This hotel has such great potential but wasn't as good as expected! Attended a winter wedding here recently and a lovely wedding it was. Upon entering the hotel after the ceremony I was very impressed with the decor, christmas decorations and the champagne reception for wedding guests. The wedding party organised a string quartet to play in the reception area which added to the occasion, felt like a posh London hotel! The view outside is amazing but as it was winter and an afternoon wedding ceremony guests didn't really get to appreciate it.
The dinner however was a different matter, the air conditioning was on - in Decemeber in Donegal madness!! It even blew out candles on the centre piece candelabra on a few tables. Several people asked for it to be turned off and staff seemed unsure how to work the system, and it was on again later in the evening. This made me and a good few others feel ill meaning several hot toddies were needed to warm up inside the hotel. The service was REALLY REALLY slow at the dinner, very long intervals between clearing away courses and bringing out new ones. The Frank Kennedy music festival was on locally that weekend and so there was a lot of people in eating in the hotel bar - so the staff were stretched, but even so, priority should have been given to the wedding with regards to food+service. I also overheard several people who commented on the lack of second helpings of veg at the dinner which is pretty much standard at weddings in Irish hotels. The bar staff in the bar and receptionist were friendly but largely disinterested and again service was not what it should have been.
I attended another wedding at the hotel previously and did not encounter these issues, so maybe with the time of the year and holiday season things are hectic but its service and staff attitude which can make a business attractive or not.
- An Chuirt Gweedore Court Hotel
