Radisson Blu St. Helen's Hotel, Dublin — Hotel in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown

Where to begin. This is a complicated review because there were some nice points but it’s absolutely not a 5 star hotel. This hotel is a 5 star in their own opinion, the outside to any person appears to be a 5 star manor style hotel but inside it’s a whole other story, it’s certainly a 3 star hotel. The building clearly needs updating, I’ve personally been to 3 star hotels before that were classier and better maintained. The underground car park where you enter to park your car is exceptionally small. You wouldn’t be comfortable parking anything expensive in there. No security at all really which is odd for a 5 star. No staff to ensure you up to the lobby seamlessly and when you enter from the car park you walk straight through to a function room, not very secure to be honest. The entrance up to the actual hotel was so confusing, we wound up in several different areas of the hotel before eventually finding the reception it’s very poor. The staff were polite but they didn’t seem to be very enthusiastic, we noticed upon arriving that there were several functions happening and I asked the receptionist if there was a wedding or anything on because that can really impact your stay (noise wise) and they said “no no weddings tonight”, but there was 100% big events on and this had our alarm bells on and people were already complaining in the lobby about bad service in the function hall.

We were given cards for our door and when we got to the room they didn’t work, apparently the clerk never actually checked us in. Going into the room we thought yeah it’s very pretty and the team left out little desserts for my partner for his birthday which was nice touch..but when you take off the rose tinted glasses you started to notice the little details that were letting the room down. The mini bar was completely empty? Why on earth would it be empty in a five star hotel..it takes away from the luxury experience. We had 1 bottle of still water in the room which was poor, especially if you aren’t happy to drink sink water! The coffee machine was also broken and it did not stop leaking so we just gave up on it. The shower and bath were covered in lime scale and they needed to bleached big time. Couldn’t have a shower next morning because we weren’t comfortable. There were also no bathrobes which in a 5 star was also quite poor, no hotel directory, and a very poor room service menu. The “24 hr” room service menu was really limited for a 5 star. The room we received was also adjacent to the main function room which we immediately felt apprehensive about as the noise level was pretty crazy. The outside gardens which were stunning couldn’t be observed in peace because they were filled with drunken screaming teenagers and drunk girls yelling at each other all evening, overall the hotel is very dilapidated and not in a kitschy or charming way it just feels outdated. Then we then went out for the night into town for food and came back to more screaming drunk girls flooding the corridors, and they persisted in creating a racket all bloody night - the urge to go out and scream at them to shut up was very strong. Then in the morning there were teenagers outside running up and down the lawns shouting at each other and this basically forced us to get up because sleep wasn’t possible. And to top it off, after speaking to the reception staff numerous times to confirm we had a late checkout next day, to which they assured me was in place. We still had some trainee desk clerk knocking on the door at 12:30 asking us if we were “still here”, I’m standing there in a bath towel baffled that I’m being bothered at all.? Don’t come near me until I’m officially checked out or if I’m actually late out because that’s just so frustrating. Definitely do not recommend for a couples break as you won’t have any peace and quiet..this is definitely a hotel that has just gotten accustomed to weddings and nothing else. Not a hotel for couples unless you’re tying the...

I would give this place minus 1 star if I could. More than disappointing to say to the least. From the minute my partner checked in with a voucher we had to use the receptionist stated that it had expired. My partner stated this could not have been the case as we had only received the voucher a month prior and that it was not used. The receptionist informed my partner he would check it out and gave my partner a key card to go to our room however, stated the room had not been cleaned yet. My partner said check in was at 3pm and it was current half 4. The receptionist stated he would sort this out. After fifteen minutes wait we went to the bedroom. Unfortunately it had not been cleaned properly as the bathroom floor was fifty and along with that so was the shower/bath. We were both hungry and decided to over look the state of the bathroom in our bedroom and head down to the bar for dinner. We were seated in the bar area. The seats and table consisted of garden furniture inside the bar. This was very uncomfortable to eat as the seats were higher than the table. The table was also dirty when we got to it. I wiped it with the souvenir given with the cutlery as I was so hungry I just wanted to have dinner and not make anything awkward. After ordering our meal we waited approx 40 minutes for our food. The food was definitely below standard as my partner asked for a steak medium rare and it was served well done. I asked my partner to send it back but he said he was too hungry. There was also a couple near us who sent one of their meals back. When it came to ordering desserts I informed the bar manager that we knew what we wanted and his response was "well what do you want then" with an attitude. I was quite taken back by his response. After dessert my partner and I decided to stay in the bar area to have a few drinks. We were constantly looked down by bar staff. These staff definitely were not trained to a standard as they were very unapproachable and unfriendly. At approx half 8 my partner and I decided we had enough of the service and would go to our room. My partner made his way to the bar to pay and was standing waiting. I decided to go back to the room. Afterwards when my partner came to the room he told me that the bar manager ran out after me in front of other hotel guests and made it look like I was returning to the room without paying. Although my partner was waiting at the bar to pay. Another bar staff called upon the manager to come back as my partner was paying. When my partner told me this I was distraught and felt like I had been publicly humiliated. He said he was going back down to the hotel manager to speak about this issue. The hotel manager also called the bar manager to speak to him. The bar manager stated that my partner had used profound language against him when we were eating our food. This was untrue as we had never said anything about him. My partner was completely shocked by this dishonesty.My partner them went on to say that he had asked this bar manager for the receipt before paying which was given to him. The bar manager also stated that he did not give us a receipt when my partner had proof of the receipt in his hand. The hotel manager told the bar manager to leave while he spoke to the manager. I presume this is not the first time the bar manager was being unprofessional and untruthful in his role. The hotel manager asked a bar staff to give my partner two drinks to take to the bedroom after such a bad experience we had. When the drinks were poured the bar staff said to my partner "enjoy your free drinks now". My partner found this comment to be improper. We checked out early the next morning. We were horrified at the whole experience. There is no possible way this establishment is 5 stars. It is completly misleading for guests coming to stay here. I will be contacting Fáilte Ireland in relation to this as I dont want others to misspend...

Stayed with my wife and a newborn for a weekend break. While the hotel is stunning and the grounds extremely well maintained, there is definitely work to be done on rooms, service and staff to be a true 5 star hotel.

We had arranged by phone for early check in at which time no one mentioned that to dine in the hotel (although a resident)bookings would be needed and when we asked about an evening meal, it was simply "we are booked out, and you can get room service"???? While we were checking in this same thing was said to other arriving guests! Not only is that unacceptable in any standard of hotel but to be told this only on arrival is absurd, where did the hotel expect its guest to dine?

With the intervention of a manager on the booking desk we were accommodated if we could ensure the table would be cleared by 7pm to accommodate other bookings! However other guests were not so fortunate! Staff at the restaurant/bar booking desk were less than helpful and I fear had the manager not arrived we would have to order room service.

On to the rooms, we booked a Superior room and the name was little more than window dressing, dated and in need of refurbishment would be the issues, our first room the air conditioning was broken, we were quickly moved to a new room and in this room we had issues with the AC again, which were rectified but even when working barely changed the room temperature which was uncomfortably warm!

When we sat for our meal the food was to be fair of a good standard and service was pleasant but again not a 5 star level of treatment! Staff were lacking in knowledge, gin and tonic no lime/lemon, desserts a huge let down and were barely equivalent to cafe standard! Overall While the food was good it was far inferior to the prices charged and the standard expected. After the meal there were no tables available to residents to have a drink and we were left to return to our room at 7pm, not the ideal scenario when staying in a 5 star venue like this! While the staff were pleasant we were little more of an inconvenience when this was challenged and basically unless we had booked something we were at the mercy of either a missed booking or a table becoming free early!

Breakfast in the Italian restaurant was pleasant and staff were polite but again seemed to be a little less than knowledgeable. While one member of staff could get my wife a Mocha another when asked for a second said we don't do them, and when challenged said she just asked the manager and he said we don't do them, but when we asked the original waitress for one it was miraculously available again??? The selection at breakfast was good, but the pancakes were like cardboard and may have been on the buffet for a while! The level of detail again seemed just a little lacking.

Overall the stay was underwhelming to say the least and if I'm honest more than a little disappointing, all of the above basically out of the hands of staff? Covid has played havoc with hospitality for sure but service, level of detail and facilities all can be delivered in a 5 star manner,...