Article about migrants housed in luxury hotel in Ireland shared as if it is in the UK

A social media post sharing a screenshot of a MailOnline article about migrants being housed in a luxury hotel incorrectly suggests this is in the UK, when it was actually in Ireland. 

A MailOnline article headlined “Fury as 300 year old luxury hotel is being used to house migrants” was shared in a Facebook page called “UK Politics uncovered”. The article preview features a photo of a manor house and grounds.

A screenshot of this post was then shared to another UK Facebook group with the caption: “Anyone would think that our Govt [sic] are enticing them here.” 

Comments on the post suggest people believe the article is about a hotel in the UK. They include: “No wonder they love GB and all it's benefits, but Kier Stammer stated that they would stop the use of hotels as soon as they were elected [sic],” and “I’m really sick of the way British people have to scrimp and save to live just to survive.”

While there have been reports of the Home Office housing asylum seekers in so-called luxury hotels, the article shown in the screenshot is not about the UK.

It is actually about the Irish government using the property Dundrum House Hotel in Tipperary, Ireland, to house refugees and asylum seekers, which has sparked protests from local residents.

According to a local community radio station, a statement from the hotel in May 2024 said there was “currently a Ukrainian Contract in place to accommodate 277 International Protection Applicants”. 

Ireland’s Department for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth reportedly said in August 2024 that, as “people from Ukraine move on to alternative accommodation”, some of the vacancies are being used to accommodate “approximately 80 people seeking international protection”. 

In Ireland, the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) provides accommodation to people who are seeking asylum. 

In March 2025, it was reported that the operators of Dundrum House Hotel had made an offer to the Irish government in relation to housing international protection applicants, with a contract ready to be signed. However, local councillors have reportedly called on the process to be paused while two High Court cases relating to the hotel are ongoing.

What happens in the UK?

As we’ve written many times before, the UK government provides support and accommodation to people claiming asylum here who would otherwise be destitute. They are placed in initial accommodation while their application for this support is being considered, and if their application for asylum support is granted they are placed in dispersal accommodation until a final decision is made on their asylum claim.

Due to an increased number of asylum seekers awaiting a decision on their application in the UK in recent years, the government has had to use ‘contingency’ asylum accommodation in order to meet its obligation to provide housing for those who require it. This has primarily involved the use of hotels.

As of November 2024, 220 hotels were being used to house asylum seekers across the UK. 

We’ve written more about how Labour is doing in its pledge to end the use of hotels to house asylum seekers here. You can also find more of our work checking claims relating to immigration on our website.