Tullamore Court Hotel

Staying overnight was really handy since we were attending an event at the hotel. Booking well ahead got me a good deal on a suite upgrade. It was spacious and had a sitting area, though the room felt quite dated and could definitely use a freshen-up.

The hotel was fairly decent and the room was okay, but the bed put us off. Three of the four pillows had visible marks, as though they hadn’t been cleaned properly, and we found several hairs in the bed when we pulled back the sheet. There was also a dead bird on the roof right beside our window, which was unpleasant. Breakfast was acceptable, nothing special. It wasn’t a great stay.

The food was a highlight, and the reception area looked beautifully arranged for Christmas. Breakfast had a good selection, and the pool was nice when it wasn’t crowded. When it got busy on our second evening, though, there were some stupid local comments about residents. The welcome at reception made us feel they wanted our money but not us, and service at both dinner and breakfast was poor, with staff mostly uninterested in customers. Breakfast coffee was undrinkable, and the shower barely worked and needs replacing. There wasn’t even a bin in the men’s public toilets, basic stuff for a four-star hotel. Too many misses for us to come back.

The Elvis tribute show wasn’t full, and I don’t think it was promoted enough. I hadn’t seen it advertised online or heard anything on local radio, and when I called to book, the receptionist didn’t know about it. Tickets should have been on the hotel website under an events tab. After the show, the Elvis impersonator and a sign at reception both said there’d be live music in the bar, but there wasn’t. I had to ask for two cappuccinos to be replaced after a long wait because they arrived stone cold. The table was dirty, with crayons underneath, even though it was after 10pm. There was a broken bottle in the ladies’ toilets, though staff acted quickly to clean it up. Empty glasses sat on tables for ages, and another man commented to me about how long it took to get served at the bar. It’s a very nice hotel, which makes it a pity that service and cleanliness let it down.