Lets get this out first. Its not the worst hotel in Limerick by far but its certainly overrated by the stars it has and not worth the price you pay.

My company booked the conference centre and booked 7 rooms. We were given "lifestyle suites". Big whoop! They are large rooms with a couch, desk and 4 seater dining table. It also has a balcony which the hotel say they cannot unlock for safety reasons. Some of the rooms had an exercise bike as well, instead of a desk.

The hotel is certainly a business hotel and nothing more. Its full of coach tours and groups but its not for a weekend trip or romantic stay away. There are much better options.

I attached photos of the room I stayed in. I often used the back fire escape as a shortcut to the function room because its half the normal walk. The back stairs was covered in graffiti, pint glasses and empty room service trays. There were there for the whole 3 days. At the base of the fire escape you are greeted with chairs and tables which you have to negotiate should you be on fire!! Silly, silly people!

The hotel is gone so much to rack and ruin the manager told me they dont bother taking wedding bookings anymore because they cannot cope with the damage caused by guests and the kitchen cannot cope.

The hotel is up for sale and its current lease expires sometime in 2008 so there is no chance of investment between now and then.

The business centre. Where do I Start?? OMG
I was told to go into the admin office to which the admin girl scowled at me as though to mentally ask me what the [--] I wanted in her office. I said I wanted to use the computer and its was an effort to help. I was basically sitting at somebodys desk, using their computer and looking at pictures of their kids and their mouldy coffee mug. It was free in their defence.

The cream room restaurant is highly overpriced and overrated. I dont really care for the fact that Paul Costelloe designed it and also designed all the lifestyle suites. Basically he has a few paintings in the rooms. Wow!! The prices in the cream room are amazing. I mean €25 for a piece of chicken as a main course. Im sorry but we can do better than that for our hard earned money.

The bar has seen better days I must say. It has games machine or juice machines(whatever you like to call them) and it certainly needs a like of TLC.

Onto its positive points. The rooms are kept fairly spotless by housekeeping and the rooms smelt fantastic just after she left. It must be shake and vac or something.

The staff were very polite and friendly and I try not to hold a grudge to somebody who speaks little English. I never encountered a problem this way, they understood tea and toast in the restaurant for breakfast and everybody on the front desk was Irish.

€99 for a room b&b was extortion. There are much better located hotels with better value for money in the city. I suggest the Hilton, Clarion, Punchs Hotel or the Absolute hotel.

Check out the photos of mine of the hotel room.