Hilton HHonors - Conrad Dublin

I will be staying in the Conrad Dublin in Juhe for a long weekend, and have been told by reservations that they will allocate one of their refurbished rooms to me, as a Gold VIP.
Has anyone stayed at the Conrad recently, in particular in a refurbished room ?
Your comments are appreciated. (It's many years since I stayed there!) : )
Thanx
JP

I was there in November and they had pictures of the new rooms. They looked nice, but not in any way breaking from tradition. Other than that, not much to say. It's a relatively good hotel in a great location.

Stayed there in February. Not sure if my room was refurbished or not, but it was pretty nice. Decent living area and big bathroom.

Seth.

Thanks for the input so far - also wondered if there were any interesting Gold benefits ?

the conrad might have bigger bathrooms, but the shower heads are still low.

bump http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

I haven't seen any recent posts on the Conrad in Dublin. What can I expect as a Diamond ? Are they good about breakfast/upgrades ? Is there an exec floor ? THANKS - kazman

I was there in November just before they started room renovation, so I don't know about an executive floor. But as a Gold member, I got an ugrade and was treated very well.

kazman,

Not sure about exec floor (or lounge) - don't think there is one. I've stayed fairly recently as a Gold VIP & was also treated very well. Was put in one of the renovated rooms - very nice, with a lot of light colours, and a modern feel. Definitely one of the best Hilton / Conrad rooms I've been in, if a little on the "not big" side ! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif
Let me know if I can help in any other way.
BTW, the Hilton, Dublin (just around the corner from the Conrad @ 500 yards) has recently installed executive rooms. I will be staying in one on 6th Oct & will let u know how I get on if you like. Rates are about 50-60% of the Conrad @ ~$120US for a double room - I get upgraded to an exec room as a Gold VIP (quote from reservations agent !!). Exec rooms here cost about $200US.

kazman,

Did you travel to the Conrad ? If so, how did you get on ?
I didn't stay as intended in the Hilton, as I broke my leg in the meantime http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif

Look fwd to your report - I plan to stay in the Conrad in late Jan, so as a Diamond also I'm v. interested in your experiences !

JP

Unfortunately my arrival date for Dublin was
9/13/01 - So, I never got to Dublin - kazman

Did anyone ever answer the all important breakfast question?

Hi,
I have a brief one night layover in Dublin in May. Was thinking of cashing in some points before they get devalued. I am debating at whether to stay at the Dublin Hilton for 20k points, or Dublin Conrad for 30k. Normally I prefer Conrad's over Hiltons, but I've done a search and read all the comments about both properties and neither one sounds great. Almost universally, people have stated that the Conrad does not provide hhonors benefits and does not give free breakfast to Gold or Diamond. Has anyone ever gotten a free breakfast at the Dublin Conrad? What about at the Dublin Hilton? Does either one have an exec. lounge? Did a search, no mention of exec. lounges at either. No mention of it on the hilton or conrad website either. If you were a diamond vip and had to choose one hotel over the other for only one night, using points, would it be the Conrad or the Hilton in Dublin? Does anyone know which hotel is easier to get to/from the airport in Dublin?

Any help or insight will be greatly appreciated?

Hi. I stayed at the Hilton in January '03. Both are far from the airport. Your best bet is to take a cab. As for Gold benefits, I made gold after that stay, so I got none.

The Hilton has no executive floor.

[This message has been edited by Psychocadet (edited 03-26-2003).]

Three-night paid stay in June 2001. No upgrade, but no problem getting breakfast, either. It was volunteered by the front desk staffer when I checked in. She also apologized for the lack of an upgrade, and gave a reason, to boot.

Just stayed in Conrad Dublin earlier this week, as Diamond - upgraded to a nice 2 room suite overlooking the Concert Hall opposite. Given full breakfast vouchers when I asked - without problem. However they weren't offered without prompting ...

I would certainly choose the Conrad over the Hilton - both are very close to one another in the centre of Dublin, and are a good taxi ride or bus journey ("Aircoach") from the airport.

Please post any further questions that you might have, and I'll be happy to answer - I have stayed in each property over 20 times over the years ...

Regards,

John P.

Thank for all your information. JAP, do you know if the bus from the airport to downtown runs in the evening? Do you happen to know the name of the bus and where to pick it up at the airport. I'm scheduled to arrive in Dublin at 8:25 p.m. and want to be able to get to the hotel, hopefully without having to pay an expensive cab fare.

Edited to add: Do any of you kind folks think it would be a good idea for me to e-mail or fax (I want it to be in writing) a letter asking them specifically what kind of benefits a Diamond VIP can expect to receive when staying at the Conrad, such as upgrade, breakfast, etc.?



[This message has been edited by hhonorman (edited 03-27-2003).]

On google I found the Conrad's website. I e-mailed a polite inquiry about what type of hhonors benefits a diamond VIP could expect at that hotel. I am happy to report that they promptly replied, stating that:

"In reply to your Email I wish to confirm the following Hilton Honors Benifits for Diamond VIPS. We would make sure that you would get an upgrade to one of our Superior Rooms, they have all been recently refurbished. They have beautifull Beach wood furniture, Large marble Bathrooms with massaging power showers and full size bath tubs, and they also have little extras in them like Goose Down Duvets/Oversize Pillows and Mini CD Players.

We also would make sure that you get a complimentary Breakfast each morning either in your room or in the Restaurant and also a Bottle of House wine and Chocalates."

If they perform as stated I'll be a very happy traveler. So far, so good.

Hhonorman

I'm heading to Ireland 12/4 - 12/9 for a vacation. Staying at the Conrad Dublin (award stay) the first night. I am planning on renting a car, but don't know if I want to deal with learning to drive on the left in the early evening when we get in after a long flight from DTW-LGW-DUB. The Hilton website does not note that the Conrad has a car rental desk. Does anyone know if there are car rental companies nearby? Is there a price advantage/disadvantage vs. renting at the airport? I think I would rather take a taxi from the airport to hotel, pub crawl for the night, and get the car early the next morning to head west. I'm also planning on staying in Dublin 12/8 on an award stay at either the Hilton or Conrad, so a location near both would be good.

Thanks for any information.

Hi tev9999,

As far as I know there isn't a car rental desk at the Conrad. I can't say about price differences between local depots and the airport (never rented at home http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif ).

I know that there is a Hertz office about 10 mins walk from your hotel (Leeson St office) and Europecar also on Haddington Row. Both are equidistqant from the Hilton Hotel also. IMHO I'd go for the Conrad on your second stay - few have had good things to say about the Dublin Hilton.

You can take a taxi from the airport (€25ish) or take the blue AerCoach €8 which is just as fast. Also it will save you a fortune in parking, if you don't collect your car at the airport!

Enjoy the trip!

We stayed there for a week in Aug 03.

Call the conceirge. "Murray's" will bring you your car and then you can just leave it there and give your keys to the bellman. It was GREAT and very convenient. We drove all over the place. Parking is free and convenient as well. Call them and ask them for their number. It was quite reasonable as well, but the reason we went with them was because we found out they picked up/dropped off for guests staying at the Conrad -- no extra charge!!!! It was something like $40 a day, total (midsize/automatic/air).

Also, check out www.irelandexpert.com (http://www.irelandexpert.com) for any questions you may have - great website!

Dawn

GoldCircle - I'm splitting the stays with a friend I am traveling with and am now sure of his point balance with hhonors - but I will pass along the info. Conrad is catagory 5, Hilton is a 4, so it is an extra 5000 points for conrad. I plan on spending much more time in pubs than the room, so not too worried about the quality.

Dawn - did you have an advance reservation or make it through the hotel. I just looked at the eurocar website and it looks like they have pretty good prices. Looks like the price will be the same with cab fare picking up a day later and dropping off the previous evening. Not planning on driving around Dublin much anyway since I will be pub crawling more.

The middle of the trip will be spent around Shannon - can anyone recommend a hotel there or in Limerick? There are no hotels on that side of the island I can find award potential for. Did find the Royal George in Limerick for 60 euros a night - anyone ever been there?

Thanks for the info.

Tom

I stayed at Dromoland Castle (http://www.dromoland.ie/) when I was in the Shannon area this summer. It was a great experience. When I was in Dublin, I stayed at The Conrad and the suite and staff were great. The breakfast was outstanding and did not even have to fight about getting the full breakfast at the restaurant.

Edited to add: I did email the Conrad first to see what benefits they offered Diamonds.

[This message has been edited by planeluvr (edited Nov 24, 2003).]

Yes...we did have an advance reservation for our car...and it was delivered to the hotel just as promised.

On our last night, we stayed at the Clontarf Castle in Clontarf...about 20 minutes from the airport (we flew back to Dublin to catch the flight home from London). If you get a chance to stay there, you will LOVE it.

The Conrad also leaves a fabulous box of Butler's Chocolates in your room that are to die for! Yummy.

Dawn

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by tev9999:
The middle of the trip will be spent around Shannon - can anyone recommend a hotel there or in Limerick? There are no hotels on that side of the island I can find award potential for. Did find the Royal George in Limerick for 60 euros a night - anyone ever been there?

Thanks for the info.

Tom

</font>

Never heard of the Royal George. There are hotels everywhere in the SNN / Limerick region, though nothing in the Hilton line. I'd take a look at www.jurys.com (http://www.jurys.com) for Hotels and Inns, also I believe Radisson SAS has one in the area. Both will let you earn airline miles in selected programmes - I'm not aware of other earning opportunities, though there must be some.

Probably worth looking at these official sites:
http://www.shannonregiontourism.ie/
http://www.ireland.travel.ie/

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by planeluvr:
When I was in Dublin, I stayed at The Conrad and the suite and staff were great. The breakfast was outstanding and did not even have to fight about getting the full breakfast at the restaurant.
</font>

Its always nice to be given the full breakfast, but I think it is unreasonable to "fight" for this. After all, the HH benefit is the "complimentary continental breakfast."

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Zip:
Its always nice to be given the full breakfast, but I think it is unreasonable to "fight" for this. After all, the HH benefit is the "complimentary continental breakfast."</font>

True, but most of the time I am able to get a full breakfast in Europe with little or no problem. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by tev9999:
[B]I'm heading to Ireland 12/4 - 12/9 for a vacation. Staying at the Conrad Dublin (award stay) the first night. I am planning on renting a car, but don't know if I want to deal with learning to drive on the left in the early evening when we get in after a long flight from DTW-LGW-DUB. B]</font>

My wife and I stayed at the Conrad in August and we rented a car for some exploring of other parts of Ireland. If you are just staying in Dublin -- then do not even think about renting a car. The town is very congested and hard for an American to get adjusted to -- my wife took off the left mirror on the left side of our car. Thank God we had the full insurance (about $20 extra per day and covers all damage). My advice is dont drive, bit if you have to, buy the insurance. We paid about $50 for a mid sized manual car at the Avis (7 minute cab ride from the Conrad or 20 minute walk).

On a different note -- the breakfast buffet is excellent and we had no problem recieving the free breakfast coupons and a suite upgrade(I'm a diamond). http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif



------------------
Paul556@yahoo.com
UAL Premier, Northwest Silver Elite, Hilton Diamond VIP

Leaving in about 48 hours now. I booked with the Hertz location on Lesson Street to pick up the car the morning after we get in. Plan on heading out of Dublin right away (after a stop at the Guinness brewery) for Limerick. Will drop the car the night before we leave back in Dublin. Got a rate of about 200 euros, including full insurance, for four days. From what I have read here and on the Mastercard website, a Platinum MasterCard MAY cover the CDW. The hertz website would not let me deselect the insurance, so I will see if they will accept Mastercard and waive the CDW.

Thanks for all of the info.

Tom

Enjoy the trip - but be warned - the weather has just turned nasty, quite cold and wet. Bring gloves and a wooly sweater.

€200 for 4 days car rental incl. fully comprehensive insurance stikes me as a bargin - well done.

Let us know what you think of the Conrad and the Hilton, if you stay.

Re: hotels in Limerick / SNN - the George Hotel is average at best ...

As GoldCircle says, the Jurys Hotel or Inn would be a decent 3.5 / 3 star option respectively.
There is also a new Clarion in the City Centre, but I haven't stayed there.
Radisson SAS is on the way to SNN from Limerick - about 2 miles out on the right hand side. Driving distance, and not much public transport to speak of for that location - would be a taxi to the city.

I haven't much up-to-date direct experiences of hotels in the area, but if you wanted to stay in a nice Hotel, the Castletroy Park hotel near the University is very good with pool, leisure centre etc., and Dromoland Castle is excellent !

Hope this helps ... on reflection, it has probably totally confused the issue ... http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

John P.

tev9999 -- I just saw this thread, and wanted to respond with our experience.

We did the exact same thing you are doing when we stayed at the Conrad Dublin, and it worked out fine. My spouse walked over to Hertz and then drove the car back to the Conrad to pick myself and the luggage up -- the Hertz location is very close to the Conrad.

The only thing I would mention in addition to everything else already said is be sure to get excellent directions from someone at the hotel as far as getting out of Dublin. One of the bellboys at the Conrad actually mapped out the route on our map -- inked in the way we should go -- and it was a truly a lifesaver. There are so many one-way streets, you almost have to 'backtrack' to get out of town. Also, whoever is navigating needs to really look out for the street signs, as they are sometimes non-existent or hidden, and if in doubt, follow the street anyway if it's the one the map is indicating you should follow.

We made it out of Dublin without any problems, but friends of ours (not staying at the Conrad, and who left Dublin on a different day than us) didn't have as good of directions, and ended up circling the city for quite some time before finally going in the direction they wanted.

Have fun! We so enjoyed our trip, and would love to go back again!

Leaving for the airport in a few hours. Thanks for all of the help everyone. I'll post a report when I get back.

Tom

Just got back from the trip late last night. The Conrad was a very nice hotel. This was my first trip to Europe, so I don't have much to compare it to. I walked down to Hertz and ended up splurging for an upgrade to a Nissan X-Trak - don't think I could have fit in the Micra and survived the trip it was so small. Very helpfull staff at the Conrad. At check in they asked what my HH status was. I told them gold and was given two full breakfast coupons. My gold upgrade had just gone through, but I don't think they even checked. I believe the full breakfast was 24 euro each, so it is a valuable perk. I did have them map out directions to the Guinness storehouse and then out to the N7 to Limerick. Still ended up getting a bit lost, but managed to find the brewery and then the storehouse. No problems getting out of town except for some heavy traffic.

Stayed at the Jury's Inn in Limerick. Obviously not nearly as nice as the Conrad, but fine for 59 euro. The car park is just behind the hotel. They charge 8 euro to your room if you validate at the desk, which I think is the same price as paying cash at the pay station. The car park is closed on Sunday, so we had to use the one a block over, at the same price. They were pretty skimpy on towels and toiletries, but I just helped myself to some additional from the storage area. If you plan on drinking in Limerick, this is a good location. Less than five minutes walk to the end of the shops/restaurants/pubs on O'Connell street. Much longer (as my friend found out) after many pints and shots. Went to the pubs at the Royal George - great band at the downstairs one. It is right in the center of O'Connell, so it would also be a good base to explore. The Clarion is a few blocks past the Jurys on the river - a little to far to walk after a night of pub crawling in my opinion. My friend was also staying at the Oakwood Arms by SNN. Nice hotel, but not much around to walk to.

Great trip, except for some fog issues at LGW and a bus trip to STN to get home. Thanks again for the help.

Was trying to get a rate at the Conrad in Dublin for 3 people (2 adults and a child).

The site stated that there were no rooms types available for us.

A call to the diamond desk resulted in the information that the hotel only allows 2 people to a room and if I want to also accomodate my young daughter I'll need an extra room. This despite the fact that they have twin bedded rooms available.

This is the first time I"ve ever heardof anything lie this.

Has anybody had any experience taking a family to this hotel ?.

What's the chances that I can just go ahead and book a twin room and then smuggle my daughter in ?.

Remember a twin room is a room with two twin beds. Try calling the hotel directly.

cicsman, I would agree with MoreMilesPlease - call the hotel directly.

In Europe (and Ireland :p ), rooms with two beds are generally small single or "twin" beds, and would not be suitable for more than one person.

If you book a double or king-bedded room, and either ask for a sofa-bed, or an additional bed for a child, then you should be OK.

I will be staying at the Conrad this Friday (just 2 people), but could always ask the question for you if you like ....

Regards,


John P.

I will be staying at the Conrad this Friday (just 2 people), but could always ask the question for you if you like .....

Thanks for the offer.

If you don't mind asking and getting the "definitive" answer, that would be terrific.

We were traveling with a friend in the UK and it was quite difficult to get a room for three people. Not sure what the reason was, but it took a ton of searching.

Call directly and ask, if they don't have what they call a triple, they will know who does.

Last year at this time (September, actually), I redeemed HHonors points for a room at the Conrad Dublin. Strangely enough, it was the only way I could get a room in Dublin for the weekend without paying a fortune, since the hurling championships (for U.S. readers, think combination World Series, Rose Bowl, and Super Bowl) were being held there over that weekend. There were three of us, and the award desk had no trouble booking the award.

As it turned out, the room had a large double, and they gave us a roll-away for the third person.

On our way back out of Ireland, after a wonderful week tramping around the countryside, we again stayed on an award stay at the Conrad Dublin. Again one room, three people, no problem.

That was a year ago, but I'd be surprised if they've changed that much.

Last year at this time (September, actually), I redeemed HHonors points for a room at the Conrad Dublin. Strangely enough, it was the only way I could get a room in Dublin for the weekend without paying a fortune, since the hurling championships (for U.S. readers, think combination World Series, Rose Bowl, and Super Bowl) were being held there over that weekend. There were three of us, and the award desk had no trouble booking the award.

As it turned out, the room had a large double, and they gave us a roll-away for the third person.

On our way back out of Ireland, after a wonderful week tramping around the countryside, we again stayed on an award stay at the Conrad Dublin. Again one room, three people, no problem.

That was a year ago, but I'd be surprised if they've changed that much.


Thanks. That makes me feel a little better. I'll call the hotel this weekend to make sure they can provide a roll away.

My understanding is fire regos often require the hotel only sell 2 - person rooms - but in Europe and the UK, which tend to be quite family-friendly (witness all the "kids-in-same-room" specials,) foldaway beds and the like and allowing kiddos in the 'rents' room is the norm. They just may not be able to "officialize" it on their web sites, or when you call the U S booking office.

You may want to e-mail the property directly. I still don't believe you will have a problem travelling with a child (other than some European rooms are a bit smaller than expected in the USA.)

Hi cicsman,

Spoke to the lady at reception in the Conrad - should be absolutely no problem in having either a roll-away for your child, or a room with 2 double beds in.

Sorry I didn't get her name :rolleyes: - Arrived at 1030pm and left at 1030am ....

Regards,

John P.

Very slightly OT -- How is the Conrad for a first-time visitor to Dublin?

Somewhat surprised to see better rates & availability here than at the Hilton.

pdhenry,

Would certainly recommend the Conrad over the Hilton any day !!

Rooms in the Conrad much nicer - newly renovated in light wood ... Breakfast fab in the Conrad too. Location is far better as well - just on the edge of St. Stephens Green, and much closer to Grafton St.

Hilton was previously a Stakis, and not really worth the price - they have raised the rates here recently which means that I rarely stay there anymore...

Search this forum and you should get much more info on both (some from me previously ;) )

I'll be happy to answer any specific queries you may have too - just PM me ..

Regards,

John P.

Very slightly OT -- How is the Conrad for a first-time visitor to Dublin?

Somewhat surprised to see better rates & availability here than at the Hilton.

The Conrad is a pretty nice property although a bit more like a normal UK/euro style hilton that a true Conrad in my opinion. Only time I stayed there I had an upgrade to a Junior suite with sofa etc. and this could definitely easily cater for 3 people, my guess is that this was equivalent to 2 regular rooms in size. This is one of the few Hilton properties, where having my Diamond card seemed to make any difference. This was especially nice as it was my first trip as a Diamond after moving from Gold, its been all downhill since ;)

Many thanks to all (especially JAP) who replied to this post.

Just for the record I booked the award and called the hotel to confirm the availability of a roll away and was told "no problem".

So it's Dublin here we come :)

In general I find European hotels to have a somewhat strict rule regarding 2 persons per room only. In reality they are quite accodomating for families (why would they split you guys up!). So, if you contact them directly they will always accomodate you and your family. If you call the Diamond Desk (or any other HH desk) they will stick with the website definition of how many can be in the room. They are not allow to deviate.

Like others I recommend calling/emailing directly. You will sort things out quickly that way.

Cheers.

I have an advance payment www.Hilton.com res at the Dublin Conrad.

Conrads are running a double base points promo. I would like to add the promo code to my res. I called the Diamond desk (once) and was told it's not possible. I don't understand why as the new advance payment rate with the promo code comes out cheaper then what I paid. I don't want any money back, but would like to get the double points.

Anybody had any success in situations like this? Is it worth calling back couple of more times? or should I just forget it?

I will be staying at the Dublin Conrad in March, and would prefer to avoid the Dublin taxis fares if I can. So, is there a reasonable alternative bus servcie? - I know of the frequent service from the Central Bus Station (Busaras) to the airport, but that is significant walk away from the Conrad.

I happened to stay at the Dublin Conrad for the Shamrock Doo and took the Air Coach for 7 Euro back to the airport...couldn't have been easier. At 6:30 in the morning, the ride took 20-25 minutes.

I'll have to go back and consult my map for street names, but basically, you...

1. Walk out the front door of the Conrad, turn right and go 1/2 block to the corner (corner across from St. Stephens Green).
2. Then without crossing any streets, turn right and go 1/2 block to the bus stop in the middle of the block (sign indicates Air Coach)

:) I know my explanation isn't as clear as it could be (with a map)...but trust me, it was easy!

[Added: Knowing this now, I should have opted for the bus into the city instead of taking the 28 Euro(+tip) taxi ride that I did when I arrived in Dublin; of course, it was early morning, I was tired, and the taxi was waiting...so I jumped in]

[Added(2): Check out this link and look at Leeson Street Lower (Orange Circle) (if you put your mouse over it, it indicates that it is the stop for the Conrad) ... http://www.aircoach.ie/map.routes.ballsbridge.php]

The 7 Euro airport bus is the easiest, with the shortest walking distance, like 2 minutes.

There are other city buses you can take, without having to walk to the central bus station. It's still an 8 minutes walk, but at 1.50 Euro, it's a bargain. I took it back in January. Not too bad!

I don't remember the bus number, but I know how to get to the bus stop...

Thanks everyone!

If you ask the airport coach driver or the other bus company-related employees at DUB airport which bus to get on, then they will tell you if you are getting onto the right one or not. The bus drops you off around the corner from the Conrad Dublin -- less than a hundred yards in total from the bus stop to the hotel's driveway. It picks you up on the street where it drops you off too.

The c. 7 euro bus ride is comfortable with the bus driver stopping to help unload luggage if necessary too.

If purchasing a Rambler Bus Pass, one of the airport bus transports also accepts the pass for fee.

During a weekday and during business hours you don't have to do the walkaround as the first reply suggests. Walk out through the side door by the gift shop and turn left. You are basically walking through a courtyard and a short alley, but you come out right by the Airport bus stop, just about 10 feet to the right of the alley. It's a lot shorter walk this way.

Think of the location as a V where the Conrad is on one side and the bus stop on the other side, and what I'm suggesting is walking through the middle of the V, and the first reply (not that there is anything wrong with that suggestion) is proposing walking around the bottom of the V.


Reporting from Buenos Aires Hilton. Having a wonderful time! :D ^

The Air Coach works out great and drops you very close to the Conrad....

The Air Coach works out great and drops you very close to the Conrad....

Which stop should you get off at on the way TO the hotel, would it be Grafton Street or Merrion Square please ?

Andy

Which stop should you get off at on the way TO the hotel, would it be Grafton Street or Merrion Square please ?

Andy

You need to get off at Lower Leeson St. When you get to the bus stand at the airport tell the guy that you are going to the Conrad and he will make sure you get on the correct Air Coach - there are 2 routes.

Which stop should you get off at on the way TO the hotel, would it be Grafton Street or Merrion Square please ?

Andy


Definitely not Grafton or Merrion Square if you are staying at the Conrad. dr woodsy may be right about Lower Leeson (rings a bell), but he is spot on about asking the driver which stop. They are very helpful. And, once off the bus, they will point you in the direction to the hotel (the V pattern suggested by andrzej with the point of the V being St Stephens Green is good). For the Conrad, it is definitely a later stop (a benefit on returning to DUB).

If you are doing roundtrip on Aircoach, save 2 Euro's by purchasing a roundtrip (return) fare. When you get off the bus on Leeson Street, you will see the archway that andrzej talked about directly accross the street. It does save you a few steps and is helpful when arriving with multiple pieces of luggage. The Leeson Street stop was the first from the airport; the pickup back tho the airport is the first of about 6 or 7 other stops back to the airport. All in all it took about 45 minutes from pickup Saturday morning (10:00a.m.)to get to the airport.Purchase a DublinPass http://www.visitdublin.com/ and receive transport from the airport on Aircoach to your hotel and free admission to 30 attractions in and around Dublin.Purchase it by Monday, March 20th and receive an extra 15% off.You will still need to purchase a return fare to the airport, though.

Which stop should you get off at on the way TO the hotel, would it be Grafton Street or Merrion Square please ?

Andy

It's Lower Leeson Street....

I have found http://earth.google.com/ to be an invaluable tool when researching areas I am going to visit. Get a satellite eyes view of towns and cities around the world. Once downloaded you can include a menu of items that you would want when viewing an area such as street names, parks, hotels etc. with the ability to zoom in and out. You will definitely get a good idea where the hotel is compared to where the stop is. It is detailed enough to show the alley way previously mentioned.

It's Lower Leeson Street....

Many thanks to all for the advise - I will be there at the first half of next week. Previously I've stayed at the Westin and that is easy for the Aircoach's other route but I didn't fancy trudging all the way across from there to the Conrad !!

Andy

The title says it all. With the changes in international Gold privileges, what are the experiences of Gold-status members at this hotel recently?

The short answer is "yes"

When I stayed there as Gold I got a free buffet for myself and guest...

I have always had good luck there

In my case on a recent trip the answer is no. I was told (several times) that I had a room upgrade (room was average to say the least) and therefore no breakfast!

What can Diamonds expect there? I'm considering this hotel on my Nov. Ireland trip.

As Gold last year I reserved two rooms. The family members were not upgraded, but had an acceptable room. We had a very fine upgrade, wtih separate living room, etc. All of us, in both rooms, had breakfast vouchers for the two mornings we were present. One room had bottle of wine and fruit basket (which was larger than all four of us could eat)

As Diamond this year we received bottle of wine, smaller snack, and breakfast vouchers for two of us for each morning of our stay.

All were satisfied on both trips.

I've stayed at the Conrad twice this year. First time in April and after 2 weeks of no points showing up I decided to email the property about the issue. Per the AA of the GM, Conrad had a problem with the HH posting system causing my acct to never get credit.

I just left the Conrad last Tuesday morning (23rd) and today 1 week early, have not gotten my points.

Is this normal that this never works?
Is one week enough?
Just a mail the property again?

I am pushy because I am off to Milan on the 16th and need the Conrad points to become HH GOLD

That delay is unusual. The maximum that I have had to wait is a week. Has the folio appeared on the website? I would contact HH through the website; I have found them to be very helpful--and fast!