Dublin hotel gets another new name after 'inadvertent' pro-slavery link

The owners of the Westin Hotel in Dublin have reversed course from changing its name to The Westmoreland.

The Westin Hotel will now be called the College Green Hotel following “feedback from patrons and others” about the rebranding of the business, general manager Joanne Dillon told The Irish Times this week.

In April, the hotel, which opened on Dublin's Westmoreland Street in 2001 and recently underwent massive investment and refurbishment, announced that it would be changing its name.

"The Westin Dublin has been an icon of Westmoreland Street for more than twenty years and on Tuesday 13th June will be re-imagined as The Westmoreland Hotel," a website, still live on June 9, for the re-named hotel said.

"The hotel will become an Autograph Collection Hotel, continuing its journey with and as part of Marriott Bonvoy."

However, soon after the name change was announced the Irish Times reported that the hotel had "inadvertently" adopted the name of slavery advocate John Fane, the 10th Earl of Westmorland.

According to The Irish Times, Fane was "a defender of slavery and denounced attempts to end it in the House of Lords in London in 1799."

After the link was highlighted, the hotel reversed course and went for the new College Green Hotel name.

“College Green is one of the most historic yet contemporary and dynamic locations in Dublin where journeys converge at the heart of a bustling city,” Dillon told the Irish Times on June 7.

“Having initially considered a renaming to The Westmoreland Hotel, we took on board the feedback from patrons and others, which alongside reflection on our environment and patron experience, informed our decision to opt for a new name.

“We are very excited to adopt The College Green Hotel as our new brand and are grateful to those who shared their views. It feels right for us and for our patrons, both now and for the future.

"We will continue as The Westin Dublin for the coming months and look forward to becoming The College Green Hotel at the end of the year.”

Elsewhere, Trinity College Dublin recently announced that it would "de-name" its Berkeley Library after similar slavery links were criticized.