The concierge at Anantara The Marker Dublin Hotel will organise all your golfing needs.

Dublin can be heaven if you’re a golfer and with the R&A seriously looking at Portmarnock’s bid for the AIG Women’s Open and The Open, the tourism sector looks well-prepared for a massive influx of visitors should that dream come true.

The capital has over 1,000 hotels but just eight of them are in the 5-star category and only one is so close to the coast and those great links courses that it stands to become a popular hub for visiting golfers.

The 5-star Anantara The Marker Dublin Hotel in Grand Canal Dock, located just 3.7km from Dublin Bay and just 4km as the crow flies from the ringing links turf of The Royal Dublin Golf Club, is keen to make golfers feel welcome and help them enjoy the best that Dublin golf has to offer.

In fact, the hotel has just announced a quintessentially Irish getaway featuring a round of golf at the historic Royal Dublin Golf Club, situated within a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve on Bull Island, followed by a post-game whiskey and caviar tasting experience.

Guests are invited to challenge themselves on one of the country’s finest links courses before returning in chauffeur-driven comfort to the hotel for a curated whiskey and caviar journey.

At The Marker Bar & Lounge, they can savour an array of premium Irish whiskies, including Bushmills 10-Year-Old Single Malt, Midleton Yellow Spot 12-Year, and Connemara Single Malt. The tasting culminates in a serving of Oscietra caviar paired with crème fraîche, chives, crisps, and Ballymakenny potato blini, offering an indulgent close to the day’s golf.

The package includes bed and breakfast, a round of golf at Royal Dublin Golf Club with chauffeur transfers, and the exclusive whiskey and caviar experience. (Prices start from €899 per person sharing subject to availability)

“We are delighted to collaborate with Royal Dublin, who offer a premier golfing experience and whose rich tradition and heritage beautifully complement the luxurious and culturally immersive experiences we provide at Anantara,” said Ludo de Jong, General Manager of Anantara The Marker.

“The Golf & Whiskey package is one of a specially curated menu of truly memorable experiences we offer here.

“Our vision is to create unforgettable journeys that resonate deeply with our guests. This collaboration perfectly aligns with that mission, combining world-class golf at one of Ireland’s most prestigious clubs with the refined elegance and warmth of our hotel. Together, we connect guests with the stories, places, and traditions that make Dublin such a unique destination, leaving lasting impressions that go beyond their stay.”

Owned by Minor Hotels, Anantara The Marker Dublin Hotel is recognised as one of Ireland’s most contemporary and architecturally impressive buildings.

Situated on Grand Canal Square, it enjoys a prime location for both business and leisure travellers, near the IFSC, Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, and Dublin’s dynamic city centre. The property offers 187 stylish rooms across six floors, encompassing premier, superior, and deluxe rooms, along with several luxurious suites.

Mr Ludo de Jong, General Manager, Anantara The Marker Dublin Hotel

Amenities include eight modern meeting rooms, a magnificent ballroom, and a Condé Nast award-winning spa complete with an infinity pool, sauna, and eucalyptus steam room. The rooftop terrace provides panoramic 360º views of Dublin and its bay, making it an ideal spot for cocktails.

The hotel’s signature restaurant, Forbes Street by Gareth Mullins, highlights top-quality Irish ingredients, presenting timelessly elegant dishes. Whether hosting international delegates or providing guests with an opulent escape, Anantara The Marker Dublin Hotel delivers world-class hospitality complemented by contemporary Irish allure.

“I've got a beautiful property, a great team, and I think together, we can make sure that we fully position the hotel as it should be,” said Mr de Jong, a Dutch national and budding golf enthusiast, who was appointed as General Manager late last year.

“One year ago, the hotel was transformed to become part of Anantara Hotels and is now part of the Minor Hotel Group, which has more than 550 hotels worldwide, and will grow to 1,000 hotels over the next few years.”

The Anantara Hotels group is no stranger to golf with the Anantara Vilamoura Algarve Resort in Portugal and the Anantara Villa Padierna Palace Resort boasting some of he finest courses in Europe.

In Dublin, the hotel welcomes guests from all over the world to its docklands property and golf is just one of many experiences offered to guests.

“We set a very high standard for ourselves, and that’s also what the guests expect when they come to our property”

— Ludo de Jong, General Manager, Anantara The Marker Dublin Hotel

“We want to offer them unique experiences and, of course, a luxury service and a superb environment,” Mr de Jong explains.

The experiences include swimming at the hotel’s 23m pool, which is the biggest at any Dublin hotel, but also the chance to take a hotel transfer to the famous 40-Foot.

“We have a private instructor and it's a bit about the cold plunging and revitalisation,” he explains. “And it's something that is really very much appreciated by our guests.

“Other guests come over and they want to see Dublin, or they want to play some of the most beautiful golf courses in the world that this country possesses, and I think that's something that we're very proud of.

“With our golf packages at The Royal Dublin Golf Club, the guest arrives, enjoys a beautiful room and then a private transfer via courtesy car to the golf course, where you will be awaited by a pro.

“After your round, you are transferred back to the hotel to enjoy the 19th hole, where you have an Irish whiskey tasting and and that's all set within our hotel with our mixologist.

“They have a full story to tell about the different whiskeys that we have — Irish whiskeys, of course — and the next day, they can start all over again if they want to.

“We have our preferred partnership with The Royal Dublin Golf Club but our concierge Barry White, who is a member of Les Clefs d'Or, can he open the door at any golf course within its set boundaries.

“So we're really looking to create those experiences for our guests. If it's not something that they've already set their minds to in terms of a golf course, then we can help them find it as well.”

The 187-room hotel is one of the most luxurious in the Anantara group and part of The Leading Hotels of the World collection.

“We set a very high standard to ourselves, and that's also what the guests expect when they come to our property,” Mr de Jong said. “They must feel the emotional connection, but they must also experience the service and the luxury that that sets us apart from our competition.”

Golf tourism has become more sophisticated in recent years with couples, families and groups looking for a full experience away from the golf course.

“The golfers tend to go very early in the morning out to the golf course, and the wives and children go into the city, and we arrange that a very nice tour for them as well.

“We have a own storyteller, Derek Brennan, and he's our custodian, as we call it and does the Dublin tour. But we also we offer different programmes, and the hotel also has many different services or facilities. For example, we have a very large pool and spa wellness area, so the family can also enjoy that.

“We have got five treatment rooms where we also have one room for couples. So you can be fully relaxed when you come over to Anantara The Marker and when you depart, you're ready to go.”

Mr de Jong loves football, Formula 1 and tennis but he is also learning how to play golf so he can better understand the needs of his guests.

“What I do like is focus because that’s what I have to do in my work, but that's also what I think is required when you play golf,” he explains.

“You need to have focus and be present in order to play the game well and I think that's that's something that I really like about the sport, aside of the fact that you're walking outside enjoying fresh air.

“So for me, it’s very much a time to relax as well. It can be frustrating, of course, when you set your mind on something and it doesn’t come off as you might like, but that comes with practice, and that's something that I'm doing.

“I'm very much a perfectionist, so while I am invited quite often to go out and participate in tournaments or in golf events, I'm not at a level yet that I feel confident I can showcase my game to others. Hopefully, I can improve my game soon.”

Mr de Jong has a vocation for hospitality, inspired by his brothers, who also work in the industry.

“My brothers have been an inspiration to me,” he said. “I was asked to work in the kitchen as a side job, and I was still very young and in school. They were working at a location where they did weddings and all sorts of events, and I saw the enjoyment you can get from creating a great experience for guests and that really created a certain passion for me to drive those experience for our guests.

“I have had many different mentors and they were all very important, not only for myself to keep developing and learning, but also for the teams around me, because I always had very good mentors, and they always help me progress and grow.

‘I always give the message to my teams that I'm here to help them, to assist them, and I also personally want to develop them, because ultimately, it is very clear that if the team is successful, then I'm successful. So my most important job is to make sure that my team is successful, and ultimately the rest will follow.

“The message to our team here at the hotel is to make an emotional connection to our guests and to really understand what the guest is looking for.

“The most valuable thing we have in our lives is time. So when the guest spends time with us, that is already very special.”

Dublin has great cultural assets and the Anantara The Marker pulls out the stops of make it easy for guests to explore the city.

“We are a 15-minute walk or a six-minute cycle from the city centre and Trinity College, which is ideal for people looking for the traditional local experience.

“Next to this, we have a Marker Club, which is linked to our fitness and our spa and wellness area. So it's a fitness club and we can either use our pool, or go running towards the seaside, and you're there in five minutes.

“We also do tours with our guests, and we go to Howth, which is 25-30 minutes from here and we charter our own boat with a chef on board.

“So there are so many things to discover. Nature is all around us here, and it’s very easily accessed. The great attraction of Dublin is the combination of its cultural heritage and its very long history. So it has a full palette of discoveries, and that's something very nice to work with and to offer to our guests.”

“We offer pre-theatre dinner in our Forbes Street Restaurant, and it's very successful, to be honest. So we have a three course meal and a certain time set frame and and then the guests can enjoy to go to the theatre afterwards.”

The restaurant has been a big success, receiving the Good Food Ireland Best Restaurant Award.

“Our focus is on local produce and Gareth, who has been our chef since the opening of the hotel, has a wealth of experience. And so he sources the best products. So we have the best meat from John Stone and the best fish from Kingfisher in Howth,” Mr de Jong added. “And of course, all the other local produce. In the restaurant, our focus is the best local seafood the area has to offer, in combination with the best steaks that Ireland is known for.

“Gareth is very active chef. He tries to develop new talents and has his own podcast — Dishing It Out — with another chef, Gary O'Hanlon of The K Club, which also has a very nice golf course.

“So he's very active and but also very much on the floor. That's really what's important, of course, as well, to drive the kitchen, but also to drive the culinary level of the hotel. And he's not only responsible for the restaurant, but for the complete culinary offer that we have.”

When he’s not working at Anantara The Marker or trying to improve his golfing skills, Ludo is out seeing the sights of Dublin with his wife and sons, ferrying them to their sports activities, including the new world of GAA.

“A perfect day for me is seeing that everybody's healthy and happy,” he explained. “You hear so many difficult stories, especially when you also manage a team of more than 200 people. But if everybody's healthy, I'm already very happy. When I go to work, and I see my happy family at home, and they're enjoying their lives, that for me is also very important

“And then when I come to work that I see that the operation is running smoothly, and everybody's very much focused on driving that guest experience and then when you see happy guests, and everything falls together, that is what makes my day.”