Hilton HHonors - Hilton Dublin versus Conrad Dublin

I'm planning to go to Dublin for a weekend in January. Can't decide between the Hilton or the Conrad (it will be $70/night more for Conrad). Does anyone have any recommendations? I will be Diamond next year, so wondering perhaps where I'll get the best treatment and/or upgrades?

Thanks,
Gene

Gene,

When are you planning to go ? I'll be in the Conrad from 25th Jan to 27th.

They are both pretty close to one another, with the Conrad being nearer St. Stephens Green and Grafton St - the main shopping St in Dublin.
The Conrad certainly "shows better" and the rooms in my experience in the Conrad will be a better standard by quite a way.
However, as a Diamond you would almost certainly get an upgrade to an Executive Room in the Hilton. (this property was formerly a Stakis).
Neither location has an Exec Lounge so the room would be more important a consideration in that case.
I have found the Conrad to have a better level of service and marginally better attitude, as I've found the Hilton sometimes can have less competent (experience of Hhonors especially) people.
Not sure what upgrades there are available at the Conrad - maybe some of the newly refurbished rooms ?
Hope this might be of help. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif
John P.

Bump.

Anyone else have information or updates? Thanks!

i'm a lowly gold and a pretty big fan of the Conrad, if only because it's a much nicer property, and i don't really care about upgrades in tight international markets like Dublin.

plus, i believe the rooms are nicer in the Conrad, with the big honkin' caveat that i've stayed at the Hilton all of once and the Conrad enough times that i had staff members who knew me by name in the late 90s. i'm biased. but it's worth the $70 more, IMHO.

I have never been to these properties...

Would appreciate feedback on them... also chances of being upgraded to executive floor?

At the moment showing nothing less than 150E for Hilton and 205E for Conrad.

thanks

You can do a search on Dublin here and find lots of info. I've stayed at the Conrad and it was very nice. I understand they have renovated since then and it's even better.

I stayed at the Conrad, last year and was quite happy with it. It was before I had any status with Hilton, so I can't speak to the executive floor.

Am taking an overnight run in Feb. to DUB, currently have a res at the Hilton DUB at 90 euro/night.

Question, is the Conrad that much nicer of a property, and would it be worth spending 30K Hhonors points to stay there vs. the Hilton? The room rate at the Conrad is currently $240e.

Also, what's the best way to transfer from the airport to the hotel?

Isn't the Conrad outside of Dublin?

I was at the Hilton DUB just last week. Both the Conrad and the Hilton were in bad locations (far from all the sights. But the Club Floor at the Hilton was nice. THey gave bath salts and tea and crumpets. It was nice. Not the best hilton, but worth it at 90EUR. I paid 110 EUR. Pity, I just made Gold at HHonors, just after my stay...

Oh, neither are outside the city center.
The 19A bus from the hilton will get you to the main sights. the 16A will get you to the airport. Both busses are a 7 minute walk from the hotel. A taxi from the hotel to DUB airport (plus night surcharge) cost me 27 EUR

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Marriottmillionaire:

Isn't the Conrad outside of Dublin?</font>

Two Conrads in Ireland the above mentioned Conrad Dublin and the Conrad Mount Juliet located in Waterstown near Killkenny (about 75 miles from Dublin) in my opinion one of the top three properties in the entire Hilton chain.
Mike

All,

at 90 Euros, the Hilton is relatively good value. Not a super property, but not bad either ...
Conrad is a bit overpriced at that level ...

Both are a little out of the way, but not too mch of a walk (10 - 15 mins or so) to Grafton St or St Stephens Green, which is right in the middle of it all http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

From the airport to the Hilton, try the Aircoach - blue coaches outside the arrivals building at Dublin Airport. They do a trip into Dublin for less than 10 Euros (not sure exactly). Ask the driver - he can tell you where he stops close to the Hilton - just across the road from what I recollect.

Do a search on Dublin in this forum also - I remember some other posts on the Hilton & transport ...

Let me know if you need more info.

John P.

The Conrad is 30 dollars more per night than the Hilton for the time MissBumpMe! and I plan to stay there (early June).

Is it worth the money to experience the Conrad? We've never stayed in one, and wonder.

Any fellow diamonds have recent experiences?

Hi BumpMe,
I just returned from a stay this past weekend at the Conrad Dublin. I have to give it a mixed review. Like you, I had the same dilemma of which hotel to choose. Before booking, I did some research on FT and posed a similar question. I received many kind responses and the consensus was to stay at the Conrad. However, there was enough anecdotal evidence that the Conrad doesn't always provide all the stated hhonors benefits such as free breakfast, etc. So, before booking, I did a google search for the hotel and was able to get an e-mail address for the Conrad in Dublin. I sent a polite inquiry to the manager asking what type of benefits might a Diamond VIP member expect when staying at the hotel. I mentioned that I had heard that some Diamond members claimed to have had problems in the past with this property and was curious if the hotel has a policy different than that stated in the hhonors terms and conditions. I received a prompt and pleasant reply http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif from Ms. Barry in reservations. She stated that she wished to confirm the following Hhonors benefits for Diamond VIP's: Upgrade to one of their superior rooms that have all been recently refurbished. Each room has beechwood furniture, large marble bathrooms with massaging power showers and full size tub, and little extras like goose down duvets, oversized pillows and mini cd players. Also they would make sure we received a complimentary breakfast each morning either in room or in the restaurant, and a bottle of house wine and chocolates.

After receiving her cheerful and rapid response, I was quite optimistic that my stay at the Conrad would be a fabulous experience. Upon arrival, things weren't quite as I'd anticipated. We each had two rollaway bags. The Conrad has no automatic doors, only two single regular doors, and one revolving door (not automatic). There was no doorman in sight. It was a bit of a trick to get the luggage into the hotel. No big deal, but a minor hassle that I would have thought at a Conrad would have/should have been a non-issue. I presented my diamond card to the check-in receptionist. She pulled my reservation and gave me keys to my preassigned room on the third floor. If I recall correctly, the hotel has 7 or 8 floors, so a third floor room (at least on paper) did not appear to be all that fabulous of an upgrade. After giving me the key to the room the receptionist asked which type of complimentary newspaper I wanted delivered to my room, nice touch I thought. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif However, shortly after receiving the key and noticing that there were no certificates for breakfast, I made a polite inquiry about the complimentary breakfast and what was the proper procedure, ie, did I need certificates, or did I merely need to give my room number, etc. She became a bit curt and replied that the Conrad does not provide complimentary breakfast to diamonds or otherwise. I told her that I had a letter from Ms. Barry that stated otherwise. She told me to wait a minute as she went back to an office behind reception. A short while later she returned and reluctantly handed over some breakfast coupons (that stated bounceback breakfast, the type you get when staying on a bounceback rate). I don't know about you or anyone else, but it is such a pain in the butt and very aggravating and unpleasant to have to argue over hhonors benefits. I detest having to do this; it ruins the experience for me and leaves a bad taste in my mouth. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/mad.gif It was not as if the receptionist was unfamiliar with the hotel's policy towards hhonors benefits and just didn't know, she flat out stated with some conviction that the Conrad NEVER provides free breakfast. To me, that implied (althought I hope that I'm wrong)that it was a managment policy to not honor stated benefits, which is a much larger problem than an improperly trained employee. That said, we then went up to the room, which although rather on the small side, did have all of the qualities listed in Ms. Barry's correspondence. The room was very nicely appointed. There was in fact a cd/cassette/stereo, two plush robes & slippers, very nice bathroom with many fancy soaps and shampoos, etc., the condition of the room was very good and it did appear to have been recently renovated. The room was very tastefully decorated and had good comfortable furniture and nice curtains. The best part about the room was the bed. It was wonderfully comfortable, had a soft duvet cover, and giant down pillows that were heavenly. I could have slept all day in the bed; it was a shame to have to get up in the morning. However, the room was on a low floor and there was no view to speak of unless you count that of the roof of the floors below. (Not a big deal either, but the hotel did appear to be very quiet and not very full). There was a nice full size bottle of delcious Cote du Rhone red wine in the room as well as a very nice and rather large box of assorted chocolates. In the morning a large Sunday edition of the newspaper was delivered to the room. Breakfast in the restaurant was quite good and consisted of a full buffet of hot and cold items. Additionlly, we were offered the opportunity to order off the menu but declined because the buffet was more than adequate. The restaurant was empty except for two other people, more circumstantial evidence that the hotel was not fully booked. After checkout, again the doorman was nowhere to be found. I was in a bit of a hurry so I didn't bother to ask the receptionist to call the doorman for us, I didn't have time to wait for him. All in all, it was a mixed experience. The room was very nice, albeit rather small, and did not appear to be much of an upgrade, but other than the view or the size of the room (both trivial gripes), the accomodations were lovely. The service on the other hand was less than what I'd expect at a Conrad. Having to argue about benefits really soured the whole stay. Never having been to the Hilton in Dublin, I can't offer a comparison, but if you can deal with the distinct likelihood that you'll have to argue for benefits at check-in, and a hard-to-find doorman, you should find the accomodations to be quite pleasant. The hotel is located in what appeared to be a rather ritzy part of the city. It was my first trip to Dublin so forgive me if my impression is less than accurate. It is very close to St. Stephen's Green. As other Flyertalkers have helpfully stated, there is an excellent bus that runs from the airport and stops a little less than a block away from the hotel. The bus is called the AirCoach and as of last weekend, the fare was 6 euros per person each way, or 10 euros round trip. The trip took about 35 minutes each way. The bus was a brand new coach and was immaculate. For the Conrad, there are two stops nearby, Lower Leeson or St. Stephen's Green. Lower Leeson is probably a tad closer to the hotel. The bus runs every fifteen minutes starting at a very early time, I think 4:30 am., and I believe it runs to midnight. After a certain time, 8:30 p.m. I think, the buses only run every half hour. The hotel is located about a 5-7 minute walk from the Temple Bar area which is full of pubs and restaurants and had quite a lot of activity. It is a bit of a rowdy area with many young people drinking, so if that is not your cup of tea, you may want to eat/drink in a quieter area. However, if you like an exuberant nightlife, (think spring break) this is the area for you. I hope this information is helpful to you. Feel free to e-mail me if you have any additional questions.

Edited to fix typos.

[This message has been edited by hhonorman (edited 05-15-2003).]

What great information!
Thank you so much.

Now we anxiously await a report about the Hilton! Again, our deepest gratitude for the rapid, thorough response.

Hhonorman,

Would you mind posting the email address of the GM for the Conrad Dublin? Or rather, can I email you to get the email address?

We have a 2 night stay coming up there in July and I would like to email the GM to determine what, if any, benefits a lowly HHonors Gold will receive there.

Thanks!

The e-mail address I used successfully for this hotel is

dublininfo@conradhotels.com

I hope you have good results. Make sure to print out a copy of their response (if it is favorable) and bring it with you. As stated above, even when I had a letter stating that I would get free breakfast, I still had to argue with the receptionist to get this hotel to provide this benefit. If the hotel flat out tells you in writing that they will not provide the benefits listed in the hhonors terms and conditions, you may want to forward a copy of the hotel's reply to Hilton.

[This message has been edited by hhonorman (edited 05-15-2003).]

I stayed at the Hilton Dublin about a year ago and was then a lowly silver, so I can't tell you about if they honor the benefits or not.

Anyway, the hotel itself is very nice and new. It is slightly out of the town centre but is a very manageable 10 min walk down to town. Location wise, it is in front of a canal and in a quiet part of town. If you are looking for some place quiet, this is it.

The staff there are very warm and friendly, doorman and concierge were always around and when they weren't, the front office staff took over. If you're planning some sightseeing, then be prepared to take a short 7 min walk downtown to the nearest pickup location.

Roomswise, the hotel had very nice rooms and I would consider this hotel second best after the Caledonian Hilton in Edinburgh. The beds were comfortable and the pillows just nice. The room was somewhat modern with nice light wood and metal interior and the bathroom was a good size.

As for meals, the restaurant downstairs has a mean BBQ and the local Irish cuisine wasn't too shabby either.

Overall, a nice hotel albeit a little out of town but if you can live with the walking down to town each day, this is a good choice.

Hope this helps... Have a good time! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif


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Travelling makes the world smaller and friendlier.

Did the Conrad have the "trademark" stuffed animal amenity (normally a teddy bear, but in one case a duck (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum57/HTML/006218.html))?

No stuffed animals or duckies at the Conrad Dublin.

I have always enjoyed staying at the Conrad Dublin. I like the location, the even basic rooms are decent.

However I have never received free breakfast or the stuffed bear.

When inquiring about the free breakfast and receiving a NO, what do you do?

Shall I print the HHonors guidebook and bring it along for guidance?

Seriously, that's one of the main reasons I choose Hilton over other chains... becuase we are (per the rules) entitled to breakfast or lounge access once inthe VIP program.

Shall I put up a fight... or roll over and take it?

You may try writing to the hotel directly, as I did, and make a polite inquiry about what type of hhonors benefits you can expect to receive as a Gold or Diamond or whatever the case may be. Assuming they reply in a timely fashion and tell you you'll get breakfast, as they did to me, then you can print out their reply and take it with you. When the receptionist tells you "no breakfast" you can say that you have written confirmation that says otherwise. It was a pain in the butt, but it worked for me. Hope it works for you.

Hilton, if you are reading this, WE HATE to have to argue with front desk staff for benefits we're SUPPOSED to receive.

for those that have stayed at either.

I have two very dear (but very poor) friends who will in Dublin at that time.

Will a regular room (at either property) be able to fit two sleeping on the floor in sleeping bags?

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Visit FlyerTalk Dining http://flyertalk.com/diningfr.shtml

I've stayed at both. I saw a standard room at the Hilton and it was a little tight on additional space. Club rooms might have enough space, the one I had might have enough space. Does the website have any info on size of the rooms there?

The Conrad's standard room seemed bigger and big enough to take on sleeping bags. Again I would check.

I had a unsatisfying experience at the Conrad, though one of the office managers did a good effort of apologizing and making amends for the next time. (In contrast to the Hilton Kensington, who credited me a whole ~$10 for several issues on a spend over $1k - and I've stayed there several times.)

fredmartens: The Conrad is a nicer hotel as far as restaurants. I don't know anything about their lounge/club floors since I was turned down any benefits as a Gold because I was on a award stay (the occupancy rate was low when I went, as later confirmed by management).

That said, you probably will have better luck, and if you don't I have the name of the office manager who followed up with me before.

OTOH, the Hilton folks were at least reasonably nice to me (I was on a revenue stay there, but I have the feeling the staff I checked in with automatically try to give gold/diamond benefits).

I just spent the past weekend at the Hilton and it was fairly close to all of the attractions.... there are closer hotels but the walking distance was more than acceptable for me. The area of the hotel is very quiet, with the bar shutting down at 10 pm.

The hotel has Wi-Fi on the third floor and in the lobby areas but you have to buy an access code. Regular internet access was down through out the hotel because of Virus problems and was not going to be fixed until Tuesday of this week. The hotel gave me access to the managers computer, which was more than adequate.

I was on an award stay and had to ask for my breakfast coupon as the hotel. After the back office did their research they called and apologized for the error and corrected the breakfast list.

The service was very good, though a bit on the pricey side. 30.50 euros for lunch was a surprise.

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AA member since 1981. Oracle Implementations .... Will Travel....

The Dublin Hilton is a more modest hotel than I realized from reading all the posts. I knew that it wasn't ideally located for sightseeing, and accepted that. What surprised me was the things it doesn't have.

- no inroom safe
- no minibar
- no sofa or comfortable chair (has a round table with two straight chairs)
- no lounge, despite naming a floor a club floor (I was told that the club amenities are a bathrobe, slippers, and box of chocolates.)
- no business center with computers; if you don't bring a computer, the only internet access is on the TV

I am Hilton Diamond. I was given a very small room overlooking an interior space. In retrospect, I should have paid a little more for a central hotel and not cared about clocking up one more stay toward status.

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Visit Community Events (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum95/HTML/003481.html) to learn where and when you can meet FTers.

A couple added notes:

- I found it easy to take the Aircoach for 6euros to the Leesom Bridge. The driver gave me very careful directions for how to find the hotel. Cross to the far side of the canal, and walk along it on the footpath. The hotel is about a five minute walk.

- the closest internet cafe I have found is about a 3 block walk and is above the Bleeding Horse pub. The name of the pub amuses me - why do you want to drink to a Bleeding Horse?

Stayed twice at the Conrad last month on award stays.

Wonderful service, wonderful staff, great attitude, nice rooms.

Easy to get to by AirCoach, a nice stroll through nearby St. Stephens' Green to Grafton Street/Molly Malone/Trinity College/O'Neils (best Corned Beef and Cabbage in town, I think, and fresh Guinness to wash it down).

We really enjoyed the stay (even though no teddy bear).

And a local view to echo all this. The Hilton is quite basic, while the Conrad is very nice (as you'd expect). That said €90 for Hilton is probably quite a good rate for Dublin. However, if you can get the Conrad for 30K HH points, I'd say that was better value.

The blue AerCoach is they way to go for either property. A taxi would be about €25-30 and no quicker, either.

The Conrad is 5 minutes stroll across St. Stephen's Green to Grafton St. where all the drinking begins.

The Hilton is probably more like 12-15 minutes walk, and is in a less, er, savoury area.

Has anyone tried both the Conrad and the Hilton in Dublin? I'm booking an award stay and wondered where I should go. Logic tells me that the Conrad is better -- and I'm happy to pay 5,000 extra points -- but there may be some specifics I don't know about.

Has anyone tried both the Conrad and the Hilton in Dublin? I'm booking an award stay and wondered where I should go. Logic tells me that the Conrad is better -- and I'm happy to pay 5,000 extra points -- but there may be some specifics I don't know about.

I would definitely use the exrta 5000 points for the Conrad Award stay. Although I was slightly disappointed with the Conrad Dublin, it was much better than the Hilton, which IMO is poor. I just felt it wasn't up to the international Conrad standards - probably been spoilt with other Conrads. Conrad's location is much better than the Hilton - it's only a few minutes walk via St Stephens Green to the city centre. Rooms are much nicer and have air conditioning. As Diamond, we were given full breakfast at the Conrad.

As a Diamond at the Conrad Dublin I was given a bottle of wine and a box of chocolates as a gift as well. It was a decent hotel but not the best Conrad out there. Breakfast (incl. breakfast buffet selection) was included but service there was relatively slow and erratic for the table items.

Staff otherwise friendly but nothing spectacular. Didn't seem to be too busy when I was there and even then there was no one at the door to help me with luggage etc. at time of check-in or check-out. The good news is that the bus to the airport is out the front door of the Conrad Dublin, to your right and around the right corner of that very block (if that is what you wish to do instead of a cab).

Conrad for definate! I used to spend alot of nights in the Hilton but gradually over time the standards have gone down and down. They now cater to alot of bus tours and the likes. The conrad, whilst not the best in the world, is alot better than its sister. The staff seem a bit snooty at times but everything else is quite nice. Breakfast is good if included in rate, or given free with status, but dont pay for it... Its something like 28euro!

Corollary question:

What premium is reasonable for a paid stay? I originally had a res at the Conrad for 180 EUR per night in August, but now I'm holding a res at the Hilton for 130 EUR per night (3-night stay) instead. Haven't checked rates at the Conrad lately (and there's an 80% chance I'll have to cancel anyway... :( )

HH Gold if it matters at all.

For a 150 EUR difference, personally I would stay at the Hilton. While Conrad is better it isnt that much better.

For a 150 EUR difference, personally I would stay at the Hilton. While Conrad is better it isnt that much better.

180 Euro - 130 Euro = 50 Euro. Fat fingers? ;)

50 per night for 3 nights = the 150 EUR delta I've blinked over.

180 Euro - 130 Euro = 50 Euro. Fat fingers? ;)

* 3 days = 150 Euros. ;) :D

50 per night for 3 nights = the 150 EUR delta I've blinked over.

Whoops. Me = Fat Head. :D