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The Irish Rugby Football Union has invited expressions of interest for a development partner to deliver a landmark hotel and residential scheme on Lansdowne Road, immediately beside the Aviva Stadium. The IRFU will retain ownership of the land while offering the site on a long-term ground lease.
The proposal
The scheme, promoted as Lansdowne Quarter, envisions a mixed-use development featuring a 257-key hotel and around 77 residential apartments, together with food and beverage outlets and conferencing facilities. The site is being marketed without planning permission, giving a successful partner scope to determine the final design, layout and market positioning.
Funding and income for Irish rugby
The IRFU has made clear the chosen developer will be responsible for financing and delivering the project. That arrangement will generate new lease income for the union, which it says will be channelled back into rugby at all levels across Ireland.
Why the location matters
CBRE, which has provided market commentary on the opportunity, points to a varied demand base for a hotel on this site. The adjacent Aviva Stadium is a major draw, staging international rugby and football fixtures as well as concerts and other large events.
Since the venue opened in 2010 it has welcomed more than 10 million visitors and hosted in excess of 330 events. Together with nearby cultural and conference destinations such as the RDS and the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, this supports year-round footfall from both domestic and overseas visitors.
Corporate and residential appeal
Beyond events, the site sits close to significant employment hubs — including Ballsbridge, Grand Canal Dock and Dublin Docklands — which CBRE says underpins steady corporate demand for hotels in the area.
On the residential side, the address is described as one of Dublin’s prime locations, where property values are among the city’s highest. The plot also benefits from immediate access to the Lansdowne Road DART Station, offering quick links to the city centre and surrounding suburbs.
Opportunity for a development partner
CBRE and the IRFU stress that the combination of scheme scale and planning flexibility gives a partner room to tailor a project to both market needs and the character of the neighbourhood. That adaptability, they say, is a key selling point for prospective bidders.
