GONE: Sheraton Fota Resort, Cork, Ireland [Master Thread]
Jan 14, 2008, 8:30 am
#61
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Manchester, England
Programs: Bonvoy LT Plat, HH Diamond, IHG Plat, BMI Gold (RIP)
Posts: 8,021
Hi. I'm planning a stay in May for a few nights and was wondering if there were any more recent updates? Everything up to this point sounds amazing! We are planning on doing a few trips out of course, but one concern was food/location. Are there any places recommended outside of the hotel that would be a quick drive, or should we plan to drive into Cork City Centre each time we plan to have a meal?
The hotel is a little bit on its own, so you ideally need a car, or to make use of hotel transport / taxis. Some of the local experts will be better placed on where to go outside of the hotel, but you are spoilt for choice within a reasonable distance from what I can gather. We've been to the hotel a few times now and still haven't made it to the centre of Cork
I would suggest getting in touch with James, who is the front office manager at the hotel. He does a great job at the hotel and has also helped other FTers with their stays at the property. I will PM you with his email address. He is also on here as jmd4211 but it is probably easier to contact him directly.
Finally, if your dates are a little flexible, we will be hosting an FT Do at the hotel in early June and you would be extremely welcome to join us there. Details available via the link in my sig file below
Mar 6, 2008, 10:31 pm
#62
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: PDX
Posts: 54
I'm going to Ireland (for the first time) for business. At the end of the 2 weeks (staying mostly in Westin Dublin), I have the 3-day Easter weekend to go somewhere. I'm thinking of staying here since it's the only other *wood in Ireland 
When I told my Irish coworkers, they thought that it's too far for a weekend and I'm better off going somewhere closer to Dublin.
What do you guys think?
How's the weather around that time?
When I told my Irish coworkers, they thought that it's too far for a weekend and I'm better off going somewhere closer to Dublin.What do you guys think?
How's the weather around that time?
Mar 7, 2008, 5:36 am
#63
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Westfield, NY (BUF)
Programs: USAirways, SPG gold, Marriott Silver
Posts: 451
This is your first trip to Ireland? If you've never driven in Europe, you might want to look at the roads before you make your final decision. It's about 3 1/2 hrs from Dublin to Cork. Not far by our standards. The country is beautiful. If all you want to do is relax, and maybe have Easter Dinner in Kinsale, then a leisurely drive south should be breathtaking. If you golf- Fota will rent everything you need and the course is spectacular.
Eileen
Eileen
Oct 29, 2008, 6:27 pm
#64
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: nyc, ny, usa
Posts: 364
Staying at Fota this weekend
I will be staying here this weekend as a platinum and would like to know who I would contact to ensure a nice upgrade? Also, what should I expect as a platinum?
Oct 30, 2008, 10:33 am
#65
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: Warwickshire, England
Posts: 616
I stayed here last month. Platinum upgrade was to one of the very nice suites on the top (3rd) floor with a balcony. (That floor consists solely of six suites. There are also a couple of suites at the end of the first and second floors, I think.)
I liked this hotel a lot. However, there were some minor problems that I would have expected the hotel to have sorted out by now. For example, in the room, there was no bedside lamp on the left (i.e. my!) side of the bed. And, iirc, the switch for the lamp on the right side of the bed brought several other lights on as well. In fact, the assortment of light switches throughout the two rooms seemed to have been wired randomly, with some doing nothing. Also the bathroom shaver socket didn't work. Luckily, the one in the second toilet room did.
There are a lot of Eastern European bar staff and waiters, who were pleasant enough, but generally quite hopeless to be honest. Just trying to get some ketchup to go with my breakfast omelette proved particularly difficult. Happily, once you find someone with an Irish accent, any requests get dealt with quickly and efficiently. The food at breakfast was not very impressive for this standard of hotel with quite a limited range of options.
There was a problem with the fireplace filling the bar with smoke. Some guests complained, so a door was opened. This dealt with the smoke, but it was then freezing.
Thanks to the poor value of the £ to the €, bar and restaurant prices seemed high.
When driving to the hotel, follow signs for Cobh. We nearly missed the turn off the main road from Cork because we had expected to see Fota sign-posted, but it wasn't.
I liked this hotel a lot. However, there were some minor problems that I would have expected the hotel to have sorted out by now. For example, in the room, there was no bedside lamp on the left (i.e. my!) side of the bed. And, iirc, the switch for the lamp on the right side of the bed brought several other lights on as well. In fact, the assortment of light switches throughout the two rooms seemed to have been wired randomly, with some doing nothing. Also the bathroom shaver socket didn't work. Luckily, the one in the second toilet room did.
There are a lot of Eastern European bar staff and waiters, who were pleasant enough, but generally quite hopeless to be honest. Just trying to get some ketchup to go with my breakfast omelette proved particularly difficult. Happily, once you find someone with an Irish accent, any requests get dealt with quickly and efficiently. The food at breakfast was not very impressive for this standard of hotel with quite a limited range of options.
There was a problem with the fireplace filling the bar with smoke. Some guests complained, so a door was opened. This dealt with the smoke, but it was then freezing.
Thanks to the poor value of the £ to the €, bar and restaurant prices seemed high.
When driving to the hotel, follow signs for Cobh. We nearly missed the turn off the main road from Cork because we had expected to see Fota sign-posted, but it wasn't.
Nov 3, 2008, 10:31 am
#66
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: ORD
Programs: AA LT Plat, United Silver, Hyatt Glob, Hilton Diamond, Marriott/SPG Platinum
Posts: 179
Great hotel. Liked it so much we're staying again next weekend.
Bit difficult to get to without a car, but beautiful grounds and very near the Fota Wildlife Park and lots of other great attractions.
Bit difficult to get to without a car, but beautiful grounds and very near the Fota Wildlife Park and lots of other great attractions.
Dec 7, 2008, 5:24 am
#67
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Dublin,Ireland and Nice France
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 2,059
Just had my third stay at this Hotel.
Got the lovely oak suite on the third floor as a plat upgrade which made the stay all the more enjoyable.Those suites have a balcony with tables and chairs and a view out over the wood onto the golf course.
Service at breakfast time was excelent despite the hotel being practically full.
My view on this hotel [though I don't like the industrial complex type exterior-that was some arcitects big mistake imho!] just keeps going up and up.
Got the lovely oak suite on the third floor as a plat upgrade which made the stay all the more enjoyable.Those suites have a balcony with tables and chairs and a view out over the wood onto the golf course.
Service at breakfast time was excelent despite the hotel being practically full.
My view on this hotel [though I don't like the industrial complex type exterior-that was some arcitects big mistake imho!] just keeps going up and up.
Jan 7, 2009, 2:17 pm
#68
Join Date: Aug 2004
Programs: SPG Lifetime Platinum, Hyatt Diamond, JetBlue Mosaic, AA Platinum, National Executive Elite
Posts: 599
Although a month overdue, I wanted to give a review of my trip to Sheraton Cork:
First off, I was traveling to Ireland with my entire family, and had emailed James to get a better sense of the hotel's features & amenities. He was extremely prompt in replying to my email, and very helpful in arranging our reservations.
Now the trip review:
Location
As mentioned previously, this hotel is about 5km outside of Cork, on a lovely tucked-away island. The only downside to the location would be if you don't have a car. If that's the case, I'm not sure it makes sense to stay here. That wasn't an issue for my family though, and we really enjoyed the somewhat secluded location.
As for touristy places to visit nearby, I HIGHLY recommend Kinsale (about 45 minutes away). Make sure to visit Charles Fort when there--it was probably my favorite place in Ireland (and we traveled all over the country).
I also recommend the nearby Jameson distillery (about 15 minutes away), as well as the town of Cobh (about 10 minutes away) which has a museum documenting the genealogy of those who left Ireland for America.
Hotel Amenities
First off, the hotel is practically brand-new. The lobby is among the best looking I've ever seen at a Sheraton. It has a real fireplace, which my mother LOVED, several comfortable couches & chairs and free wi-fi (the rooms also have free wired high-speed internet, via the VOIP phone). The gym and pool are also tops among the chain, although we were somewhat disappointed that the pool closed so early at night (9pm-ish). The restaurant looked great, although we didn't eat there due to the prices (pretty expensive, even by *wood standards). We did have dinner at the bar one evening, which was great (although still pricey, especially for the surrounding area--sandwiches were around 17EUR). Although there are no ice machines (which is common in Europe, although many Starwood hotels have them), we called for ice the first day...and it was waiting for us the next day too!! I'll get to the service later, though...
Rooms
We had suites on the third floor which were simply amazing. The tvs (at least in our rooms) were HD and had SEVERAL international sports channels, which made us very happy! Each room had a balcony, large living room, separate half-bath & two closets. They also had bath tubs, with a separate, walk-in shower. Again, top-notch among *wood and almost unprecedented for a Sheraton!!!
Hotel Staff
I should start by saying that I stay at 25-50 different Starwood hotels each year (although 95% are in USA) and have been staying at Starwood hotels since 2000. I wanted to mention that first, because I honestly believe this to be the kindest, most accommodating staff of any hotel I've stayed at.
I emailed James (who unfortunately wasn't working during our stay) to tell him about our trip and I'll share with you all what I told him:
From the moment my father and I checked-in we were greeted by Maria, who would also later help us plan our day trips. By the time we left, I think she'd had conversations with almost everyone in my family, and most of them started with her simply coming up to them as they passed through the hotel lobby. And while I didn't know about this until we checked-out, apparently my mother (who had been looking for good Irish glassware & crystal all trip) loved the design of the glasses at your hotel lounge, where we had a late dinner our first night at your hotel. She apparently had spoken to Maria about what stores would have them for sale, and when we checked out, Maria had arranged for us to purchase six of the glasses from the hotel. To put it mildly, my mother was shocked. She ended up hugging Maria before we left, all the while thanking her for truly going above & beyond.
I would be remiss if I did not also call attention to Scott at Concierge for going out of his way to help us during our stay. Our first night we arrived very hungry and wanted to find a restaurant close to the hotel. Scott showed us several menus that your hotel had (kudos for having them, by the way!) After picking a restaurant, I thanked him and started walking away, when he offered to call to verify the restaurant was open. As it turned out, all THREE restaurants were closed! If Scott hadn't called, we would have spent an hour (or more!) driving around looking for a place to eat. Instead, we were able to order dinner without going anywhere. During the rest of our visit, both he and Sean always talked to us every time we came and went. Although it's the job of every concierge to greet guests, Scott & Sean were truly interested to hear about our trip, what brought us to Ireland...etc. I have never felt so welcomed at a hotel in my life (and I travel a LOT!) I truly felt this was the first hotel where EVERY MEMBER of your staff we interacted with not only went out of their way to make us feel welcomed, they truly wanted to help in any way they could. Please thank them for me
While I suppose this trip report probably reads like a PR piece for the hotel, I happily stand by my review. The next time I'm in Ireland I will absolutely stay there, and I have mentioned this hotel to everyone I know planning a trip to Ireland.
First off, I was traveling to Ireland with my entire family, and had emailed James to get a better sense of the hotel's features & amenities. He was extremely prompt in replying to my email, and very helpful in arranging our reservations.
Now the trip review:
Location
As mentioned previously, this hotel is about 5km outside of Cork, on a lovely tucked-away island. The only downside to the location would be if you don't have a car. If that's the case, I'm not sure it makes sense to stay here. That wasn't an issue for my family though, and we really enjoyed the somewhat secluded location.
As for touristy places to visit nearby, I HIGHLY recommend Kinsale (about 45 minutes away). Make sure to visit Charles Fort when there--it was probably my favorite place in Ireland (and we traveled all over the country).
I also recommend the nearby Jameson distillery (about 15 minutes away), as well as the town of Cobh (about 10 minutes away) which has a museum documenting the genealogy of those who left Ireland for America.
Hotel Amenities
First off, the hotel is practically brand-new. The lobby is among the best looking I've ever seen at a Sheraton. It has a real fireplace, which my mother LOVED, several comfortable couches & chairs and free wi-fi (the rooms also have free wired high-speed internet, via the VOIP phone). The gym and pool are also tops among the chain, although we were somewhat disappointed that the pool closed so early at night (9pm-ish). The restaurant looked great, although we didn't eat there due to the prices (pretty expensive, even by *wood standards). We did have dinner at the bar one evening, which was great (although still pricey, especially for the surrounding area--sandwiches were around 17EUR). Although there are no ice machines (which is common in Europe, although many Starwood hotels have them), we called for ice the first day...and it was waiting for us the next day too!! I'll get to the service later, though...
Rooms
We had suites on the third floor which were simply amazing. The tvs (at least in our rooms) were HD and had SEVERAL international sports channels, which made us very happy! Each room had a balcony, large living room, separate half-bath & two closets. They also had bath tubs, with a separate, walk-in shower. Again, top-notch among *wood and almost unprecedented for a Sheraton!!!
Hotel Staff
I should start by saying that I stay at 25-50 different Starwood hotels each year (although 95% are in USA) and have been staying at Starwood hotels since 2000. I wanted to mention that first, because I honestly believe this to be the kindest, most accommodating staff of any hotel I've stayed at.
I emailed James (who unfortunately wasn't working during our stay) to tell him about our trip and I'll share with you all what I told him:
From the moment my father and I checked-in we were greeted by Maria, who would also later help us plan our day trips. By the time we left, I think she'd had conversations with almost everyone in my family, and most of them started with her simply coming up to them as they passed through the hotel lobby. And while I didn't know about this until we checked-out, apparently my mother (who had been looking for good Irish glassware & crystal all trip) loved the design of the glasses at your hotel lounge, where we had a late dinner our first night at your hotel. She apparently had spoken to Maria about what stores would have them for sale, and when we checked out, Maria had arranged for us to purchase six of the glasses from the hotel. To put it mildly, my mother was shocked. She ended up hugging Maria before we left, all the while thanking her for truly going above & beyond.
I would be remiss if I did not also call attention to Scott at Concierge for going out of his way to help us during our stay. Our first night we arrived very hungry and wanted to find a restaurant close to the hotel. Scott showed us several menus that your hotel had (kudos for having them, by the way!) After picking a restaurant, I thanked him and started walking away, when he offered to call to verify the restaurant was open. As it turned out, all THREE restaurants were closed! If Scott hadn't called, we would have spent an hour (or more!) driving around looking for a place to eat. Instead, we were able to order dinner without going anywhere. During the rest of our visit, both he and Sean always talked to us every time we came and went. Although it's the job of every concierge to greet guests, Scott & Sean were truly interested to hear about our trip, what brought us to Ireland...etc. I have never felt so welcomed at a hotel in my life (and I travel a LOT!) I truly felt this was the first hotel where EVERY MEMBER of your staff we interacted with not only went out of their way to make us feel welcomed, they truly wanted to help in any way they could. Please thank them for me
While I suppose this trip report probably reads like a PR piece for the hotel, I happily stand by my review. The next time I'm in Ireland I will absolutely stay there, and I have mentioned this hotel to everyone I know planning a trip to Ireland.
Mar 11, 2009, 12:44 pm
#69
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: London (UK), Kolkata (India), and a part of the Netherlands you wouldn't like to visit (aka Purmerend)!
Programs: IC Royal Ambassador
Posts: 623
Hi there,
Just wanted a little more info on this hotel please......
Is it child friendly? Is it one of those rural Irish properties which is busy at the weekend with virtually no customers during the week? How are the restaurants? Good spa?
TIA.
Just wanted a little more info on this hotel please......
Is it child friendly? Is it one of those rural Irish properties which is busy at the weekend with virtually no customers during the week? How are the restaurants? Good spa?
TIA.
Jun 8, 2009, 8:24 am
#70
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 72
Just to update the thread, I have recently transferred from Fota to one of the Starwood properties in London, so will no longer be able to field Fota-related enquiries.
All I can say on Fota though, is, whatever your purpose - go there! Its a fantastic property, and, having been part of the opening team, I feel phenominally proud of it, and cant wait to go back, and sit at the other side of the Reception desk!
All I can say on Fota though, is, whatever your purpose - go there! Its a fantastic property, and, having been part of the opening team, I feel phenominally proud of it, and cant wait to go back, and sit at the other side of the Reception desk!
Jun 8, 2009, 10:12 am
#71
Community Director Emerita
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Anywhere warm
Posts: 33,753
James, thank you for all your help on FlyerTalk. Do you mind sharing where we will find you in London?
Jun 8, 2009, 10:25 am
#72
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 72
Of course - I am now at Le Meridien Piccadilly.
Jun 8, 2009, 10:28 am
#73
Community Director Emerita
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Anywhere warm
Posts: 33,753
That's great for FlyerTalkers, as many of us stay there. I'll be there myself in 2 weeks! I love its location, and it has become where I stay on my sporadic London visits.
Jun 9, 2009, 6:56 pm
#74
Join Date: May 2003
Posts: 6,359
James, you did a wonderful job at Sheraton Fota. SPG Platinums were always treated very well there. ^^^^ Keep up the great work at LM Piccadilly and good luck there. Hopefully you come back to FT and keep your posts coming, just from a different hotel. ^
Jul 19, 2009, 2:05 am
#75
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Ireland
Programs: BA Gold,Amex Centurion,Marriott LT Plat Prem Elite +AMBASS,Hilton Diamond,Priority Club Plat,VS Gold
Posts: 371
For others visiting here to see what the hotel is like I can hand on heart say it is truly a fantastic property. The 3rd floor suites are beautiful and they go out of their way to look after Platinum members. I myself live in Cork but visit there a few times a year if not more :P to get my stays up. However the main reason I visit is down to the food, pool and other areas that the hotel does exceed in just to kick back and relax.
If anyone is looking for info or advice please feel free to drop me a PM.
S