The Westbury Hotel

The Westbury Hotel in Dublin, Ireland, a Michelin Key Selected property, consistently receives high praise for its luxurious ambiance, exceptional service, and unbeatable central location.

1. Overall Rating & Sentiment

The Westbury Hotel is generally rated as "Excellent" to "Exceptional" by guests, with high scores across various platforms. Booking.com shows an 8.8 rating from over 863 reviews, with particular strengths in location (9.8), cleanliness (9.3), comfort (9.3), and staff (9.3). Similarly, Agoda rates its location at 9.9 and service at 9.6, contributing to an overall "Exceptional" rating. Guests frequently describe their stays as "wonderful" and express a strong desire to return.

2. Key Highlights

Guests consistently laud The Westbury for several key aspects:

• Service & Hospitality: The staff is frequently described as "fantastic," "friendly," "helpful," "accommodating," and "impeccably charming." The guest relations team is noted for going to "extraordinary lengths" to ensure a positive experience.
• Location: Its prime position directly off Grafton Street is a major draw, placing guests within walking distance of major attractions, luxury shopping, and the city's "Creative Quarter."
• Design & Ambiance: The hotel exudes a "classy, metropolitan luxury" with elegant and sophisticated interiors. The design blends contemporary style with Art Deco influences, featuring bespoke décor, Irish woven-wool carpets, impressive art collections, and Waterford crystal chandeliers.
• Amenities: Highlights include fantastic restaurants, a glamorous bar, a fitness suite, and the renowned Afternoon Tea.

3. Room Quality

The Westbury offers spacious and sumptuously furnished bedrooms and suites, reflecting a blend of Irish and international design.

• Comfort: Rooms feature high-quality Sealy beds and Lissadell linen, ensuring a restful night's sleep. Guests praise the "comfortable beds" and "spacious rooms."
• Design & Features: Many rooms and suites have undergone refurbishment, showcasing thoughtful contemporary design. Expected amenities include LCD or HD LED TVs, iPod compatible music systems, Nespresso coffee machines, complimentary Wi-Fi, and dedicated workspaces. Luxurious white marble bathrooms with heated floors and Aromatherapy Associates or Malin + Goetz bathroom products are standard. Some suites boast Italian marble four-piece bathrooms with freestanding baths and private terraces offering panoramic city views. Soundproofed rooms with "sealable" windows help mitigate city noise.

4. Dining Experience

The hotel offers a diverse and high-quality dining experience across its establishments:

• Wilde: This signature restaurant is celebrated for its "fine dining" experience, focusing on the best of seasonal Irish produce with European influences, in an elegant setting.
• Balfes: A more casual, vibrant all-day bistro with a New York meets Parisian brasserie style, featuring a large zinc-topped bar and an expansive outdoor terrace. It serves locally sourced produce.
• The Gallery: Overlooking Grafton Street, The Gallery is famous for its "legendary Afternoon Tea," which is considered a Dublin institution and a real treat, reasonably priced for a 5-star hotel. It also serves a la carte food throughout the day.
• The Sidecar Bar: This glamorous bar offers a fine cocktail menu in a stylish, 1930s-inspired setting.
• Breakfast: Often described as a "dream" and "delicious," with a full Irish breakfast spread available, though guests are advised to check if it's included in their room rate.

5. Service & Staff

The Westbury's staff consistently receives glowing reviews. They are noted for being "friendly and helpful," "accommodating," and providing "exceptional" and "impeccable" service. The guest relations team is particularly highlighted for going "to extraordinary lengths to ensure you have the best experience possible." Guests have shared instances of staff going "out of their way" to assist, such as retrieving forgotten passports. The hotel maintains a "welcoming and open" atmosphere despite its five-star status.

6. Location & Accessibility

The hotel boasts an "excellent" and "fantastic" central location directly off Grafton Street, Dublin's premier shopping thoroughfare.

• Attractions: It's ideally situated for exploring Dublin's main attractions, with Trinity College, St Stephen's Green, Temple Bar, Dublin Castle, the Irish Whiskey Museum, and the Gaiety Theatre all within a 5-minute walk.
• Transport: The hotel is easily accessible by car, bus, or train. It's approximately 35-40 minutes from Dublin Airport by car, with taxi services costing around €35. The Aircoach service 700 drops off on Grafton Street, minutes from the hotel. Dublin's main train station is about a 15-minute drive away, and the port is 30 minutes away. On-site parking and valet parking are available.

7. Value & Pricing

The Westbury Hotel is considered a luxury property, and while it can be "a bit pricey," many guests feel it is "worthy it" and offers "exceptional value" for its world-class amenities and impeccable service. Rates can start from approximately $354 USD, with an average price per room around $421 USD. Some reviews note that booking directly through the hotel's website might include breakfast, which can be a cost-effective option.

8. Common Complaints

While overwhelmingly positive, some recurring criticisms include:

• Room Age/Maintenance: One recent review mentioned a room being "terribly dated." Another guest in 2019 found standard rooms "pretty basic" compared to other hotels for the price.
• Noise during Renovations: The hotel has been undergoing renovations through June/July 2024, with some guests noting potential noise disturbance.
• Service Issues (Infrequent): While staff are generally praised, a few older reviews from 2019 mentioned "weird disturbances" such as late-night cleaning noise or calls about noise complaints, though staff did offer to move rooms.
• Breakfast Cost: Some guests found breakfast prices to be high if not included in the room rate.
• Value for Money (Minority View): A minority of reviews, primarily older ones, questioned if the price was entirely worth it for the room quality compared to other options.

Sources

1. booking.com
2. agoda.com
3. booking.com
4. booking.com
5. gastrogays.com
6. kayak.com
7. hotels.com
8. forbestravelguide.com
9. ie-dublin.com
10. lhw.com
11. lucindaosullivan.com
12. visainfiniteluxuryhotels.ca
13. thetravelmagazine.net
14. dublintown.ie
15. doylecollection.com
16. hoteldublin.net
17. lhw.com
18. theweek.com
19. michelin.com
20. thedublinhotels.com
21. lhw.com
22. expedia.ca
23. dublinhotelsweb.com
24. doylecollection.com
25. trip.com
26. youtube.com