in a safe. Want to get your room cleaned? That's £7.50 a day.

This year, Tune Hotels hopes to take on bloated room rates in London and do for the British hotel market what easyJet and Ryanair have done for aviation. It will offer standard rates of £35 a night for a bed, power shower and central location – with chargeable extras.

The nine Tune Hotels in Malaysia and Indonesia offer deals as rock-bottom as £2 a night. The chain's first British hotel is set to open on London's Westminster Bridge Road on 30 August, with further outposts planned across the country, depending on the popularity of the Waterloo operation.

"It's all about choice," says the company's chief executive, Mark Lankester. "We say consumers should assemble the experience as they see fit. We aim to provide whatever suits the customer in terms of timing, price and the comfort people require. If you want to stay in a five-star hotel, there are plenty of them already in London. But if you are really concerned about price then we are going to be relevant."

Have no fear though people. The Grand Canal Hotel will be sticking to great value rates with no extra charges for what you'd expect in a hotel room. That said I'm sure some of the budget hotels not too far from us are sweating at the thoughts of it.

INTERSTING TRAIN OF THOUGHT

In these difficult times we at the Grand Canal Hotel are always looking for new ways to try and encourage people to come and stay with us. We think we are pretty good at it actually but a hotel in Tokyo has pushed the boundaries to new levels and has created its very own special model railway room for guests to sleep in.

The new room includes a grand model of Akihabara town that comes complete with its own fully functioning railroads. Train enthusiasts can bring their own model trains or, alternatively, the hotel is more than happy to provide some, reports Rex Features.

Using the dual set of controls, guests can navigate their miniature trains round the cityscape - past highrise buildings and even through a tunnel under a mountain. The unique room costs around 23,000 yen (£170) a night and is the only one in the Akihabara Washington Hotel.

Note to all train enthusiasts out there...we won't be following their example. That said don't be too disappointed. The Grand Canal Hotel offers views of the busiest train line in Ireland from some of its bedrooms...well when we say view we mean you can sort of make out overhead wires from the Grand Canal Train Station located just across the road from the hotel.

Thanks to www.annanova.com for the above.