- Lucky Charms Ireland: Introduction
- Lucky Charms Ireland: W Boston
- Lucky Charms Ireland: Aer Lingus Gold Circle Lounge Boston & Air France Business Class Lounge Boston
- Lucky Charms Ireland: Aer Lingus Business Class Boston to Dublin
- Lucky Charms Ireland: Four Seasons Dublin
- Lucky Charms Ireland: Exploring Dublin
- Lucky Charms Ireland: Ritz Carlton Powerscourt
- Lucky Charms Ireland: Hilton Dublin Airport
- Lucky Charms Ireland: Aer Lingus Gold Circle Lounge Dublin
- Lucky Charms Ireland: Aer Lingus Business Class Dublin to Boston
- Lucky Charms Ireland: InterContinental Boston
For our last night in Ireland we decided to stay at the Hilton Dublin Airport, which was rather pricey for an airport hotel at 115EUR. The hotel is actually quite far from the airport, though that wasn’t a big deal since we still had a car.
We arrived late in the afternoon and were quickly checked in by the friendly agent, who informed us we’d get free breakfast and internet courtesy of Hilton Honors Gold status.
Lobby
We were assigned a standard room on the 4th floor.
Hallway
After staying at a Four Seasons and Ritz Carlton it was certainly a “reality check,” though physically I found the room to be nice. Unfortunately it was everything else that wasn’t great. The room featured a king bed, desk, and small couch.
Room
Bed
Desk
The room faced the massive Tesco across the street.
View from our room
I was impressed that there were four bottles of water and two boxes of chocolates in the room — not often you see that at an airport hotel!
Welcome amenity
The bathroom was small but got the job done.
Toilet
Sink
Shower
As I covered in a previous post, unfortunately there were several other issues with the hotel:
- The shower temperature was highly variable. I set the temperature control to a reasonable temperature (40C), and then it fluctuated wildly, from unbearably hot to cold.
- The shower wouldn’t drain.
- The internet connection was among the worst I’ve ever had in a hotel. Not only was it slow, but I had to reconnect every few minutes.
- The bed was the most uncomfortable hotel bed I’ve slept in. I realize there are different levels of firmness in different countries, and that wasn’t my issue. It was more that the springs were so worn that it was downright uncomfortable to lay down.
All of those added up to an unpleasant experience that would prevent me from returning to this hotel.
On the plus side the breakfast, served in Burnell Grill, was nice, and featured pastries, yogurt, meat, cheese, scrambled eggs, and much more. Interestingly they seemed to seat those having breakfast courtesy of Honors on the upper level, I assume not to treat them more poorly, but rather so the waiters knew that there’s no need to present them with a check.
Burnell Grill
Buffet
Buffet
Buffet
Buffet
The hotel also had a very basic gym with aged equipment.
Gym
This definitely isn’t a Hilton I’m looking to return to, especially at the price we paid. Fortunately Hilton seems to have some other nice properties in Dublin, which I wouldn’t mind checking out.
Just visited this hotel, and it seems things have improved. Breakfast was just as good as described (can't get enough of that Irish black pudding), the bed was firm but didn't feel old, water temp was stable, and the gym definitely had some new equipment.
Interesting conversation though, we booked the room with some Chase reward points. The guy at the Hilton reception desk refused at first to comp our breakfast despite our Gold...
Just visited this hotel, and it seems things have improved. Breakfast was just as good as described (can't get enough of that Irish black pudding), the bed was firm but didn't feel old, water temp was stable, and the gym definitely had some new equipment.
Interesting conversation though, we booked the room with some Chase reward points. The guy at the Hilton reception desk refused at first to comp our breakfast despite our Gold status because from what he could tell, the room was booked through Expedia. I said that was a surprise since we'd done this at the Hilton Dublin and it hadn't been an issue, but he didn't budge. We called the desk several hours later with reservation numbers to complain about the inconsistent policy, but before I even got done explaining that we'd been declined the free breakfast she said "oh, you have Gold status? Ok, I'll put you down for 2 breakfasts", and that was that. Stand your ground when you have status, I guess?
Have to agree. The Hilton Dublin was probably one of the worst airport hotels I've ever stayed at. The bed was rock solid. I made the mistake of tossing myself on to it in a rather comical way, like how in movies people throw themselves in to the bed when they're exhausted. I'm surprised I didn't walk away with a bruise.
Thanks Ben! I was thinking about staying at this hotel for my Dublin trip this fall, so maybe not. It is interesting to note that I too have experienced the highly variable shower issue in 3 (of 3) Hiltons I have stayed at in Europe. All have the same shower control pictured, so I'm wondering if that is the problem.
We chose the Clarion -- on airport -- based on the reviews for the Hilton. I guess that was the right call!
The property has always been cheap because it is a long way to downtown Dublin and it is not at the Airport, where there are two hotels.
Looks pretty crappy. Good to know. Also, thanks for finally not posting the whole TR on the main page, easier to navigate now, though there could still be less...
Sounds cheap to me. I get the feeling that you have not paid for many stays at Hilton properties in Europe. Most are $200+. Take Hilton Schiphol, they charged $400+ at several points during the year (though is normally ~$250 when I stay there). On the other hand, Dublin is at the periphery of Europe while Amsterdam is in the heart of Europe. Even in a sh!t hole like Mainz DE you'll end up paying $200+ (though breakfast is very nice).