It's being reported that Japanese hotel chain Toyoko Inn is the "preferred bidder" for the Magdalene Laundry building on Sean McDermott Street in Dublin's inner city.
Dublin City Councillor Gary Gannon revealed news of the planned development, reports thejournal.ie, which includes a 351-bed hotel, a 140-bed student residence, a private cultural amenity and ten residential units.
Toyoko Inn, which bought Abbeville - the mansion and estate of the former Fianna Fáil Taoiseach Charles J Haughey - in 2015, is said to have an unique policy of hiring a workforce almost completely made up of women, with some 95% of its 8,500 employees female.
In objecting to the proposed hotel, Gannon, who’s a member of the Social Democrats, said: "How can we in all conscience allow this site to once again become a place where women will be paid relatively little to clean and serve the needs of others in order to generate enormous income for a wealthy institution?"
