Having stayed over thirty times at the Hilton Dublin Airport we returned after an absence of a couple of years.
This is a review of our combined three stays in January 2016.
The hotel has been mostly renovated, the dining concept changed and a lot of new staff was working there.
On one occasion the check in was a bit rushed due to a large queue behind us. Otherwise staff was always friendly and warm.
We were upgraded during all our stays as Hilton Honors Gold members. Twice from an entrance category room to a Deluxe Room and once to a Corner Deluxe.
The furniture had changed from blonde wood to dark wood. The lightning was reduced and sultry. The newest alarm clock – much smaller than the former model – was also available in two of the rooms.
The mini bar had been replaced with a mini fridge, which was empty.
The flat screen TV had an improved line up of channels including CNN, Bloomberg, CNBC and BBC World.
The artwork was still the same, but in different frames, depicting Irish seascapes.
The king sized bed was comfortable on all three occasions/stays.
One room did show more wear and tear than the other two and hadn’t been renovated yet. One example was the remote control. It had been used so often that the buttons were unreadable.
In one of the other rooms the feather in the safe door was too tight and didn’t let allow the door to open. At first we thought the safe was broken until a manager opened the safe for us and showed us how to deal with it.
Views were either over the entrance and Clare Hall Shopping Centre or Clare Hall and the sea in the distance.
The bathrooms hadn’t been changed.
Gold amenities were 4 bottles Deep River Rock water, Doorman’s salted peanuts and Wasabi peanuts as well as drink vouchers for two at the bar and restaurant. Each time we received a slight variation, i.e. just water and voucher, all items and once no Wasabi peanuts.
24 hours in room dining had improved too and was delicious. We enjoyed for example Irish smoked salmon sandwiches with a generous amount of salmon and salad, Chicken Satay and green Thai curry.
Earlier each meal came with crisps or fries. We were happy to see, that fries were still on the menu as side dishes, but had been generally replaced with green leafy salad.
At Burnell’s Restaurant and Bar we had a memorable pumpkin risotto.
Breakfast has been also upgraded. It was very good before, but it’s even better now in terms of choices on the buffet. Before tea and coffee were brought to the table. Now a coffee machine and tea making facility are at the buffet for the guest’s own use.
On weekends live entertainment still takes place in the evenings.
The shuttle to/from the airport was reliable, only once it arrived a bit late. One of the drivers recognized us from earlier stays and was as happy to see us again as we were.
In our opinion the Hilton Dublin Airport is the best hotel near the airport and we will use it in our future again before early flights or when arriving in Dublin from a flight in the late evening.
©2016
