The Address Hotel Citywest: State Sale & Current Status

Few hotels in Dublin have undergone as dramatic a transformation as The Address Citywest. Once a 4-star business hotel on the N7, it now serves as State-owned accommodation for people seeking international protection, following a €148.2 million purchase by the Irish Government.

Star Rating: 4-star ·
Location: West Dublin, beside Citywest Business Campus ·
Sale Price: €148.2 million ·
Current Owner: Government of Ireland ·
Capacity: Approx. 2,300 people

The table below consolidates the key verifiable figures from government and news sources.

What is Citywest hotel now?

Current name and status

• Operates as The Address Citywest, a 4-star hotel (Government of Ireland official publication)
• No longer a standard private hotel; fully State-owned since September 2025

Role as asylum seeker accommodation

• Used as a transit hub and accommodation centre for people seeking international protection (Government of Ireland official publication)
• Previously housed Ukrainian refugees and international protection applicants (The Journal)

The former business hotel is now a permanent fixture in Ireland’s State-owned accommodation network, shifting from a leased commercial model to direct public ownership. The implication: the Government is betting that long-term savings from owning rather than leasing will offset the upfront cost.

Is The Address hotel Citywest a 5-star hotel?

Star rating

• It is a 4-star hotel, not 5-star (Government of Ireland official publication)
• No official upgrade or reclassification has been announced

Amenities and facilities

• Restaurant, fitness centre, and meeting rooms available
• Convention centre attached, used for large-scale accommodation
• Parking on site, LUAS stop within 15-minute walk

The 4-star rating places it in the mid-range bracket. The pattern: the hotel’s amenities were designed for business travellers, not long-term residential use, which poses operational challenges for the State’s new role.

Was Citywest hotel sold?

Details of the sale

• Yes, sold to the Irish State for €148.2 million (Government of Ireland official publication)
• Purchase was publicly discussed in May 2025 and confirmed in September 2025 (RTÉ)

Price and buyer

• Buyer: Government of Ireland (via the International Protection Accommodation Services)
• Price: €148.2 million, paid upfront
• Previous owners had received €51 million in rental payments in the nine months before the sale (RTÉ)

The sale price shocked some commentators, but the Government’s own analysis shows it will recoup the cost within four years through reduced leasing expenses. The trade-off: the State takes on the operational burden of running a large accommodation centre.

Who owns the Citywest Hotel now?

Current owner: Government of Ireland

• Owned by the Irish State since September 2025 (Government of Ireland official publication)
• Managed by the International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS)

Former owner and profit

• Former owner was a private developer (unnamed in official documents)
• Profit from the rental arrangement: approximately €51 million in the last nine months of leasing (RTÉ)

The State was paying a premium for short-term leases before deciding to buy. The catch: the former owner walked away with a substantial profit from the rental phase, while the State now inherits the property’s long-term costs.

Where is the address hotel Citywest?

Address and directions

• Located on the N7 Naas Road, next to Citywest Business Campus (Government of Ireland official publication)
• 15-minute walk from the LUAS Red Line stop at Citywest Campus
• Approximately 9 km south-west of Dublin city centre

Nearby landmarks

• Citywest Business Campus – major office and tech hub
• Tallaght and The Square shopping centre – 5 km away
• Dublin Mountains – 10 km by car

The location was chosen for its proximity to the M50 and business district, but the site’s isolation from residential areas may limit its potential for non-asylum uses in the future.

Six key specs, one pattern: the hotel was built for business travellers, but the State is now adapting it for long-term residential use.

Timeline: From hotel to State-owned accommodation

• 2020 – State begins leasing the Citywest site for emergency use (Government of Ireland official publication)
• 2022 – Site repurposed from COVID-19 response to accommodate Ukrainian refugees and international protection applicants (Government of Ireland official publication)
• May 2025 – Government proposes purchase of the hotel; RTÉ reports potential cost of €100 million (RTÉ)
• September 2025 – Purchase confirmed at €148.2 million (The Irish Times)

The timeline shows a rapid escalation from lease to ownership. The catch: the State had already been paying high rents for years before deciding to buy, making the total cost far higher than the headline price suggests.

What we know and what remains unclear

Confirmed facts

• Sale price of €148.2 million to the Irish State (Government of Ireland official publication)
• 4-star rating (Government of Ireland official publication)
• 764 beds (The Irish Times)
• Capacity of approx. 2,300 people (Government of Ireland official publication)
• State-owned since September 2025 (The Irish Times)
• Estimated savings of €1 billion over 25 years (Government of Ireland official publication)

What’s unclear

• Whether the hotel still accepts regular bookings or operates exclusively for asylum seekers
• Exact number of rooms (764 reported but not independently verified)
• Future plans for the property after the asylum accommodation need declines
• Whether the State will sell or repurpose the hotel in the long term
• Whether the 4-year payback calculation accounts for the €51 million already disbursed in rent
• What statutory conditions would apply if the State sought to sell the property later

“We want to move away from private sector accommodation for asylum seekers and replace it with State-owned facilities.”

— Minister for International Protection, as reported by RTÉ

“The purchase of Citywest represents a significant step toward a more sustainable accommodation system using more State-owned land and fewer commercial providers.”

— Government spokesperson, via Government of Ireland official statement

For the Irish taxpayer, the decision is clear: the €148.2 million purchase will either pay for itself within four years through savings on lease costs, or become a long-term liability if the need for accommodation declines. The State is betting on a sustained need for international protection accommodation, and the Citywest hotel is now the anchor of that strategy.

Those interested in the broader market may also want to explore this guide to hotel investment in Ireland, which offers context for buyers evaluating similar distressed assets.

Frequently asked questions

Related reading

• Ireland Asylum Seekers Ruling – Updates on legal and policy changes affecting asylum accommodation in Ireland.
• National Stadium Dublin Capacity – Overview of major Dublin venues and their capacities.