Dublin 'Hotel' of the Thousand Welcomes....NOT!

[ross4life]

[quote author=Peter Solan the Great link=topic=17478.msg856487#msg856487 date=1285258020]
Stayed three nights got it stamped by reception still had to pay. It was five pounds per night but it was only a small part of the rip off that Belfast has become. I live in Dublin and find restaurants and eating out far more un-reasonable in Belfast. The Wheterspoon pub beside the movie house was the value for money place i found, but i found the place to be a tad rough to be honest.

You're not wrong

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvMPi-jF5iQ

FFS soccer fans  was it Wetherspoons?  speaking of which it's a big pub chain in Britain

See what I'm getting at?
[/quote]

J D Wetherspoon

[gallsman]

You never cease to amaze me.

[ross4life]

You never cease to amaze me.

& likewise

[balladmaker]

A few things....
1. If there's no children allowed in the bar a 6 month old baby (sleeping or not) qualifies, if they make an exception where would they draw the line?
2. Why does it matter if the girl doing her job had broken English?
3. How do you know so much about the boys watching the NFL? You say they weren't residents, friends of the manager, weren't drinking and had made arrangements to see the game? Did someone shine a light in their face and quiz them?
4. You "watched in horror"? Really?  That's a bit dramatic....

1: Received phone call apology from hotel this evening, in response to my complaint which I made on Monday when checking out.  Their policy is no children in the bar area after 7pm and their 'new' member of staff was obviously incorrect. 
2: I would expect any hotel worker in a Dublin hotel to at least be fluent in English and not have to repeat a message several times before being understood.  Couldn't care less what country they hail from, so long as they are fluent.
3: A bar man in the hotel told me so.
4: The hotel manager lost the plot, while being reasonably quized as to why he wouldn't stick the game on for the packed bar, and proceeded to bang the counter repeatedly and verbally abuse a paying resident in the hotel.  So I "watched in horror"....not dramatic at all imo.  I assume you were not present, and if not, well you're hardly in a position to make comment.

[haranguerer]

2. Why does it matter if the girl doing her job had broken English?

I agree that the hotel can have its own policies, and actually respect the manager for sticking to his promise to put on the nfl game despite obvious pressure, but stating the above seems like a stupid attempt to suggest 'racist'. I despise people who try to shove that label on others, becuase theres such a taboo around it. What does it matter if someone who's job predominantly consists of dealing with the public, can't speak the prevailing language properly??? Are you serious??!! Its like appointing someone who can hardly turn a computer on as head of IT support...

[ross4life]

Sounds like the hotel "bad reviews" might be a thing of the past 

http://www.tnooz.com/2010/09/06/news/legal-threat-against-tripadvisor-includes-120-hotels-and-counting/

[tyssam5]

2. Why does it matter if the girl doing her job had broken English?

I agree that the hotel can have its own policies, and actually respect the manager for sticking to his promise to put on the nfl game despite obvious pressure, but stating the above seems like a stupid attempt to suggest 'racist'. I despise people who try to shove that label on others, becuase theres such a taboo around it. What does it matter if someone who's job predominantly consists of dealing with the public, can't speak the prevailing language properly??? Are you serious??!! Its like appointing someone who can hardly turn a computer on as head of IT support...

One thing worse than making a really bad decision is sticking with a really bad decision.

The guy was obviously a tool. Should have got the Yanks a pint on the house and sent them on their way.

[GalwayBayBoy]

Sounds like the hotel "bad reviews" might be a thing of the past 

http://www.tnooz.com/2010/09/06/news/legal-threat-against-tripadvisor-includes-120-hotels-and-counting/

While tripadvisor is a very useful tool and most reviews are completely genuine it is very open to abuse. Either by habitual cranks who live to complain or someone who might just have a personal gripe against a premises/owner.

[tyssam5]

Sounds like the hotel "bad reviews" might be a thing of the past 

http://www.tnooz.com/2010/09/06/news/legal-threat-against-tripadvisor-includes-120-hotels-and-counting/

While tripadvisor is a very useful tool and most reviews are completely genuine it is very open to abuse. Either by habitual cranks who live to complain or someone who might just have a personal gripe against a premises/owner.

They might get somewhere in Ireland or the UK, but there's free speech in the US. If a hotel has enough reviews you can filter out the ones to ignore fairly quickly, even the standard of English in a review will tell me if I trust it or not.

[leenie]

I think the manager was wrong in accommodating the 2 people who wanted to watch American football, my reason is that in the hospitality trade and in particular a bar, you are not only there to serve drinks but for customer satisfaction.

I use to work in a city bar which i opened most sundays, when i did i always checked what games were on t.v. If i had it my way i would have shown any game that was on tha was g.a.a related but i could not as i was there to provide a service, my rule was always "what the majority wanted" which i informed my customers when they requested a game... sometimes it would have been soccer.

It would seem that this particular bar that did not show the sunday game lost revenue and in this day an age thats not good business sense.. and the fact that non-residents were accommodated makes for even worse business sense! imo! 

[heffo]

Maybe there's a genesis of a thread here. Take cost out of it, as much as is possible, and what hotels would you recommend that you've stayed in?

In Ireland I would heartily recommend

Plaza, Killarney - Kerry

One of my favourite hotels I've stayed in and I do a lot of travelling abroad for work

[Tyrones own]

I think the manager was wrong in accommodating the 2 people who wanted to watch American football, my reason is that in the hospitality trade and in particular a bar, you are not only there to serve drinks but for customer satisfaction.

I use to work in a city bar which i opened most sundays, when i did i always checked what games were on t.v. If i had it my way i would have shown any game that was on tha was g.a.a related but i could not as i was there to provide a service, my rule was always "what the majority wanted" which i informed my customers when they requested a game... sometimes it would have been soccer.

It would seem that this particular bar that did not show the sunday game lost revenue and in this day an age thats not good business sense.. and the fact that non-residents were accommodated makes for even worse business sense! imo!

Completely agree...it's all well and good going off on the PC angle but it's the bottom
line that's important at the end of the day.. this situation could have been handled much better from a business stand point IMO!
Hope the two yanks spent lots of money and it was worth it for the owners.. though I highly doubt it as the hoors would sicken ye here sitting all night over one or two pints

[Bogball XV]

4: The hotel manager lost the plot, while being reasonably quized as to why he wouldn't stick the game on for the packed bar, and proceeded to bang the counter repeatedly and verbally abuse a paying resident in the hotel.  So I "watched in horror"....not dramatic at all imo.  I assume you were not present, and if not, well you're hardly in a position to make comment.

Pints was only going on the information you'd furnished - no need to get on your high horse now that you've decided to give us a few more graphic details, I suppose you didn't want to post that earlier as it was before the watershed and the horror of it might have shocked some youngsters who happened onto the board!!

Whilst I know what you're saying Leenie about business sense, bottom line etc, as someone who's struggled to watch gaa in various foreign bars over the years, I'm pretty impressed by the barman who keeps his word, and it's no more than I would expect off anybody.  If you give someone your word why change it?  As far as I'm concerned this incident exemplifies the hospitality that ireland is famed for.

[leenie]

but I'm saying he wasn't professional in giving his word nor did know his customer base very well! after all it was all ireland day.. perhaps I'd be more understanding it was quarter final maybe even a semi, but it was an all ireland, our national sport, played in the capital city where this hotel is, where thousands had journey too....and i would imagine that last weekend was one of the busiest for this hotel...

"you don't bite the hand that feeds you"...

and yes you could comment about ac comadating tourists but from what i gather those Americans were not residents.

i know from reading about this I'd never book to stay there...

[Wee Shea]

I stayed in the same hotel as the OP around this time last year for a weekend and never had a problem. Thought it was a great hotel, one of the best I stayed in.

I ventured outside the hotel when I wanted a drink or a feed or to watch a match though, but that is just my wacky way I do things.

Hope this helps!