The owners of the five-star Merrion Hotel in Dublin shared a bumper €7.6m dividend payout, last year, as profits at the hotel soared.

One of the best known five-star hotels in the country, the Merrion Hotel in Dublin, last year increased pre-tax profits by 7% to €1.6m.

THE five-star hotel the President of the United States Barack Obama checked into but never stayed at, returned to pre-tax profit last year, new figures show.