Review: The Westbury Hotel, Dublin

The Westbury Hotel in Dublin, Ireland is one of the American Express Fine Hotel Resorts where you can receive several upgraded benefits simply by being an American Express Platinum cardholder and booking through the Fine Hotels website.

The hotel itself is located just off of the main shopping drag, so you’ll find it convenient as far as access to many nearby restaurants and shopping. Since Dublin itself is a fairly sizable city, you won’t find it convenient to the Guiness Storehouse, Jamison Distillery or the main train station, though taxis within the city center are cheap and reliable.

At the hotel itself, you’re greeted by a well-dressed bellman outside who will offer to take your bags. Entering the hotel, you’ll find the lobby and front desk to be on the second floor. There are elevators which will take you here or a central staircase you’ll see as soon as you enter.

During my stay, the lobby was always a buzz with activity, partly because there was some sort of conference being held at this hotel. There’s a large seating area where folks always seemed to be gathered.

I was helped rather quickly at the desk where I was reminded of the benefits I would receive during my one-night stay:

• Noon check-In, when available
• Room Upgrade upon arrival, when available
• Daily breakfast for two people
• In-Room Wi-Fi
• Guaranteed 4pm late checkout
• A three-course lunch or dinner for two people

The room they had assigned me to, a junior suite, wasn’t available yet, so they were kind enough to store my luggage while I made my way outside to check out some nearby museums..

By the time I made it back to the hotel, my luggage was already sent up to my room, so I proceeded directly there. The room had a nice seating area directly in front of the television, complete with two arm chairs and an oddly placed desk. Funny enough, the lamp between the two chairs was near impossible to turn on, and after about five minutes of trying to find a switch, and unplugging and replugging the lamp thinking it was broken, a visit to the front desk advised me that there was a “hidden” button located on the shade itself – it sounded like they got this question frequently, since it was impossible to find.

The bed was flanked by two nightstands, each with a bottle of water. On the desk to the right there was a welcome amenity of some fruit, which I appreciated but didn’t have a chance to eat.

On one post of the bed there was a cord to pull in case of emergency – I’m not sure what happens when you were to pull it so I didn’t try, but found it sort of oddly placed since I think many would grab it and confuse it with a pull to turn on the lights.

The bathroom was immediately next to the bed and contained all the standard fixtures – a large sink and counter space, toilet as well as shower. The shower seemed as if it was designed for a handicap person with assistance device bolted to the wall, though apparently that’s the norm in this hotel. The pull string you find hanging in the middle is in fact to turn on the lights, contrary to the design of the one located at the bed. 😉

A large closet with a mini bar was located near the entrance.

For the food and beverage offerings, I was given two vouchers to use:

Of course, the lunch/dinner offering was in their cheapest restaurant.

That evening I had dinner in Balfes, the designated restaurant to use the Fine Hotels meal benefit. Service was good and I ended up ordering a chicken salad for an appetizer, filet for dinner and a chocolate cake for dessert – all well presented and delicious.

Breakfast the following morning was served in Wilde restaurant and was disappointing in my opinion – it was continental as they had described, but was almost bare bones continental, with only a few pastries, cereals and yogurts. I was expecting a little more than what they provided, especially for this nice of a hotel.

Overall, I’d certainly stay here again. It was in a great location, and a great room – perfect for what I needed.