Shelbourne Hotel, Dublin, Ireland

The Shelbourne hotel is a luxury hotel located in the centre of Dublin. It’s well known for its splendour, and has been voted the number one hotel in Dublin in the Reader’s Choice Awards – but what might come as a surprise is that it is also home to the ghost of a little girl known as Mary Masters.

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In 1965, the Shelbourne hotel drew Hans Holzer, noted ghost hunter, his wife, and British medium Sybil Lee. Sybil was accompanying Hans on a tour of Dublin’s notorious haunted locations, and they decided to stay at the Shelbourne. One night, Sybil was lying in bed in room 526 (although some reports state that it was room 256) when she heard a noise that sounded like a little girl crying. She responded to the noise, saying “What is the matter?” and a small child’s voice replied “I’m frightened”.

Sybil invited the child to come into her room, and although she could not see anyone, she felt a small figure climb onto the bed next to her and a woolly material brush against her cheek and right arm. In the morning when she awoke, her right arm was numb.

The following evening, Sybil spoke to the ghost and the ghost told her that she was a little girl, aged seven, named Mary Masters. The night after, Sybil went into a trance and held a full conversation with the little girl but she could not recall any of it. Hans discovered that Mary seemed to be ill, and that she was also asking for her big sister Sophie. He concluded that Mary must have been one of a group of children who used to live in one of the houses that the Shelbourne was constructed from. He also concluded that Mary died in 1846 – and this was a date that Sybil had been writing down the day before, but she had no idea why.

The Shelbourne hotel was founded way back in 1824 by Martine Burke, who had acquired three townhouses overlooking St. Stephen’s Green. He turned them into a hotel, naming it The Shelbourne after William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelbourne.

Many celebrities and known personalities have stayed at the hotel over the years, including Alois Hitler, Adolf Hitler’s brother who worked in the hotel in the early 1900’s. In 1922, the Irish Constitution was drafted in room 112, which is now known as the Constitution Room.

The Shelbourne hotel is a luxury 5-star hotel overlooking St. Stephen’s Green, making it ideally located to explore the best of what Dublin has to offer. There are 265 en-suite bedrooms at the hotel, including singles, doubles, twins or suites, in a number of ranges, including queen, heritage, premium heritage or deluxe.

The rooms are all spacious, finished with luxurious soft furnishings and stylish furniture and elegant marble bathrooms – giving an overall effect of relaxed elegance. Rooms are equipped with luxury bathrobes and slippers, tea and coffee making facilities and toiletries, enabling you to simply sit back, relax and enjoy your stay.

There are a range of dining and drinking options at the hotel – the Saddle Room is a modern seafood and steak restaurant, perfect for dinner, an Oyster Bar, offering a wide range of drinks and cocktails, and the no. 27 Lounge, which offers creative cocktails and sharing platters.

There are also a huge range of leisure facilities at the hotel, too, including a gym, spa and complete leisure facilities, a business centre, barber/beauty shop and bike rental. Whatever your needs, the staff at the Shelbourne hotel will cater to them.

265 en-suite bedrooms
Restaurant and bars
24 hour front desk
Luggage storage
Meeting facilities
Banquet facilities
Business centre
Babysitting
Laundry
Dry cleaning
Bridal suite
Beauty/barber shop

The Shelbourne hotel is ideally located in the centre of Dublin, allowing you to enjoy some of the very best sights in Europe. Hop on a bike and enjoy some of Dublin’s famous restaurants, cafes, bars and shops, or pop on your walking shoes and wander around some of Dublin’s beautiful parks. You might also want to visit the Christ Church cathedral, Dublin castle or the Guinness storehouse.

Double/twin room available from £201.63 per room per night, breakfast not included.
Double/twin room available from £225.92 per room per night, breakfast included.
Double/twin single occupancy rate: 213.77.
Superior king/twin room available from £225.92 per room per night, breakfast not included.
Superior king/twin room available from £250.21 per room per night, breakfast included.
Superior king/twin room occupancy rate: £238.06.
Junior suite available from £485.45 per room per night, breakfast not included.
Junior suite available from £510.14 per night, breakfast included.
One bedroom suite available from £607.31 per room per night, breakfast not included.
One bedroom suite available from £631.60 per room per night, breakfast included.