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IN 2007, the three families behind the Jurys Doyle hotel group decided to sell a sizeable chunk of the business.

Two years previously, the families had made a killing by selling two of the prized properties in the group — Jurys Hotel in Ballsbridge and the adjacent Berkeley Court — to the developer Sean Dunne for a combined, jaw-dropping total of €379 million.

Now, the families had made another a decision that would net an astonishing return. The group at that stage comprised a luxury hotels division and a budget chain — the Jurys Inns. The family decided to concentrate on the luxury hotels and sell the inns.