Radisson Blu Hotel, Cork

The grounds are nice and there’s plenty of parking, and the location is fine, though it’s well outside the city. But the stay was disappointing. The staff were unpleasant, our key card stopped working twice, and the lift was out of service. The rooms don’t have air conditioning despite what’s claimed, there’s no spa, and the coffee bar wasn’t open in the morning on our second day. This isn’t a four star hotel. The Radisson Blu is fine if all you need is somewhere to sleep, but for an upscale experience I’d look elsewhere.

The bed was very comfortable and the room was clean. Breakfast was okay, with a reasonable enough selection, and dinner in the brasserie restaurant was really nice. The woman who served us was helpful and friendly. The pool was okay, though a bit small for a hotel this size, and the man at the pool reception was lovely. The train station is handy, and the train into the city takes about 10 minutes and cost 2.50. For nearly €600 for two nights, I really expected a smart TV. Some bedside lamps didn’t work, and the old shower head kept pointing left instead of down at you. We were given one keycard, then the spare we asked for didn’t work. There’s no fridge in the room for keeping drinks cool. The door between our room and the next let us hear every word of their conversation, even though they weren’t loud. The pancake machine in the breakfast area was making very doughy looking pancakes. I didn’t want to give one to my daughter, and when I told a staff member, she said, “yeah ok,” but let other kids use it without fixing or turning it off. Later I saw plates left behind with barely cooked pancakes that hadn’t been eaten.

Celina from banqueting brought such positive energy to our summit and was incredibly attentive. She seemed to anticipate what we needed before we asked, and things flowed smoothly because of her. Tim from the night audit team was also a huge help. Event days are long and the nights even longer, so it made a real difference knowing he was there, calm, approachable, and quick to help. He quietly got things done and helped make the whole experience smooth and stress-free. I’m very grateful to them both.

We were disappointed to hear, closer to our trip, that the spa was closed. We’d booked months ahead for a birthday celebration with four female friends, choosing this hotel because we hoped to enjoy a treatment and a relaxing break. The booking was non-refundable, and there’d been no mention on the website that the hotel had got rid of the spa. The sauna and steam rooms are too small for such a large hotel, with room for only seven in the steam room and around nine or ten in the sauna. We were given upgraded rooms, a complimentary glass of wine with dinner, and some discounts on the price we paid.