I'm just back from a weekend at the Heritage and I'm really surprised at the negative reviews that have been written.

We checked in, quickest check in to any hotel I've ever stayed in, the staff were lovely. I'd a double & single bed in my room, the room was really big, I'd a table and chairs in it, iron, ironing board and ample space for clothes. The bathroom was big with a bath & shower.

The only one thing I'd say about the hotel is the heat in it, the radiators were on everywhere and it wasn't cold enough for them but that would be my only fault with it.

The staff in the hotel were lovely, particularly the bar staff who unlike a lot of other places chatted with the customers.

We were at a wedding and the function room was laid out beautifully, the room was lit by candles (3 on each table) and was very different to other weddings I've attended, the head table was raised so the wedding party could see their guests and vice versa. The food was beautiful and again, the waiting staff were lovely.

The deal we had entitled us to a dinner in one of the restaurants, we chose the Italian and again, the food was lovely. Someone said about not being able to have children in the restaurant after 6.30, the Italian one is after 8pm (due to legislation).

I'd recommend the hotel and I'll definitely go back and stay there again.

I have just returned from a 3 day break at the Heritage Hotel, Portlaoise with a group of 47 people and I or the group have no complaints whatsoever with this hotel. The staff were very helpful & friendly, the hotel was of the standard I would expect from any 4* Hotel. We were on a bed & breakfast basis and there was plenty of choice combined with a friendly helpful service. The concierge Joe made sure that we made the most out of our stay at the Heritage by being very forthcoming with information. Having read the negative reports on Trip Advisor I was very apprehensive as to what I would find at the Heritage Hotel, the opposite was the case, our stay was first class.

Myself and my husband stayed in the Heritage Hotel for our wedding anniversary in August, and found it to be fantastic. I cannot get over some of the previous bad reviews it has received on this site, it is as if they are talking about a different hotel, because we certinally had no problems when we stayed here. Complaints about room service and needing key cards to go through certain parts of the hotel. Room service details are cleary detailed in the information pack and you can't get through doors without key cards so how you could become locked in an area I don't know.

Anyway back to my review on the hotel.

As it was our annivesary the hotel upgraded us to a suite, which was gorgeous, large room with jacuzzi bath and walk in closet. The first night we ate in spago's italian restaurant which was beautiful, resonably priced and by no means small portions (as a previous review had stated), the second night we ate in the Fitzmaurice Restaurant, which is a bit fancy for my liking, but at the same time, we could not fault the meal or service.

There is a lovely Irish Bar in hotel, which has live music on a Saturday night, really enjoyable night and then a few night caps in the residents bar afterwards. We ate breakfast in our room both mornings, they did get our breakfast mixed up on the second morning, but when we phoned down they were up in a few minutes to rectify it.

Finally the pool and spa centre in the hotel are lovely, we got some treatments in the spa on the second day (very realxing!!)

All in all we would definatly stay in the heritage hotel again, rooms, staff, food, and facilites were all top class!

I had a terrible time at this hotel. I've never put a bad review on here before and usually try to find something good to say. But this hotel was THE WORST PLACE I HAVE EVER STAYED and I really feel that it is important to let others know. You can see my other review on this website are all good. I will be reporting the Hertitage hotel to the appropriate authorities including Bord Failte and the consumer watchdogs for the problems listed below:

I was taking my mother away for the night and decided to take my two children aged 10 months and 7 years also. I know the Heritage Hotel as I've had coffee there with business colleagues many times and it always seemed nice. I went on their website and got a quote of 89 per night. However when I went to book the price I was being charged kept changing to 120. I telephoned the hotel and told them of the misleading advertising on their website and that the price quote was not being honoured. The hotel booking staff also refused to honour the online bargain quote and told me that the best that they could do was 99. I decided to allow the misleading advertising to pass and to go with hte higher quote anyway as the place has a good reputation (undeserved).

When I arrived at the car park I couldnt get in. THe sign on the ticket box says "Press the blue button for help". There is no other button. I didn't want "help". I wanted a ticket. I eventually pressed the blue button to find that it is in fact the ticket button - and is mislabelled as the help button. I then followed the signs to a car parking space on the second level (there are no spaces reserved for ppl with buggys or children). I parked as close as I could get to the lift. I had a buggy with a 10 month old in it and two big wheely suitcases. My mother is elderly and has a heart problem so I was laden down with bags. Even my seven year old had to carry a bag. We struggled to get to the lift. To our complete shock there was no lift. It was signposted all over the place but it turned out that the lift is only on every second floor!!!!! THIS FACT IS NOT SIGNPOSTED. Eventually we had to run down the up ramp for cars which is extremely dangerous. We went through the very shabby entrance to reception. The hotel is not well decorated and there are a lot of bangs and marks along the walls. I complained about the failure to signpost the fact that there is only a lift on every second floor. THe lady at reception spoke little english. She insisted that there is a lift. She made out that I had missed it. Believe me, I went back later to check and there is not lift on the floor I parked on even though it is signposted that there is. She was for more concerned with getting fully paid for the room in advance than she was with my complaint.

I told the receptionist that I wanted breakfast for all the following morning. That was agreed. I was given a room key. THe lady gave me no directions to the room and we got lost trying to get there. THERE WAS NO-ONE TO HELP WITH THE BAGS. NO HELP WAS OFFERED OR AVAILABLE. When I got to the room I felt like I'd run a marathon. I had complained about the difficulty I had had getting in from the car park and really it was as if I was a crank and they really didn't accept the criticism.

I tried to find the telephone number for reception. It wasn't written on the telephone. We had to get out the big information pack to find it. Reading the pack we found that room service had finished at 9pm. It had taken so long to get in and to get to the room it was by now 9.30pm. We checked the channels on the tv and found that they did not correspond with those stated in the information pack. We couldn't find our show. So I telephoned down to be told that a duty manager would be up to the room to fix the TV adn they confirmed that all the restaurants and other eateries were closed. Then I got a call to say that Channel 4 is no longer available in the hotel. The information in pack is out of date.

We then had no room service, no food for the kids or ourselves and nothing to do. Children aren't welcome in this hotel and can't go into any bar or restaurant after 6.30. And after 9 there is no food even on room service!! Why does everything shut so early?????

We tried to ring down to see if we could get even a sandwich. I was hung up on by reception twice. I decided to go down to reception where at worst I could get the telephone number of a pizza place and we could order pizza. I went out of my room (which look directly onto an ugly railway line) and across the hall to a stairwell. I went through the doors and then realised that I hadn't asked my mother what she wanted. I tried to go back and found that I was locked into the stairwell and that I couldnt get out. There were no signs anywhere warning me that I would be locked in and no signs telling me how to get out. I was a bit shocked to say the least and that is not an appropriate fire escape , as in the event of a fire, someone might scout to find the way out and find themselves locked away from an invalid or other person requiring help out. I found an unmarked door at the bottom which wasn't locked and was the way into the lobby. Why oh why isn't it signposted and why arent there warnings everywhere?? I wasn't told that I would have to carry a room key everywhere with me, even to get down to the lobby. And if one has to carry a room key everywhere then why did we only get two???

When I got down to the lobby they said that someone was up at the room trying to organise a sandwich for us. It appears that there is a room service sandwich service available after all but it is not in the information pack and the receptionists didn't tell us when we called down to find out about food. They had told us that everywhere in the hotel was closed. We got our sandwiches and they were nice enough. The coffee was dreadful.

The following morning we got up to go down to breakfast. We understood it to be on until 10.30. We arrived down at 10.15 and were refused entry into the breakfast area as they said that we were too late. Now I was furious. I had booked breakfast the previous night. I had had to read the bloody information book about twice to work out how to get food the night before and now they were refusing us food again!!!!!. They didn't even offer us a piece of toast. There were still people in eating their breakfasts. They could have offered us tea and toast. But no. They wouldnt even let us in. I complained at reception. Normally one is told the time for breakfast when one checks in. Not here. And how could they refuse to feed the children??? They said that a manager would be sent out to us. We waited for over an hour but he never came. Every time I went anywhere near reception there was a giggle and a scurry. My complaints were treated as those of a crank. The reception staff seemed to be having a really nice morning joking and laughing with each other and nobody bothered with us at all. My grievances were not taken seriously. We went back to the room to pack up our things and get out of there asap. I started going out with each bag one at a time. It took ages. I had to cart them up the stairs to the car as there were still no spaces on the bottom floor where the entry to the hotel is positioned. At 12.03 I tried to get back into the hotel from the car park and up to the room and I found myself locked out again. I had to go back to reception to get the key card renewed. Again there was no warning given that this would happen and it wasn't in the information pack or written on the card.

And to boot the room was dirty. THe glasses in the bathroom still had toothpaste in them from the previous occupants ( it was white pasty stuff - at least I hope it was toothpaste!). The paste was ground into the bottom of the glasses in a ring. The glasses looked like they hadn't been washed properly in ages. THe bed sheets were too small for the bed and didn't reach the top or fully down the sides. There was chewing gum in the windowframe. The towels smelt so badly of chemicals that I wouldnt allow my seven year old to touch them.

I would never return here and recommend that you avoid it. That is the first time I have ever had to say that about anywhere. I don't mind mistakes - they will inevitably happen. It is how an hotel reacts to problems and complaints that measures it. But I told the reception staff that there was chewinggum in the windowframe and they didn't come and take it out. I dealt with three different reception staff members over the 15 hours I was there and one was less concerned than the next. They really really really don't want to know and don't take complaints seriously. They mouthed apologies but in a token fashion. The next sucker will be along in a minute, it seems.


Avoid Avoid Avoid.

Sheila