The Devlin — Hotel in Dublin

My friend and I stayed in the Devlin on Thursday August 11th. We enjoyed a lovely meal in Layla’s and a drink in the bar before heading up to bed at around 23:00.

At approx 23:20, were about to get into bed when the hotel phone rang. We looked at each other in confusion before I answered the phone. It was the receptionist advising us that there had been a noise complaint made against us. Initially I thought it was a prank because we were barely speaking above a whisper. I asked if perhaps they had reported the wrong room. He said no, it was definitely our room and asked us to turn off the television. I told him the TV wasn’t switched on (at any stage of our stay might I add) but apologised anyway and hung up the phone.

We were asleep before 00:00. At 00:45, the phone rang again, abruptly waking us from our sleep. My friend answered the phone. This time, the receptionist said there had been another noise complaint, it was unacceptable and if it happened again, we would be removed from the hotel. To say we were shocked is an understatement. My friend explained that we had been asleep for the past hour in a silent room and that he had woken us up. He replied saying that a staff member had been up to our floor and heard noise coming from our room. We literally did not know what to say.

The most startling part came next when the receptionist said he was going to walk up and wait outside our room. We are two young girls in our twenties and as you can imagine, this was quite unnerving for us. I found it hard to go back to sleep.

This incident spoiled what would have otherwise been a lovely stay. The staff members we encountered prior to this were friendly and professional, including the gentleman we complained to at checkout. At checkout, we were told the lady who made the complaint had also made several others during her stay. If this was the case, the hotel should not have questioned the integrity of my friend and I over a guest who clearly was looking for anything to complain about. The male receptionist on duty on the night of 11/08/22 needs to be disciplined for threatening to stand outside the room of two young girls in the middle...

We had booked a nights stay with breakfast plus cinema tickets. We have previously stayed at The Dean which was great! This was our main reason for trying out The Devlin...

On arrival there was a leak in the ceiling above reception. These things happen! We were then told the cinema was having technical difficulties and showings were cancelled (the sign for the screenings was still on display outside the hotel all evening).

We were offered 2 drink tokens each and a voucher covering the cinema tickets cost, valid for snacks, to make up for the cancellation.

We went for dinner elsewhere (as the hotel voucher mentioned snacks) and had a bottle of wine and some chocolate from the room later, to be covered by the voucher.

In the morning we went for breakfast and were asked if we had a reservation by the maître d. We were told they were fully booked (despite 6 or more tables being free) and that we were too late (it was 10:30 and breakfast is until 11:00). We were sent to the Americana Bar on the ground floor. The person downstairs said they don’t start brunch until 12 so we were sent back up to Layla’s. We were finally seated when we explained again and said we were hotel guests. We were put at a far table in the corner. There were still plenty of tables free when we finished. Another couple arrived to have breakfast at 10:55. The food was still lovely and staff seemed apologetic once they realised the mistake.

The next day we were upset to learn we had been billed twice for the room (over €500 total) and another amount on top of that. When we called we were told that we would be refunded the double bill but were told the extra amount was for room snacks not covered by the voucher. My partner had to argue this point and was finally refunded that amount. Later a manager called to apologise which was a nice gesture. No further compensation was offered.

No complaints with the room or food itself but hotel policies and staff training seemed to be really poor. They also seem to struggle to cater for the combined demand of the hotel guests and the general public. This is what tarnished the...

Upon check in there was a huge party going on around the reception area. It was horrifically loud , it made check in very difficult as the noise levels were louder than speaking ones. However, Barbara on front desk was an absolute star and handled it perfectly. I can imagine being put in a position like that and still having to do check ins for regular guests. She remained professional, very informative and helpful, she was accommodating to any requests , all that with a smile. Impeccable service from her and she is such an asset to the hotel, coming from someone in hospitality business for years- she really is a gem.||In contrast, the room had a few shortcomings. The air conditioning either wasn’t working or wasn’t user-friendly, and no fan was provided. In a compact room, basic ventilation should be standard. While we could have asked for one, it’s something that should already be considered, especially in hotels that position themselves at this level. Still, the room itself was clean, cosy, very similar to The Mayson in Docklands or The Dean in Cork, perhaps under the same group.||Rooftop bar was great on a sunny day, we had dinner and drinks. Pizza was amazing, as well as the desserts. Only thing was waiting 10+ minutes for a drink, taking into consideration it wasn’t that busy. But it happens.||However,| allowing such a loud and disruptive gathering in the main entrance area, right beside where guests are meant to check in was a clear oversight by management. It showed a lack of foresight and respect for both staff and guests. The staff did their absolute best under the circumstances, but it’s not their job to compensate for poor planning. For a hotel of this calibre, this kind of disorganisation is disappointing and avoidable. It was a failure of management, plain and simple.. |Overall...