The managing director of the Guinness Storehouse, Ireland’s most popular tourist attraction, has hinted that he would back the idea of a new concept hotel in Dublin based around the famous stout.
Speaking to Britain’s Daily Telegraph, Paul Carty said that there was "a possibility" that it could be developed and talked-up its potential.
He told the paper:
"I think there'd be a huge interest if we had a Guinness-themed hotel on the site. I don't think it's beyond the realms of possibility. A Guinness-themed hotel in black and white."
Reacting to the interview, a Guinness spokeswoman said that it had "no plans" to develop such a hotel.
There would, however, be plenty of room to do so at St James's Gate since a shifting of brewing operations left large undeveloped buildings at the site.
Right now, part of that space will go to extending the Storehouse to improve the archives.
"What we’re looking at doing is maybe showcasing archives there and perhaps building a brewing facility around those," Carty said. "We have hundreds and hundreds of documents and the public should be able to see them."
The Guinness Storehouse was Ireland's busiest tourist attraction in Ireland last year, with almost 1.5 million visitors taking in the brewery experience. This represented an increase of 18% – close to 230,000 people – over 2014.
