I have written a very thorough review of the Hilton Dublin Airport previously, but thought to give you the heads up about our last three stays in 2012.
Our stay in November was slightly disappointing. The room we received on the fourth floor was renovated, but the mattress was lumpy and the duvet too short, one of us was sometimes partly uncovered. Our sleep wasn't as deep and restful as usual.
We noticed some other changes.
The furniture went from light to dark brown.
There were new elegant dark blue folders containing the Hotel Directory and the new In Room Dining Menu. The key cards had also different prints - instead of brown they were now also dark blue.
In our opinion that had changed for the better.
The breakfast the next morning was disappointing and not up to the high standards we were used to at this property. The smoked salmon looked as if it was over the use before date, the scrambled eggs were watery and the coffee too bitter for my taste.
We weren't exactly looking forward to our following stay.
It was a prepaid rate, and we had requested an e-standby upgrade to a Hilton Suite. EW said we would get the upgrade, I bet we wouldn't.
To our delight the upgrade was confirmed at check in. A late check out at 2 PM was granted without quibble.
The suite was large and located on the third floor. The colors were all kept in brown and the lightning was mellow. When entering there was a small visitor's toilet to the left and a dining area with a table and chairs to the right. At the entrance wooden floor was used. There was also a huge sofa, a big chair and a smaller one, a writing desk and large flat screen TV with international and regional channels. The credenza contained the mini bar. The living room area was carpeted.
The bed room was large with a king sized bed. This time around the mattress, pillows and duvet was fine. We slept like babies with the new Serenity Bed. There was also a writing desk, wardrobe with a safe and a large flat screen TV.
The bathroom was large with a separate bath and shower, sink, toilet and a weighing scale.
We soon realized that the door to the mini bar wouldn't open, so I called reception. Normally the mini bar lock can be released from there, but unfortunately it didn't work. Somebody from maintenance was sent. He arrived within minutes and made it work again.
We tried the Burnells Bar this time around for dinner and were pleased with the new menu. It contains a healthy section, and we choose Tia Maria, tea, hot chocolate and orange juice, the Grilled Aubergine (eggplant) with rice, ratatouille and mixed salad, penne pasta with pesto, chicken and cherry tomatoes and sticky toffee pudding. All was very delicious.
The breakfast had improved again and was back to the old high standards.
Check out was quick and to our surprise the drink we had from the mini bar wasn't charged.
Overall we had a relaxing time and were looking forward to our next stay on the Thank you rate - a bargain of 37.50 Euro / ca. 50 USD - at the end of December. Again we had an e-standby for the Family Room and the suite. We didn't expect an upgrade, because the hotel was fully booked. We were upgraded to a Deluxe Room. To our surprise it was a corner room on the fifth floor. The interior has changed a bit since the renovation, and the rooms have been reclassified.
We were happy and comfortable as in the suite, so there was a big improvement compared against our stay in November.
Other changes we noticed.
The Diamond welcome amenities have improved. On our first stay we received four bottles of (still and sparkling) water, fruits and mint chocolate. In our opinion the mint chocolate tastes awful. During our last two stays the unbranded mint chocolates were replaced with Lily O’Brien’s chocolates. Much better and very much appreciated.
The shuttle bus drivers and reception staff are still the same. The restaurant and bar staff has changed. They are much younger. There is no cocktail menu available in the bar. Asked if there were any available, we were told there were three choices. I remember two, the Cosmopolitan and Sex on The Beach. On the other side the bar offers a wide variety of liquors and beer.
The problem with the water (too hot, too cold or change in temperature while taking a shower from scalding hot to ice cold) has been nearly eliminated. There are still some minor temperature fluctuations.
Another change we don't like but grudgingly accept is the charge of 2 Euro (ca. 2.65 USD) per person from the hotel to the airport when using the shuttle bus. It is still free from Zone 14 at the airport. Children under 12 can also use the shuttle free of charge. The explanation why the surcharge was introduced on 01.01.13 is that the costs of running the shuttle are very high and to offset some of them customers have to pay. We understand this, but it's very unfortunate in our opinion.
The overall experience has improved for us, so we are going to be very happy in future to stay again more often at the Hilton Dublin Airport.
Our stay in November was slightly disappointing. The room we received on the fourth floor was renovated, but the mattress was lumpy and the duvet too short, one of us was sometimes partly uncovered. Our sleep wasn't as deep and restful as usual.
We noticed some other changes.
The furniture went from light to dark brown.
There were new elegant dark blue folders containing the Hotel Directory and the new In Room Dining Menu. The key cards had also different prints - instead of brown they were now also dark blue.
In our opinion that had changed for the better.
The breakfast the next morning was disappointing and not up to the high standards we were used to at this property. The smoked salmon looked as if it was over the use before date, the scrambled eggs were watery and the coffee too bitter for my taste.
We weren't exactly looking forward to our following stay.
It was a prepaid rate, and we had requested an e-standby upgrade to a Hilton Suite. EW said we would get the upgrade, I bet we wouldn't.
To our delight the upgrade was confirmed at check in. A late check out at 2 PM was granted without quibble.
The suite was large and located on the third floor. The colors were all kept in brown and the lightning was mellow. When entering there was a small visitor's toilet to the left and a dining area with a table and chairs to the right. At the entrance wooden floor was used. There was also a huge sofa, a big chair and a smaller one, a writing desk and large flat screen TV with international and regional channels. The credenza contained the mini bar. The living room area was carpeted.
The bed room was large with a king sized bed. This time around the mattress, pillows and duvet was fine. We slept like babies with the new Serenity Bed. There was also a writing desk, wardrobe with a safe and a large flat screen TV.
The bathroom was large with a separate bath and shower, sink, toilet and a weighing scale.
We soon realized that the door to the mini bar wouldn't open, so I called reception. Normally the mini bar lock can be released from there, but unfortunately it didn't work. Somebody from maintenance was sent. He arrived within minutes and made it work again.
We tried the Burnells Bar this time around for dinner and were pleased with the new menu. It contains a healthy section, and we choose Tia Maria, tea, hot chocolate and orange juice, the Grilled Aubergine (eggplant) with rice, ratatouille and mixed salad, penne pasta with pesto, chicken and cherry tomatoes and sticky toffee pudding. All was very delicious.
The breakfast had improved again and was back to the old high standards.
Check out was quick and to our surprise the drink we had from the mini bar wasn't charged.
Overall we had a relaxing time and were looking forward to our next stay on the Thank you rate - a bargain of 37.50 Euro / ca. 50 USD - at the end of December. Again we had an e-standby for the Family Room and the suite. We didn't expect an upgrade, because the hotel was fully booked. We were upgraded to a Deluxe Room. To our surprise it was a corner room on the fifth floor. The interior has changed a bit since the renovation, and the rooms have been reclassified.
We were happy and comfortable as in the suite, so there was a big improvement compared against our stay in November.
Other changes we noticed.
The Diamond welcome amenities have improved. On our first stay we received four bottles of (still and sparkling) water, fruits and mint chocolate. In our opinion the mint chocolate tastes awful. During our last two stays the unbranded mint chocolates were replaced with Lily O’Brien’s chocolates. Much better and very much appreciated.
The shuttle bus drivers and reception staff are still the same. The restaurant and bar staff has changed. They are much younger. There is no cocktail menu available in the bar. Asked if there were any available, we were told there were three choices. I remember two, the Cosmopolitan and Sex on The Beach. On the other side the bar offers a wide variety of liquors and beer.
The problem with the water (too hot, too cold or change in temperature while taking a shower from scalding hot to ice cold) has been nearly eliminated. There are still some minor temperature fluctuations.
Another change we don't like but grudgingly accept is the charge of 2 Euro (ca. 2.65 USD) per person from the hotel to the airport when using the shuttle bus. It is still free from Zone 14 at the airport. Children under 12 can also use the shuttle free of charge. The explanation why the surcharge was introduced on 01.01.13 is that the costs of running the shuttle are very high and to offset some of them customers have to pay. We understand this, but it's very unfortunate in our opinion.
The overall experience has improved for us, so we are going to be very happy in future to stay again more often at the Hilton Dublin Airport.
©2012
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