2 Great Denmark Street
Dublin
Ireland
call 00353 (0) 1 874 9407
Initial Impact Assessment
On Monday 10th of October 2011 at approximately 10.30am I approached Barry’s Hotel from Parnell Square on foot, upon turning into Great Denmark Street, the signage to the front of Barry’s Hotel is clear and unambiguous. The front of Barry’s Hotel presents well maintained and the windows present secure and in good order.
There is good on street parking to the front of Barry’s and Parking charges don’t kick in until 7am each morning, three hours maximum parking during peak periods. Barry’s is within easy walking distance of O’Connell Street and many other significant streets and sites in Dublin.
Guest View
Barry’s Hotel is situated at 2 Great Denmark Street, Dublin, is central and has 32 rooms with en-suite bathrooms, direct dial telephone, colour television, Tea/coffee making facilities, Wi-Fi in some rooms and 24 hour reception service. Incidentals such as hairdryers, iron and board may be collected at reception.
Check-in
I arrived at Barry’s Hotel at approximately 10pm for check-in after a long day in Dublin.
The meet and greet was welcoming and warm, a young lady was polite and courteous. However, while I had received e-mail confirmation that my room had been booked for 10/10/2011 the young lady could not find the booking on the system. However, the matter was quickly resolved to my satisfaction.
The young lady clearly explained all of the facilities available, 24 hour reception and so forth, all done very courteously. All of the advertising literature in the reception is advertising other company’s products and services, with no worthwhile effort to sell Barry’s own products and services.
The Bar
Dasher had a walk around the bar and ordered a coke, the bar presents well and the young man serving was polite and professional, this is a good old fashioned, traditional Irish Bar and maintains a distinct ambiance.
Casino
Barry’s Hotel also incorporates a state of the art casino, great for hen and stag parties or just a weekend break away from reality.
Corridors - Health/Safety/Security
The corridors and stairs presented well, all doors appeared well maintained and secure, and lighting was good on the main areas.
The Room
Rooms 2A is behind a door leading onto the landing, the light in the small hall in which the door to 2A is housed was not working and so it was difficult to find the key hole.
Upon entering the room the room appeared fresh and bright, clean and comfortable.
The shelf and chair provided for ‘make-up’/hair-drying proved functional and adequate.
The curtains presented clean, classic and functional, the window opened easy and was great for ventilation on what was a very warm night.
The noise levels were consistent with this part of town, occasional drop-offs from the airport to Barry’s and the Hotel across the road, no adverse noise levels.
The lights in the bedroom were functional and well placed.
The telephone was functional and the Wi-Fi access was good.
Literature
The welcome letter read well and all facilities both in-house and external were clearly explained.
Bathroom
The bathroom presented clean and functional.
Shower was functional.
The linen was clean and fresh.
Toiletries were adequate.
Night Porter
At 6.45am I went down stairs to put money in the parking metre for 7am rush hour charge. I viewed the night porter sweeping down the front steps and the street, this was impressive. The night porter directed me to the parking metre and had a requested hair drier for me upon my return, this man was courteous, professional, helpful.
Breakfast
The breakfast in the bar area worked well and the Irish folk music in the background was being enjoyed by the several Americans who were having breakfast, some of whom were also speaking highly of their rooms and accommodation in general.
The orange juice was not of a high standard almost like diluting orange.
The breakfast area was clean and the young woman quickly took orders and delivered tea/coffee promptly.
A selection of cereals were available and accessible.
The breakfast was presented promptly with amble toast.
The ambiance as mentioned above was comfortable and relaxing.
Check-out
The young woman who had been on duty at check-in was on duty as I checked out, she was pleasant and professional, however, no follow-up literature was supplied, business card and so forth.
Online Presence
Barry’s Hotel has a good online presence with products and services clearly set out on their Official site barryshotel.com.
In conclusion
Barry’s Hotel is centrally situated, in a good state of repair, with only a few tweaks to address. I was pleasantly surprised by the good standard found in Barry’s.
There is a real events package here whether for a boy’s weekend away (casino), a quiet weekend (garden of remembrance, Hugh Lane gallery around the corner), hen party and so much more.