Residents Bar/Bar Exemption

nikkisclearout

Hi Just looking for some advice. Hotel told us they have a residents bar so we decided not to bother with getting a bar exemption as our guests could all move into the residents bar instead. have now been told the residents bar will be closing at 2am (2 weeks before our wedding) and its too late to apply for a bar exemption. id there any leeway with the residents bar as in is it up to the manager or do they have to by law close it at 2am?

thanks in advance!

mcgiggles

I don't know if its a law or if its just a hotel choice? I just googled it and this came from a thread from a few years back but I'm not sure if its changed at all

"The licencing laws allow hotels to serve alcohol to residents outside of normal licencing hours, but they are not obliged to"

Faith

I think a bar extension would only keep a bar open until about 2am anyway, normally?

nikkisclearout

Faith wrote: »

I think a bar extension would only keep a bar open until about 2am anyway, normally?

Yes she had told us with the exemption that the bar could serve until 2.30 or that guests could avail of the residents bar. Stupidly I didn't think to clarify exactly what time the residents bar would close 😒 my own fault entirely! I just presumed that we could carry on the party in the residents bar for another few hours.
It's not the be all and end all I know but we just don't want guests, especially those who have traveled to get sent to bed too early

nikkisclearout

Also not sure if it matters or not but she told us the bar has a dance licence so not sure if that effects the situation or not

GingerLily

Whats a dance licence?

nikkisclearout

GingerLily wrote: »

Whats a dance licence?

I don't know 🙈

Mrs OBumble

An exemption would only get you served 'til 2am, which is followed by drinking up time of 30 minutes.

AFAIK, the residents bar doesn't have to close, it's up to the hotel. But they do need to have a method of proving that only genuine residents are served. Possibly if you tip the bar staff well on the night, they may be willing to stay open later than the time management have told them to close. But there's no guarantees.

On the other hand, 2:30pm is not exactly going to bed early! The hotel staff know full well that the later they serve, the harder it will be to get people up and out the following day.

mrsdewinter

GingerLily wrote: »

Whats a dance licence?

This has nothing to do with weddings. It's a standard requirement in, say, nightclubs and hotels... wherever people have gathered to socialise. It's a very old legal instrument. I imagine it was a way of the State getting a slice of the action way back when lots of dance halls were alcohol free.

nikkisclearout

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

An exemption would only get you served 'til 2am, which is followed by drinking up time of 30 minutes.

AFAIK, the residents bar doesn't have to close, it's up to the hotel. But they do need to have a method of proving that only genuine residents are served. Possibly if you tip the bar staff well on the night, they may be willing to stay open later than the time management have told them to close. But there's no guarantees.

On the other hand, 2:30pm is not exactly going to bed early! The hotel staff know full well that the later they serve, the harder it will be to get people up and out the following day.

Very true! 2.30 is probably time enough I'm sure I'll be glad to have the bar closing as an excuse to call it a night!

stargazer 68

As someone has said the residents bar is at the discretion of the hotel. Our was open until the last person left - cue 5am!!

mcgiggles

Dovies wrote: »

As someone has said the residents bar is at the discretion of the hotel. Our was open until the last person left - cue 5am!!

Our hotel told us, it will be open as long as we keep drinking and there's no trouble. Think they would tend to close it about 5am though, everyone at weddings has usually had more than enough drink by then lol

Toots

mcgiggles wrote: »

Our hotel told us, it will be open as long as we keep drinking and there's no trouble. Think they would tend to close it about 5am though, everyone at weddings has usually had more than enough drink by then lol

Same thing was said at ours, basically once everyone behaved, then they'd keep serving as long as we wanted. They ended up having to kick a load of people out because they needed to set up for the breakfast at about 6am :pac:

stargazer 68

Toots wrote: »

Same thing was said at ours, basically once everyone behaved, then they'd keep serving as long as we wanted. They ended up having to kick a load of people out because they needed to set up for the breakfast at about 6am :pac:

Thats what was said to us. One of our guests brought his guitar so had a sing song after the dj finished - loads of people sang it was brilliant. Wrapped it up about 5. The tayto sambos at 3 did the trick!

nikkisclearout

Thanks everyone for your replies. i suppose the 2am line is just to cover themselves in case there is only one or two up for staying on in the residents bar and it wouldn't pay them to have it open. (i cant see that happening!!)
will play it by ear on the night and not going to worry about it and hopefully just enjoy the night

Milly33

It would be the hotels call for that, hate when they do things like this especially a few weeks before the wedding... Make sure also I know they have said it, but I would ask them to confirm that guests who arent staying in the hotel can avail of the Residents bar. One place we went to wanted €500 odd for the extension and when i said sure cant we go to the residents bar she said yes but that only paying guests could go there...