The experience fell far short of expectations due to several issues that I encountered.
Firstly, I received an email three days prior to check-in encouraging me to check in online to save time on the day of arrival. However, when I arrived at the hotel at 3 PM, the designated check-in time, I was informed that my room was not ready. To my dismay, there were at least a dozen other guests in the lobby also waiting for their rooms. Most of us were attending the Taylor Swift concert, with gates opening at 5 PM, yet our room was not available until after 4:30 PM. This caused significant inconvenience as many guests, including myself, had to use the downstairs restaurant bathroom to get ready for the event. Once we did get into our rooms after 4:30pm, the floor was still wet and slippy as it may have just been cleaned (checkout is 11am) and the hallway to the room was lined with empty glasses, dirty dishes and trash.
The staff’s attitude compounded the frustration. They were unhelpful and seemed completely indifferent to the delays and the discomfort of their guests. There was no apology or explanation provided for the nearly two-hour wait for our rooms.
Additionally, the next morning, there was an issue with the access door to the rooms which required an access key. Several guests, including myself, were unable to get back to our rooms due to an issue with the door. There were no staff members in sight to assist, and it was only after another guest went to the front desk to report the issue that it was addressed.
Overall, the lack of readiness, poor customer service, and additional access issues made for a very disappointing stay. I hope the management of Clayton Hotel Ballsbridge will take these concerns seriously and improve their service for future guests.
It was a massively disappointing stay and the hotel staff seemed so unorganised for one of the busiest weekends of the year in the Dublin. They were quick to charge premium rates for staying there during a busy weekend but they failed to deliver a service to their guests which you would expect for such prices.
