So I struggled between one star and two . . . but because I emailed the manager over a week ago complaining of my stay, I've heard nothing. So that tells me just about everything I need to know about their concern for guests and the guest experience. Therefore the original rating of two stars has been downgraded to one.
First the good news--the location is primo. It is on Main Street and is right in the middle of the cutest town in Ireland. That's where the good news--at least for me--stops.
I know what quaint and cute look like, and I think some of the pictures of the rooms I've seen online show some quaint and cute rooms. Mine was neither. It may be I just got the runt of the litter; but I'll never know because the manger didn't see fit to acknowledge the email, let alone offer any comment or explanation.
So unbeknownst to us was the fact that the property was booked for a wedding reception on the night we were booked. When we arrived the hotel was jammed with well dressed and polite attendees. That's when the problems started. The entire parking lot was filled with wedding guests, and if you haven't been to Dingle yet, and you arrive as we did at 6:00 in the evening on a Friday night, there is no street parking available. When we told the hotel attendant checking us in her response was unexpected: she shrugged.
During the next hour of circling the block and looking for parking, a small car exited the hotel parking lot. We managed to squeeze in and unload our luggage. Hot and sweaty from the travel we found our room. It had no A/C. Not a deal breaker for us, but the windows opened only inches. And then there was the smell. Musty? An old, closed in smell? The furnishings were adequate but very dated. Some of the hardware came off doors and drawers as we attempted to unpack. The bathroom was pretty sparse. When you turned the faucet knob on, the entire plumbing fixture turned as well. It was a hundred little things that made the room unpleasant and unwelcoming.
We wandered away for dinner and had not only a superb meal but a great walk along the waterfront and through the town. We returned to the hotel and the wedding dinner was in full swing. By 10:30 the party had begun in earnest. We were down the hall from the dining room/reception area and the band was pretty loud. I managed to fall asleep only to be rolled out of bed just before midnight by the booming of the bass drum. Many of the celebrants had moved into the hallway where one of the musicians was entertaining guests with his saxophone. A peek out the door was greeted with scorn and disdain. I don't begrudge the group for having fun; someone very special was getting married and friends and family were due a celebration. I blamed the hotel for not alerting us in advance or exercising some control over the festivities as the night wore on. (I'm not sure how long the wedding party had been planned but we had booked the room months in advance.)
The party grew louder and the music was unrelenting. Sometime after 2:00 or 3:00 the "official" party and music must have come to an end. The partying however did not stop. It simply relocated to various rooms, the hall and the parking lot. This was without doubt the worst night spent in a hotel in my entire adult life.
So where was management? Where was the concern for the other guests who were sharing the property? I can't answer those questions and apparently neither will the management.
Dingle is a special town. The Dingle Benners is not a special property. read more