The Imperial Hotel & SPA

I have to highly recommend this hotel from the stunning entrance, beautiful bar area with live entertainment. Big spacious bedrooms and bathrooms fully equipped with everything you need .Comfy bed .Breakfast restaurant so much to choose from. All very pleasant staff. One member of staff stood out for us called Isabella from meet and great with a glass of prosecco, very informative of the local area and how to get to live at the marquee venue to breakfast time of her knowledge on gluten free as my mum has celiac disease. If I cone ti visit Cork again I would definitely stay here.

The Hotel is beautiful and felt very luxurious but the room felt less luxurious. For example, the doors on the wardrobe did not line up and the bathroom (particularly the bathtub) were not as clean as I would have expected for a high end hotel. The location was awesome and very close to everything you would need. The parking is just offsite but was easy to access and felt secure. We definitely enjoyed our stay and would have no issues with staying there again but might try another option next time.

We had wonderful experiences in Imperial hotel. Started with Irena welcoming us at the desk. She set the tone and from there on we loved our stay. Rooms were lovely, although historic. Hotel is a small museum of all the famous people that stayed there in a past. Loved that Victorian feeling as soon as you walk in. Cleanliness was very good and no issues there. F&B was a different story. Disappointing at best. However, if in Cork, I would choose this hotel again.

The hotel was absolutely amazing and the staff was amazing. Kind, curious helpful and genuinely wanted to make sure your needs were addressed. One of the best hotels we have stayed at in Europe. Unlike the Hardiman in Galway, which was a the exact opposite, I would highly recommend the Imperial Hotel in Cork …. You will not be disappointed.

I’ve just been to Helena’s restaurant. I had a lovely lunch using a gift card I received. Delicious food and excellent service. The location is incredible, in the city centre but on street that is not so busy. The place is incredibly beautiful and the service is great, all staff were very kind.

I want to share the information I wish I had before booking. We’re here celebrating our honeymoon after getting married on the Isle of Skye and booked the Michael Collins Suite. While initially lovely, it’s not a true suite; compact room overall, with a stylish but cramped bathroom. A few major disappointments: The bed: Advertised as a king, it’s clearly two twins pushed together. While this may be common in Europe, it is usually stated in the room description. The dip between the beds made it difficult to sleep comfortably and felt like a cheap shortcut. The Vitality Suite/Escape Spa: The dressing rooms reeked of mildew and wet towels; it was an unbearable stench. The spa itself had visible mold, stains, and worn-down facilities. We turned around and left. Housekeeping and Cleanliness: We returned at 4pm to find our room “cleaned” but the door had been left ajar, with the lock engaged so it couldn’t close. Anyone could have walked in. When we reported it to the manager, Brenda, her response was a casual, “I’m sorry,” with no sense of urgency or accountability. The room itself wasn’t clean: the floors hadn’t been touched, garbage bins were still full, and the bed was made with sheets that had holes. To top it all off, our coffee machine was broken and we had to get someone to come look at it to confirm that it was not working before getting sent another. There were houseflies in our room when we arrived; three so far. For a room marketed as one of the hotel’s best, this level of cleanliness is completely unacceptable. It only added to the overall feeling that attention to detail and guest comfort are simply not priorities here. The final straw came tonight when we returned from dinner to find no chocolates or whiskey; amenities clearly listed in our package. When we asked at the front desk, we were told it’s only offered at check-in, which contradicts the description on their website (I’ll include photos). I expressed my disappointment, and the response was simply, “Ok, have a good evening.” For a hotel aiming for high standards, this was a complete letdown. We spoke with Michael, the night manager. He was sympathetic but said there was nothing he could do. He offered to leave a note for the morning management team to see if they might adjust our room rate, so we’ll wait to see if anyone follows up. We’re giving two stars only because of the initial warm welcome we received in the form of a card left in our room. Otherwise, this hotel fails to deliver on the standards it advertises. It’s simply not worth the money, and certainly not fit for any special occasion. As it stands I would not recommend spending your money or time here for any special occasion. (Photos posted: spa conditions, robe damage, and our unsecured, uncleaned room. And a few others of room details)

Lovely old historical hotel. I’ve stayed there before. This time, I stayed in the only room they had left which was the Michael Collins suite. This was relatively expensive but was a magnificent historic room (where he spent the last two nights of his life). When I got back to my room late, they’d poured whisky into the glasses on the table. |The other rooms in the hotel are also very nice and it is a beautiful place from which to experience Cork|The only drawback is that the car parking is in a large car park about 10 minutes walk from the hotel so you have to drop your bags off in the frenetic street outside the hotel then drive away to the car park and walk back

Lovely hotel in Cork. The building is a bit older, but they have done a nice job making it nice. We received a much appreciated upgrade and were quite comfortable in the room. The staff were helpful, but the hotel seemed undermanned. It took an hour to receive towels from housekeeping. I finally went down to the front desk after calling twice. The early check in policy is kind of a joke. I have never stayed at a hotel where the room was ready when I arrived, but you had to pay €40 if you wanted to use it. I understand if I wanted a guaranteed early check in, but if the room is ready at 1pm, let me in! Overall, not a bad spot for a couple of nights.

Wow, wow & wow... We loved our stay at The Imperial. From the very minute we pulled up to our departure we were treated like queens. The staff could not do enough for us. Our room was beautiful and spacious with the comfiest bed. The decor is tastefully done within the confines of its history. I loved all the Irish information on the walls and of course Michael Collins is rightly featured all around. They have a beautiful breakfast and lunch dining room with the sweetest of staff and as for the bar.. outstanding. The weather was so nice that we were able to sit outside and drink some coffee. The next time I am in Cork City this hotel will be on top of my list.

We enjoyed our one-night stay here. Staff at reception were extremely helpful and friendly. Rooms were very comfortable and as depicted in pictures on hotel site. Shower was very nice, with excellent water pressure. Breakfast was very nice.

This hotel is very beautiful. It is vintage old hotel, it has history all around the area.

This review is for the spa only. Holy moly!! What an amazing experience! I wanted to treat myself and a spa day seemed just the ticket! When I called to book the receptionist was extremely helpful and suggested an excellent package as I was a bit overwhelmed and new to the whole spa thing. I picked the escape to the birdcage package, which truly was a great experience and excellent value for the money. Upon entering the salon, I wqs greated warmly, given a thorough explanation of everything and shown to the dressing room. After longer in the vitality lounge (super relaxing, hot tub, steam room just what the doctor ordered) I began the rest of my session, which included two massages and time in the dry flotation room. SO AMAZING. Amy was a sweet angel of mercy and was incredibly attentive and adept. After my session she led me to the relaxation room where I was presented with an absolutely delicious lemonade (legit though can they drop the recipe) and some melon. It's the most relaxed I've felt in ages! THEN (can you believe there's more) I was treated to a delectable brunch at Sketch, the imperial hotels restaurant. Please please please check this place out. I'm still on cloud nine, reveling in relaxation and resplendence and feeling like an ascending queen.

Wonderful hotel with a great location! We spent four nights at the Imperial and were treated extremely well. The Imperial is a grand old hotel with the typical quirks that you find (and I love) in old buildings. The rooms are modern, well maintained and clean. Due to the age of the building, I would wager that each room and suite is different. The staff were uniformly friendly and helpful. We had breakfast each morning in the hotel restaurant. They have an interesting habit of serving bread, jam, etc. in a multi-level tray that looks a bit like a birdcage. Everything that we had was well prepared and presented. By the second day we had also figured out that the server would bring us scones if we asked, even though they were not on the menu. The hotel's central location means that most historical sites, pubs and restaurants are just a short walk.

We stayed 2 nights at the end of June and this hotel was fabulous. We came directly from the airport and they stored our luggage until our rooms were ready later in the day. Breakfast was included and their restaurant is pretty and food was excellent! My husband became ill - luckily only dehydration and jet lag, but the front desk went out of their way to help me get him seen at a local walk in clinic while also advising me about a pharmacy. Air conditioned, our room was perfect for him to recuperate in while I was able to walk around the city. I highly recommend the Imperial for a stay in Cork!!

Pulling up to this hotel it looks impressive, I was with a tour group so we didn't have to deal with parking or checking in. As I walked in the lobby I was handed my hotel room key (awesome to bypass the long line at check in) The room was a little smaller then previous hotel rooms on the tour but with a comfy bed and a hot shower I didn't care.... didn't expect to spend a lot time in my room. However the stand up shower was very impressive, with great pressure. This was where Michael Collins slept the night before he was assassinated... lot's of plaques around the hotel about him. You could not ask for a better location in Cork! So many pubs, restaurants and shopping options all within walking distance! Right down the street is the Oliver Plunket.. for great live music. I enjoyed a morning walk daily before our tour bus would take off for the day. But the best was being near so many pubs, that walking at night was never an issue. I ate at the hotel restaurant, the Pembroke a few times. Loved the tomato basil soup, bursting with flavor. Fish n chips were also amazing... they also know how make a great jameson and ginger. Breakfast here was really good, lot's of options.. I usually went with a fried egg, potatoes, toast and lo'ts of coffee! There is a beautiful bar in the hotel, the seventy six on the mall. I had a few drinks at the bar, super soft chairs! Also ordered ginger ale and ice at the bar for our rooms, staff was great helping out with any requests our group had. I really enjoyed my stay at this hotel, nothing beats the location!

You know what's stressful? Being a passenger in a car on the "other" side of the road when the operator is driving on that side for the first time in her life. After three hours on small highways, terrible back pain, and lots of grumbling, all I wanted to do was chill out with a pint. When we arrived to Cork, we couldn't find a place to park at all. Despite reading other reviews here and on TripAdvisor, I couldn't figure out the system. Without going into too much detail, it was a big hassle and I ended up yelling at two random men on the street smoking cigarettes for not helping me as I lugged three suitcases into the hotel -- all the while limping away in horrible pain. Lisa, the front desk agent on the at the time, handled my frustration quite well. I wouldn't have dealt with annoyed-me nearly as well. I ended up apologizing to her later on and felt pretty bad about the incident. After all, the hotel itself is incredible once you get past the parking situation. So here's what to do if you find yourself in my shoes: 1. Double-park out front, even if there's a large tour bus there. Just put your flashers on and your car will be fine. 2. Bring your luggage inside to be securely stored while you park. 3. Get a swipe card and parking garage map from the front desk. 4. Drive to the parking garage. You will go over a bridge. That's normal. 5. Follow the map to loop back around to the island part of the city and find the hotel. 6. Check in. On the surface, that sounds pretty easy, but during the nighttime in an unfamiliar place it can be a challenge. I'd recommend employing the buddy system from the garage to the hotel. I don't know much about Cork's overall safety, but I feel like you'd have some peace of mind if you're not alone. In my case: A night porter parked the car for us and brought the luggage to our room. We got lucky with a quiet room facing a parking lot. If we were on the Pembrooke side of the hotel, I could see it being noisy from the bars. Since the hotel itself also offered a spa and I was in ridiculous pain, I took advantage. I mentioned I'd probably want an appointment while talking to Lisa, and unknowingly to me, she called the spa the next morning when they opened to let them know my particular back issues and to expect a call. How sweet is that? She totally did not have to do that at all. Before jumping to the salon, I need to mention the actual hotel room was AWESOME. Great hair dryer. Nice and clean room. Top-notch bathroom supplies and shower. Exceptional housekeeping. Cute view of the city. Comfortable bed. I couldn't ask for anything better. So let's fast forward to the next morning. I've never used a hotel spa before. I've also only had a handful of massages in my life. But you can bet I called and snagged an appointment for a massage an hour later. I could only deal with so much pain while on vacation! The Escape Spa was lavish and relaxing all at once. Their regular massage also includes a foot scrub, as well as champagne, sorbet, and a fruit plate in their serenity room. Masseuses are Aveda trained and so on-point. Even better, the spa was right down the steps from my room. Perfect. All in all, the amenities for this hotel make it a prime accommodation to select in Cork. I found it via an Expedia special and it was dirt cheap for all they offer. Restaurants, a fancy bar, concierge... I could go on. They even honored Frederick Douglass at the bar in the 1800s! How neat. [There is a placard.] I can't recommend this place enough. The car park is a pain, but nowhere's perfect. If you want a comfortable hotel in the center of Cork's action, this is the spot.

The Hotel room was very quaint and very clean. Bottled water and chocolate bars were provided daily as part of room service, amenities were very nice. The hotel itself is simply beautiful. The staff is definitely the stars of this hotel; so friendly and helpful. We checked out this morning and would love to come back! Thanks for such an enjoyable stay!!

I travel a LOT, and while there are often hotels I hate to leave, there are only a handful where I hate to leave the hotel AND the people at the hotel. The Imperial is one of those special places. Not only is the hotel beautiful, historic, comfortable, and in a great location, every single one of the staff -- from our housekeeper to the front desk staff to the waitstaff to the bartenders -- were amazingly accommodating, friendly, and genuinely seemed to care that their guests have the best possible experience while staying there. Several of them gave us hugs when we left. Our room rate included breakfast each morning in the restaurant Sketch, and the food was fantastic each day. And if you go for dinner, save room for their chocolate meringue dessert -- we had it twice, it was so good. There are lots of cute pubs in the surrounding blocks, and we thoroughly enjoyed our time in Cork. Another reviewer complained about the confusing parking situation, but it's very clearly explained on the hotel's website how to check in and park, and we didn't have any problem when we arrived with our rental car, as I had the instructions from the website pulled up on my phone and just followed the directions. I don't know if I'll ever get the chance to return to Cork again, but you can bet that I'll be staying at the Imperial if/when I do. Kudos to a wonderful hotel and amazing staff!

This is the best hotel in Cork by far. They have great service and excellent rooms that will make any stay special. My brother studied here for three months, and after staying at many hotels, he agreed with me that this is the best hotel in Cork. I had a problem with booking through Booking.com, and they let me cancel my booking and took away the fees for withdrawing. Then I got to book another room, and they respected the price that I got on booking.com Also, they upgraded us to a spa room because of the trouble, and it was incredible. We pretty much canceled what we were going to do that day to stay at the hotel and enjoy all of the amenities. 5 Star by far!!!

The service at this hotel is excellent. We came on St. Patrick's Day, which, as you can imagine is a busy time and there were hordes of tourists (we were among them so I can't complain). The lobby is beautiful and full of photographs of the hotel celebrated history. Our room was a bit small for us because we had our toddler and with the cot they provided there wasn't much room for him to play. But for a couple or single traveler the room size is adequate. When I asked if we could upgrade they were very kind but it was fully booked (Patty's Day). They made up for it though by being extra nice. They even drove with my husband to the parking structure so he wouldn't get lost. Honestly, I felt like a dumb American asking for a bigger room and was a bit embarrassed. The breakfast is amazing with way too much to choose from. Order the waffle, it's incredible! When we checked out they asked where we were headed and said they would call that hotel's manager and ask them to treat us well. When we got to our next hotel (which was a resort in the countryside) we were surprised with a huge suite! I really can't express how kind the folks at this historic and lovely hotel are. The people of Cork have the reputation of being among the kindest on earth and The Staff at The Imperial proves that to be true.

The Imperial is a great choice if you are staying in Cork City. It's in a central location close to everything. Close to the bus station if you decide to venture off. It is so magical during Christmas time. They really take the time to decorate and pay attention to detail. The bed was comfy, the bathroom clean. Highly recommended if you are visiting Cork!

Parking is ridiculously far away, WiFi is garbage, over priced, and the bedrooms are literally leaning. Just don't.

This was my first professional massage, I am not able to compare it with others. I liked that the staff was friendly and attentive. The whirlpool and steam room were relaxing. The massage itself was awesome and took longer than I thought. It ended with a glass of sparkling wine and fruits in the relaxation room.

I must give this hotel five stars. Besides the exceptional location within Cork, they were so kind. I left my toiletry bag somewhere in the room and discovered it was missing the day after we checked out. The lost and found dept had it and internationally mailed it to me. That was above and beyond my expectations and I am grateful.

This is my second time staying at the Imperial and I must say that I love it! I feel very posh and pampered. The lobby and hallways are gorgeous, the restaurant and bar (the gin concoctions are to die for) are fantastic and the staff is very pleasant. The location is great, right in the heart of the city. The hotel has a great history and I highly recommend it to anyone who is lucky enough to get to spend time in Cork.

The hotel is nice, great location, which is why I gave 2 stars. We were put in room 208. If you are assigned this room, do yourself a favor and decline, vehemently if necessary or get a fat discount. After the drinking crowd outside finally calmed in the early morning hours, the garbage started getting dumped. Quiet for a few hours before the supply trucks started rolling in. It is the only room directly above the garbage and doors to the hotel supply area. Here is the view. Just awful.

Not impressed. Drastically overpriced for the level of service and attention to detail. The bed had hair in it, the tub hadn't been thoroughly cleaned. They also do not seem to care for children being around. My son is 12 and well behaved but staff didn't ever seem to acknowledge him while here. You have to pay to use the pool as well and nobody under 18, which is not advertised on the website. Very disappointing.

Not a fan, I'm afraid. Like Sean E mentions, the car park is 10 minutes walk AND costs €9!? What? C'mon. And there is no valet option. Plus it is not clear that this is an option so we ended up circling on a busy Friday afternoon, getting jammed into one way streets, finally parking at the shopping center (which does not allow overnight), checking in, then my husband went back out, retrieved the car from the shopping car park, moved it to the Imperial car park, which took about an hour with construction, etc. GET A VALET. Ahem, ok. Beyond that I just wasn't terribly impressed with this hotel. It was a nice setting for the wedding we attended and the food was nice, etc. However the rooms left much to be desired. For the price (over €200/night) you'd expect something a bit nicer than threadbare carpets, acrylic duvet covers, dusty fans, stained ironing board/mattress, etc. We overlooked the exhaust/vent system. There were pigeons sitting on our windowsill all hours making annoying pigeon noises. The washroom was teensy tiny. On the plus side -- the service was really quite good. No complaints there. Geraldine in reception was lovely. They set us up with a babysitter for both nights (Agnes, who works in the cafe!) who was really nice and took good care of our baby while we had some drinks and dinner (two-handed!). This is the reason for 3 stars, because otherwise we were verging on 1-2...as I couldn't WAIT to bolt out of there. The wifi is free, and it is OK. Spotty on occasion but I've not found ONE HOTEL in all of Europe with good wifi so this perhaps is just standard fare. The restaurant (complimentary breakfast) is OK. The breakfast appears to be geared at older people that need help chewing. I stand by my plans to avoid all "hot breakfast" buffets that have eggs in loaves. It's a bad sign. The meal was quite bland and I opted to pay for breakfast elsewhere the next day. Again, the service was very good but the product a bit lacking. Overall, I can't say I'd be back. However, it was convenient to stay due to the wedding being hosted and the staff really is the shining star of the operation. With some major updates to the rooms, a new reign on the breakfast offerings and a VALET option, it could easily be 4. Great location in Cork City.

Really liked this hotel and the staff were super nice. But a few things let it down... Not a huge fan of the fact that the carpark is a ten minute walk from the hotel and also costs €9 to park in? The restaurant "the Pembroke" was fairly lively but the food was pretty disappointing - chewy steak and slightly burned chips. Awoken at 4am by rowdy guests of the hotel - a complaint to the reception didn't sort it. Complained to the manager the next morning and they knocked €20 off the bill which was decent enough.

We booked an airbnb but that bed was totally crap! So what to do? Stay up all night. ruin our stay in Cork or book a hotel? Within 2 seconds we decided to do the last. The Imperial was perfect! Okay... not really perfect. I think it used to be perfect. Like around the year 1985? You could everywhere see the signs of poor maintenance. In the bathroom, at the windows, in the dining room. Our room was also very noisy. We had one which was situated next to the street. But hey.... we didn't complain. The bed was perfect. We slept like roses. The breakfast also was very nice. It was a wise decision to go here.

Imperial Hotel staff give superb care and attention to detail for every aspect of the Cork setting. We arrived to a wonderful tea service. Room comfy n everything you need for a pleasant stay. We have stayed from coast to coast in Ireland at some fine hotels and resorts; Imperial Hotel's expert receptionists help you in every way even with paying your e tolls. Its location is perfect for visiting all of Cork's notable sights. Well worth staying here or even popping in for tea or the bar!

Spent a travel work week here and it was great! People are friendly and very accommodating. The restaurant was amazing and the food is excellent! Great location and able to walk most places. Wifi was a little patchy in some areas for overall would def recommend!

Posh and not too pricey, great staff at Reception very helpful and engaging. The room was perfect, well furnished & very comfortable. Dreamy beds, nice bathroom & wonderful breakfast. And the best location in Cork!

First time here in years and I was so disappointed! The lobby and cafè was amazing really had my expectations high but the room was bad! Walls were scratched and marked, furniture was broken, water stain on the ceiling, the carpet from the loo to the room was tore, duvet was so heavy and felt cheap, I plugged in my straightener and fuse went and to top it all off they never emptied the bathroom bin from the last people in the room! Very grossed out by that as I could see what was their! Went to the bar and was charged €5.20 for a bottle if miller, sane bottle that you get in a box in Dunnes for €15 and the residents bar was closed at 1am? Very early I though! Only reason I'm even giving this hotel two stars is the staff on front desk were so friendly! And the only good thing about the room is that it had a fan! I paid €109 for one night without breakfast and feel like I was robbed! Will not be staying here again! I'd say if you want to waste money stay the night otherwise just come here for tea!

Expected a lot for the price. Sink would not drain, they could not fix it. Moved us to a room which was damp, both me and my partner got sick. The door in the bathroom of the new room would not shut. Leaks in the ceiling near the function room. Leak was coming through a light fixture which would be a serious fire hazard. Car Park was 10 min walk away, stayed there over x-mas, got soaked by rain retrieving my car. Could not gain access to the parking on new years day as power was off, got soaked again trying to swipe my card outside to get into the parking lot which was locked up with no power. Service and food was good but hotel was a shambles along with the parking situation.

Has to be the best hotel I've ever been to. The employees are just amazing and their attitude towards everything is just so positive I always feel welcome. Their food is exquisite especially their chicken, it's just cooked perfectly. I can not wait to try out their spa!

This was my husband and my last stop in Ireland on our honeymoon. The hotel is very nice, however the room was very small and reminded us of a shoebox...however the spa, restaurant, bar and town make up for it. With all Cork has to offer, having a small room helps get you out and about to enjoy it all! Unfortunately, it flooded the night we were in Cork so we did not get to venture out and about...instead I took advantage of the Escape Salon and Spa...I highly reccommend...they have an incredible hydration pool area where you relax before you go in for your spa treatments...my massage was so good, I ended up falling asleep! (That has never happend before to me! So relaxing and needed!)

A great place to stay while in Cork. Close to th English Market. The staff is quite friendly and the rooms are fairly nice. It is not 5-star but it is about as good as you will get in Cork.

Beautiful entrance, nice restuarant and bar, terrible room/bed, and the lift was so small that only 2 people with luggage could fit at a time. The floors creaked, the carpet was raised, limited outlets, and even the bed sloped! The noise from the bar across the street was obnoxious until 2:30 a.m. when I closed my window. There was no airconditioner so the room was stuffy. Then at 6:30 a.m. they started unloading and rolling the beer kegs down the street below our window. That incredibly loud racket persisted until 7:30 a.m. So disappointed!

We stayed at the Imperial as part of our Ireland tour. We had spent the first part of our trip at several 5 star hotels and castles throughout Ireland so we expected no less when we arrived in Cork. We were sorely disappointed. The initial impression as you walk through the front door is glamour however, that facade quickly changes when you meet the staff and are pointed in the direction of your room. We arrived with a group of 15 and were staying for two nights including two breakfasts and two dinners. The rooms were embarrassing. We found mold in the bathrooms, mysterious brown stains around the windows, the floors were horribly uneven making the furniture uneven. We quickly found soft spots in the flooring that if not paying attention could quickly lead to a twisted ankle. One in our group had a broken faucet bringing it to the attention of management and was told "there was no one to fix the problem and do their best to make it work". Another in our group had so much mold in the bath they needed to change rooms. When we found the heater would not shut off we attempted to open the windows only to be greeted with the overwhelming smell of cigarette smoke and loud sounds from the pubs in the alley below. The beds were not comfortable and leaned to one side because the floor was uneven. However, the crown moulding was impeccable. Our first dinner was just okay. The portions were very small and the bar services was maddening. She would only take one drink order at a time, walk to the other side of the hotel to the bar to retrieve the drink and return much later with the drink & change, and act irritated that someone else wanted a drink. Our guide attempted to confirm our dinner reservations for the second night and was told we did not have such reservations. Our driver asks them to double check and he was told they would get back to him. We never heard back from them. At this point our group had endured enough and picked a local pizzeria for dinner the second night. When we returned from dinner the hotel staff greeted us with disdain that we did not show for our dinner reservations. The situation was explained that the staff the prior night denied our reservations. But we were still met with argument from the staff. Overall, compared to other high rated choices in the country this does not rate at all near our expectations.

Nice enough hotel but the car parking is crazy. It is AT LEAST a ten minute walk to the carpark. The map to get there is quite confusing too. I checked in at night and the taxis parked out front made it impossible to actually park. I had to ring the hotel to get them to come out to give me directions to the car park which were really confusing. The carpark is also a bit creepy particularly at night. This hotel needs to introduce a car-parking service. Had to walk for close to 15 mins in the rain with my case. Would gladly have paid 10 euro to have someone that knew where they were going park my car. At the very least someone come with you or give you a preprogrammed sat nav. Current system is a disaster. Cork hotels were full that night but regretted my stay in this hotel. I should have made the journey home a day early. Won't be back

We were told at check in that our room might be a bit noisy because of a wedding that started at 3:00 pm. We went out to dinner and returned around 10:00 figuring we could go to sleep. The reception was being held in the ballroom below us. The level of noise was ridiculous. The band did not stop till over midnight and it was so loud that even with the fan on high we could hear every word the singer was bellowing. Will never stay here again or recommend it to anyone else.

Stayed in March of 2014. We had some difficulties getting to the hotel (no GPS for car and Cork's one way street system is interesting). Parked the car and walked to hotel. Duncan, our concierge, walked a block to the car to get our bags. Turns out the car had problems.....albeit after I had crossed the river from the hotel. I ran to the hotel. Duncan called the car agency for me and gave me a hotel mobile to be able to speak to the car agency. He called to check on me to see if I needed anything while waiting. When that fiasco was resolved, he resumed 'normal' concierge tasks of recommending restaurants (excellent recommendation - Market Lane - but that's an entirely different review) and other things to do. His Irish calmness and demeanor started off a vacation that had hit high stress within an hour of landing in Cork. The hotel's accomodations were fantastic - - - South's Bar was great spot for our opening pints (and closing one - for Cork, at least). The hotel is located on South Mall - - a good location. Given that I am Irish and love the history of the formation of the Republic, it underplayed that it was the hotel Michael Collins stayed at the night before he was assasinated. But, I give this hotel the highest recommendation, both for the accomodation, but more for the concierge service.