My husband and I recently stayed at the Grand Canal Hotel. From the pictures online we were expecting great things. It didn't take long for us to realize our expectations were a little too high. Overall, it is a nice looking hotel. The rooms are nice and clean, when the staff actually cleans the room. On many occasions, we would come back to a half-cleaned room: the electric kettle still holding yesterday's tea water, crumbs on the main table from yesterday's snack, etc. The room looked clean, but on closer inspection looked rushed through.

One of our biggest complaints was with the staff at the front desk and attached restaurant. The lobby staff looked annoyed when asked questions, and when answering phone calls from rooms had pained expressions. Also, don't expect to rely on the front desk to actually call with the wake up call you requested. We missed our tour bus because of their inability to follow through.

The attached restaurant/pub, The Gasworks, had decent food, when you actually got attention. On one occasion, my husband and I sat for over an hour waiting for a menu after drinks had been ordered. We finally gave up when all staff had apparently vacated the premises. When you do finally get some attention, they immediately brought the bill and never came back to see if there was anything else you needed, such as a refilled water glass or after-dinner coffee and dessert. When ordering room service, expect to have cash available as they do not allow charging it to your room, even though you may charge meals/drinks when you eat in the restaurant.

When it comes to the size of the rooms and amenities, we were not impressed. When we vacation, we do not just use our hotels as a "flop" house or just as a place to lay our head at night and therefore like to enjoy the rooms themselves. The room is quite small, and though they boast views of the quay, the best we got was a view of the opposite side of the building. The windows only open a crack, even on the fifth floor. The rooms become uncomfortably warm and stay that way as there is no circulation due to the inability to open the curtain. The mattress is hard as a rock. My husband and I like our mattresses on the firm side, but this went beyond firm. The bathroom is okay with nice counter space. However, the sink does not empty, even with clear-appearing drain. This also goes for the shower. You end up standing in ankle-deep water because both the faucet and the shower head run at the same time. With a slow-draining drain, this creates a problem.

If you are a light sleeper, good luck getting to sleep at night. Even the quietest conversations come through the walls as if you are standing right next to the speaker. Constantly slamming doors literally shake the room. With all the earthquakes happening lately, I thought we were done for on many occasions.

On the plus side, as small as that may be, there was in-room internet offered at the cheapest rates we found in Dublin. The full Irish breakfast was also one of the cheapest we found and was also quite good. When my husband and I arrived in Dublin ahead of schedule, they did let us check in a few hours early, which was nice after traveling for 20+ hours.

Overall, I would not and do not recommed this hotel. For the price, you can definitely get friendlier staff and higher quality rooms within a closer vicinity to anything in the city center. Travelers beware!