G Hotel closing?

Krieg

Ive been hearing a lot of rumours from different people in the last few weeks that it was closing down soon. Some people saying that its not a rumour and that the owners (who are some construction company) are going to turn it into apartments.

Anyone hear anything?

I know they haven't had huge business since starting up. I was in there once and didnt think much. Its not a bad looking place but wouldn't have considered it a 5 star hotel.

JohnCleary

This is what smart construction people do. They build a hotel because of huge tax breaks and then turn the fecking things into apartment blocks. Genius. Sneaky, but genius

galwayrush

I doubt if the G is closing any time soon, the owner is more likely to turn another of his Hotels , the old Corrib Great Southern and it's grounds into appartments instead.

scart

galwayrush wrote: »

I doubt if the G is closing any time soon, the owner is more likely to turn another of his Hotels , the old Corrib Great Southern and it's grounds into appartments instead.

Is the Corrib Great Southern open again under the new name of Corrib Heights Hotel? Passed by recently and it had a big sign outside advertising vacancies/prices.

JohnCleary

scart wrote: »

Is the Corrib Great Southern open again under the new name of Corrib Heights Hotel? Passed by recently and it had a big sign outside advertising vacancies/prices.

Changed to that name least year, those are 'old' signs... get with the times, man!

MargeS

I heard that the G hotel was built in should a way that the internal walls can be easily removed/moved to change into apartments. Maybe this is just one of those stories that go around.

JohnCleary

MargeS wrote: »

I heard that the G hotel was built in should a way that the internal walls can be easily removed/moved to change into apartments. Maybe this is just one of those stories that go around.

You wouldn't be far off. Don't know if the G is built like this but it's the way hotels are being built these days. See my above post re. tax relief

Steyr

And the rumour mill keeps turning.......First ive heard of this and i have mates working there.

Morbid.Angel

This post has been deleted.

Tar.Aldarion

I've been hearing these rumours for the past 6 months or so

.

sensitive_soul

I DOUBT IT!!! THEY COULDN'T!!!!!! Thats my favourite place for cocktails...... but then again 25 euro for coffee and a sandwich is a tad overpriced......

I'D BE GUTTED!!!!! Why give it all that cool P.R and have Erin O'Connor and other supermodels at a Phillip Treacy fashion show there a couple of months ago??????


Dayummmmm.

MargeS

sensitive_soul wrote: »

I DOUBT IT!!! THEY COULDN'T!!!!!! Thats my favourite place for cocktails...... but then again 25 euro for coffee and a sandwich is a tad overpriced......

eh? if they charge 25e for coffee and sambo...how pricie are cocktails?

Robbo

sensitive_soul wrote: »

I'D BE GUTTED!!!!! Why give it all that cool P.R and have Erin O'Connor and other supermodels at a Phillip Treacy fashion show there a couple of months ago??????

Hubris?

It's pretty hard to take a place seriously as an upmarket boutique hotel charging the earth when your nearest neighbours include Reid Furniture and Atlantic Homecare. I, for one, go for the "tax efficient" theory.

That or the general manager is John MacBialystock...

Vegeta

Stayed there once, class place but very expensive.

I got a booze free cocktail and it was 9 euro, the girlfriends one with booze was 18 euro :eek:

Wouldn't let us take pictures inside either :rolleyes:

padraig71

They charge almost a tenner for a soft drink and they wouldn't let you take photos??!! :eek: Sounds like they deserve to close with such an attitude, there can't be such a large masochists' market in Galway.

JohnCleary

padraig71 wrote: »

They charge almost a tenner for a soft drink and they wouldn't let you take photos??!! :eek: Sounds like they deserve to close with such an attitude, there can't be such a large masochists' market in Galway.

There's copyright issues with the decor or some muck like that

TBH if you complain about the prices, just don't go in there. You can have a meal and a drink etc. etc. cheaper in Ashford Castle and Ashford Castle / G Hotel are just non comparable (Granted theyre different types of hotel). G reminds me of posh puke, where Ashford is like a finely presentated steak

Fey!

JohnCleary wrote: »

G reminds me of posh puke, where Ashford is like a finely presentated steak

I think that that's going to be my quote of the month!!!

sensitive_soul

MargeS wrote: »

eh? if they charge 25e for coffee and sambo...how pricie are cocktails?

Well we drink the prosecco in there and thats 6 euro??? I think, 6 or 7 and then we have martinis or whatever, theyre like 13.

They're so moronic in there though, a friend and I went in there to get sloshed one night, expreimented with all the cocktails...not so cheap ones, cheap ones....... the waiters changed shifts just when we finished and ordered 2 more prosecco's and we were only charged for the 2 proseccos, lmao 14 euro for a night full of drinking, and a little bowl of warm nuts, lmao!!!!! I'd call that cheap! morons!

padraig71

JohnCleary wrote: »

There's copyright issues with the decor or some muck like that

That sounds like the sort of rubbish they would tell you. Legally, it doesn't make sense. There's nothing to stop a private individual taking photos of someone else's intellectual property, otherwise you would be infringing copyright every time you took a pic of a car to sell or any item you put on eBay. Any time you photograph a person, they are wearing clothes whose design is copyright. Any building is designed by architects who own the design, but that doesn't stop you photographing it. Of course, if you were doing a photo shoot in order to sell magazines or exploit the copyright in some other way, that might be different, but I don't think that's what the poster was talking about.

galvianlord

God, there are so many negative comments about the place in this post! You have to wonder what it is about the g that gets to people so much.

I work for a sister hotel company and I can say categorically that the place is not closing down.

On another point you hear from every miserable taxi driver in the city...how on earth could a cup of tea and a sandwich possibly cost 25 euro!!!??? For one thing what kind of sandwich could it be...as far as I remem the g, sandwiches are all under a tenner and tea varies depeding on the brand but can cost no more than a fiver. And think about it when does a coke cost a tenner. They would be rightly lynched if that was the case, but when you think logically about it no one in Galway could charge that!!!! What you pay for if you still think that is expensive is service and surroundings.

The interiors as puke v Ashford Castle....hmmm.....well the owners of the g are due to become the owners of Ashford shortly so they will have in their hotel group two of the finest hotels in the west of Ireland. Both very different offers, both very different in terms of style and service, both subject to the personal taste of people or dare I say it the lack of it at times...

The level of detailing from lights to tiles to furniture to music in the g is unreal, it is very special and the international awards it has received recognise this. It's a shame that it is not recognised in Galway as such. But then again the amount of new hotels in Ireland that imitate the g or get their inspiration (some of these in Galway) from it are many....but if you want your meat and two veg hotel there are plenty of places where you can go in this town.

anyway that's my tuppence worth....also would like to throw out there that these rumours came about when a new hotel opened in Galway and began to go after all our business...partic for race week. I am just surprised that they have lasted so long...but that's the thing about the g, love it or hate it, we still talk about it!

PS for those of you who want to see a room, found this online:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/VideoGallery-g186609-d548446-i17073315-The_g-Galway_County_Galway_Western_Ireland.html

Fey!

Galvianlord; regardless of the owners of Ashford Castle and and the G becoming one and the same, I think that JohnClearys comment is very apt in decribing the difference between the two.

Ashford Castle is a renowned top class hotel in beautiful surrounding, affording it's guests every luxury.

The G, and correct me here if I'm wrong, opened stating that it was a 5 star hotel. As far as I am aware, a hotel must be operational for 12 months before it gets rated, and must have a certain level of amenities, amongst which would be a swimming pool and leisure centre. Also, the G, as stated by someone earlier, is situated in a shopping centre, and any of the rooms with a view also face onto one of the citys busiest roadways, with a constantly high traffic noise should the guest choose to open a window. A few of my customers have stayed in the G, and have said that while the rooms are lovely and the staff friendly, the reception is stark and the food in the restaurant is a disgrace. One couple I know were pointed in the direction of restaurants in the city centre rather then toward the restaurant in the hotel itself.

If you are working in a sister hotel, perhaps you're situated in the Merrick, which in it's glory days under the Great Southern banner once afforded its guests all the trapping of wealth. I do have to say here that I feel that some of the work done on the Merrick is very nicely done.

In my opinion, the G is most certainly the poor relation in this family of hotels.

snubbleste

non-alcoholic cocktails €8.50
200ml soft drink €2.75
Tea varies from €4.50 to €6
Coffee from €4 to €4.5


I think the €25 tea and sandwich that the hotel advertises in the local media refers to "the g tea" which is actually €27, comprising of
tea, selection of 5 sandwiches, some scones and sweet treats..

http://www.theg.ie/images/File/New%20lounge%20menu%20041107.pdf

padi89

galvianlord wrote: »

God, there are so many negative comments about the place in this post! You have to wonder what it is about the g that gets to people so much.


anyway that's my tuppence worth....also would like to throw out there that these rumours came about when a new hotel opened in Galway and began to go after all our business...partic for race week. I am just surprised that they have lasted so long...but that's the thing about the g, love it or hate it, we still talk about it!

Well for me when i went in the interior was absolutely terrible.The reception looked like a clinic for colonics,the corridor was full of staff standing around doing nowt and the colors chosen for some of the rooms were so bright they were headache inducing.If i stay in a hotel i want to be able to relax not to have a headfvck.And as for its view and location well no need for me to pass comment really.Anyway thats my opinion

What really puzzles me is how you think this new hotel has gone after your business partic for race week?Every Hotel in the county is practically booked out that whole week so you can't be losing business.If its because its closer to the track (and its way closer) obviously its better suited to punters but once again has nothing to do with taking your business.

Fey!

padi89 wrote: »

What really puzzles me is how you think this new hotel has gone after your business partic for race week?Every Hotel in the county is practically booked out that whole week so you can't be losing business.If its because its closer to the track (and its way closer) obviously its better suited to punters but once again has nothing to do with taking your business.

I originally thought that Galvianlord was refering to the House Hotel, but from what you've said I take it that he means the Clayton.

I'd much prefer the Clayton to the G; it has a much friendlier atmosphere, the staff are really nice, the bar is comfortable, the food is edible, it doesn't tend to overcharge, and, if I remember correctly, they're about to open a 1,400 seater conference centre. It got the launch of the Veyronjust before race week, possible because it is far more accessible due to it's proximity to the dual carraigeway, and the fact that it isn't part of a shopping centre (I just can't seem to get away from that one...).

They also tend to be very supportive of local events.

SimpleSam06

galvianlord wrote: »

The level of detailing from lights to tiles to furniture to music in the g is unreal, it is very special and the international awards it has received recognise this.

Pity they couldn't do something with the arse end of it so, I thought it was storage space for Maplin.

WildIrishRose

I had a wonderful experience in the g.... I was there for drinks with friends and yes the drink's were approx €2 extra compared to the prices in the city centre pubs such as the Skeff etc. However the service that we got that night was certainly worth the extra few pound. For me i was going there with my eyes (open) and therefore wasnt suprised with the extra cost, I was out for a nice drink, in great company with very nice staff.
You get what you pay for. I dont think that every one like's to be waited on hand and foot but that night i did enjoy it. I do work within the Hospitality industry and i am quite critical regarding establishments and I realise that the g hotel is not ever one's cup of tea.

If people dont like place's like this, then just dont go, but just keep an open mind about them. I believe that there is a market for an establishment such as this in Galway but probably more suitable for tourists rather than the local market

galvianlord

As far as i am aware the g does have its failte ireland/AA five star rating, whether it advertised itself as having it before that or not I cant say.

I think the main problem with the Irish perception of five star hotels, is that they have to all be Ashford Castles! This isnt the case internationally, I have been in high end boutique hotels in industrial docklands in Germany, in suburbs and strip malls outside Madrid, so while the location might not be great it doesnt distract from the levels of service and beauty of surrondings in the g. Ashford doesnt even have a pool or spa!

As for the food, the restaurant is very good. I just noticed a few negative comments on that, and I have to say anytime i have been there food has been excllent in both lounges and restaurant. So its unfair to dis the whole offer because of one poor exp or because someone has a hang up about the place. A comment like disgrace seems unfair. Price wise its on a par with hte likes of ard bia and the malt house. As the Bridgestone Guide published during the week agrees with me.

As for interiors everyone is entitled to their opinions, so not going to comment. I think I have made my feelings on the wonderland quality of the place clear. But why the negativity. It is something very new for Galway. It should be praised because it allows itself to be so different. It raises the bar for hoteliers in the city. It will be the parent of hotels in Dublin and London, all that for a Galway based hotel company, a major employer etc is that not something the city should be proud of!?

Let the negativity roll on....we seem to have gone from it closing to just knocking it, god knows i could do that about plenty of hotels, clayton, ardilaun, imperial, house, but whats the point, all cater to different people with different expectations...IMO there is a welcome place for the g in that mix.

PS 25 EURO for afternoon tea is not bad, compared with other hotels & cmon people that is more than just a cup of t with sambos

leninbenjamin

galvianlord wrote: »

As for the food, the restaurant is very good. I just noticed a few negative comments on that, and I have to say anytime i have been there food has been excllent in both lounges and restaurant. So its unfair to dis the whole offer because of one poor exp or because someone has a hang up about the place. A comment like disgrace seems unfair. Price wise its on a par with hte likes of ard bia and the malt house. As the Bridgestone Guide published during the week agrees with me.

Hang on here, it clearly isn't just based on one bad experience. I haven't set foot in the place myself but i've never heard a good word about the food there. you are without a doubt the first i've come across who is positive about the place. Can't argue with the masses...

galvianlord

ah come on, you havent even been there and you take umbrage....maybe you should try the food first before passing judgement, just a thought....in the interests of balance, which seems to be lacking in this thread.

another vid link to the hotels bday fashion show with philip tracy

http://www.rte.ie/tv/offtherails/av_20071205.html?2315661,null,228

padi89

galvianlord wrote: »

It is something very new for Galway. It should be praised because it allows itself to be so different. It raises the bar for hoteliers in the city

The problem with the G is it tried to be too different and ended up just looking pretentious much like the sham that is Tosh :rolleyes:.All i heard about the G was the whole spiel they were spinning before they opened,that the interior was designed by Philip Tracy.Thats great but i think he should stick to the hats after having a look around.

WildIrishRose

dont knock it unless you have tried it!:)

galvianlord

the knocking goes on, who would ever believe galwegians are capable of that! As for dissin my place of work, funny man why is it a sham?

WildIrishRose

If the owner's of the Monogram group could read these messages.... i wonder what they would say! heehee

galvianlord

they wouldnt want to be sensitive. i'd say they'd have to wonder what theyve done so wrong/right to irritate so many people!

leninbenjamin

galvianlord wrote: »

ah come on, you havent even been there and you take umbrage....

reread carefully. i'm not passing judgement on the G myself, you were the one putting the negative reports down to one bad experience or people having it in for the place. I was merely suggesting that you rethink this obviously misplaced opinion in light of the evidence to suggest otherwise. face it, a huge amount of people don't like the G. deal with it.

galvianlord

sorry if i got ya wrong but i have no prob if people dont like it. everyone is entitled to their opinion. but i just think its a bit wrong that so many people are dissin it without someone pointin out the positives, think of me as the devil's advocate for the converted!

my opinion has experience to back it up so its hardly misplaced, more than can be said for you, pay the place a visit and try for yourself....it's a treat! a huge amount of people dont like it, well i counter with a huge amount of people do! this is fun

I've always found the staff of the g to be nice. We've had to interact with them on the odd occasion, and they were very helpful with us.

It just seems that, while the g is a nice interior, it is trying to be too 'hip' and 'cool' in a setting that does not suit it. If you ever look at it from Lough Atalia road, mainly during the summer, it stands out like a sore thumb.

Glaring neon lights, that bizzare upside down glass christmas tree they have dangling from the roof, and the movies they sometimes beam against the glass. It just doesn't sit with the horizon.

sensitive_soul

galvianlord wrote: »

God, there are so many negative comments about the place in this post! You have to wonder what it is about the g that gets to people so much.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/VideoGallery-g186609-d548446-i17073315-The_g-Galway_County_Galway_Western_Ireland.html

To start,...me and my friends could be quite classy girls, now we wear Brown Thomas gear and all respectable-now wearing BT's doesnt make u respectable I mean any aul sharon can wear Moschino........what I mean to say, is that Im not the vero moda/swamp/a-Look kinda gal.....take pride in my wardrobe..... ANYWAY....... When we go in there for drinkies.... the reception staff look at you as much to say 'what are you doing!!! you cant go in there, or they come up to you asif to say , oh you're in the wrong place......retards...

overpricing coffee when its not really coffee at all put filtered rubbish.

I've never seen it full of people.

SimpleSam06

WildIrishRose wrote: »

If the owner's of the Monogram group could read these messages.... i wonder what they would say! heehee

If they sign up, we'll find out. People are entitled to express any opinion they like, so long as it is just an opinion.

The G as far as I can see was built to cater to the tiger cubs, the nouveau riche of the boom years. Unashamed luxury, ostentatious decor, all the trappings of high fashion. I think what gets on the tits of many people is that its in a small town in the west of Ireland, and feel that it might be more at home somewhere like New York or Paris. Also the entire affair smacks more than a little of crass pretention. People would have been a lot more forgiving if it hadn't such an atmosphere of lurid snobbishness about it. It seems to draw a neon line between the haves and the have nots, and to a small town that is just not acceptable.

But of course, it was designed that way for the market segment that would be drawn to it, the people you see rolling around in 07 SUVs that they mortgaged the parents house for. The nouveau riche, or more to the point, the nouveau up to their arses in debt. The "haves" in this case are actually the "owes".

For what its worth, I don't think its an experiment that is sustainable. The "celtic tiger" is dying, and this country along with many others in the first world are being drawn into a serious recessionary period. This means people will spend less, and luxuries will be cut back on. The tiger cubs will spend the next twenty years battling to pay off their debts, and places like the G will be among the first casualties of that process.

LittleGoblin

I've gone into the G quite a few times on a Sat evening for cocktails. Honestly, I havent found anywhere decent in Galway for cocktails so I'm prepared to pay the price. Its about 11 or 12E and they are good.

I would have to disagree with people who have complained about the service and attitude. I have always found the floor staff to be amazing - and never encountered any snobbyness! We are all ex-arts student types, and I never get dressed up to go there. Usually wear jeans and teeshirts out, and I have never felt looked down upon in there. Lots of their other guests might be very well turned out but I have never felt like any of the staff made any difference.

We haven't always been able to get a seat, but usually eventually you will get someone - so I can't say I have ever seen it deserted. I always got the impression that other guests were generally there for a special occasion and to enjoy themselves, so was never made to feel uncomfortable.

p.s we are not noveau riche posh types... and they let you in with jeans that are all ripped at the bottom. I have never bought anything in Brown Thomas, and I am certainly not a classy girl (wannabe archaeologist) I actually find the Brown Thomas staff more intimidating and 'looking down their nose' types than those in the G.

On the other hand, I did nearly walk into the wall coming in through the back door - theres no lights... the floors, walls and ceilings are all back... and theres a corner in the corridor!

Sponge Bob

galvianlord wrote: »

would like to throw out there that these rumours came about when a new hotel opened in Galway and began to go after all our business...partic for race week.

The new hotel evidently TOLD the taxi drivers who were spreading this rumour first ...back in July just before race week I first heard it from a taximan .

I feel personally that the G is overall about a 3.7 star hotel, certainly not 5 on any international scale....nearly a 4 in my opinion.

galvianlord

Thought it might be best to give a neutral opinion on the same, so from this year's well-respected Bridgestone Guide:


"Amidst all the hype that happens when starchitects and handbag designers bestow design award after design award on the G,it’s nice to get back to reality, and to note that in their Riva restaurant they name check their principal specialist suppliers, and that amongst those suppliers are Western luminaries such as Sheridan’s cheese mongers and butcher James McGeough of Oughterard.

Serious people, who do not own silly handbags. Phew!The G is wickedly fine, and has what we reckon are the best bedrooms of any hotel we have ever stayed in. It’s location is awful, but that doesn’t matter, because this is an ocean liner of an hotel: you enter, and you don’t leave. It is a world unto itself, albeit a pricey one, but what distinguishes the G is how comfortable it is. Other boutique hotels that have come along after have been disasters in terms of offering comfort, but The G is very comfortable, in a lurid, Bjorkish sort of way. Bjorkish: that’s just the term for what they have achieved here: smart, funny, loud, skilful, daring, post-modern, punky."

Galwaytech

I have to say that what I really think of people who bash something that is successful is just pure jealousy. The hotels the group owns are busy and doing well. In fact they are doing very well. The rumours of the g closing, being used for something else or moving or any other rumours are just that, rumours.

People on the outside of any business do not actually know what is going on inside the business and therfore make asumptions or just pass comment to someone who takes it as gospel and passes that comment on to someone else as a fact. (Taxi Drivers etc)

A rumor or rumour, is "an unverified account or explanation of events circulating from person to person and pertaining to an object, event, or issue in public concern"

The fact is that the hat show put on by Philip Treacy for Gerry Barrett was a total success on what the g is. Pure glamour. Maybe locals do not like the fact that such a great hotel is in their town but I can't see why.

Let me also put straight the fact that a 5* hotel must have a pool and leisure facilities. This is NOT TRUE! A 5* hotel has to attain a standard of service and the g has attained a 5* standard. It makes no difference of location you could open a 5* hotel in any run down area or top notch area, the standard or service is what counts.

It is possible to go in to any hotel resturaunt on consecutive days and receive a meal that is perfectly acceptable to the price, and, on rare occasions, the meal standard is let down by something small. People always remember when something is wrong but rarely remember when something is right. The same can be said for the g restaurant, Riva. The standard of meals served there is very high and anyone having a meal in there lately will say the standard has risen to a new high because of the new chef. Try it out, you can eat and drink in Riva cheaper than a meal in the Huntsman opposite. This is not a slur on the Huntsman, just an observation.

The final fact is pricing in the g. A hotel charges more for drink than a regular bar because of the higher running costs. This is the case for all hotels in Ireland or even the world over. I have been in to hotels in Dublin that charge €7.50 for a pint of Guiness. The g charges €4.85 for a pint of Guiness. Can you get a pint cheaper in Galway.... Yes of course you can. Can you drink a pint of Guiness in better surroundings.... Yes of course you can because it's down to personal taste. Can you drink a pint of Guiness in a 5* hotel anywhere else in the city.... No as the only other 5* property in the near location is the wonderful Glenlo Abbey. (And they charge €4.20 for a pint)

To finish, the g isn't going anywhere soon. If you've not been, try it so that you can say you have and then give an honest opinion. Not everyone will like it, as peoples tastes are different. None of the staff are "Snooty" beleive me I know enough of them and they are all down to earth people just like you and me. If you don't like the g, well then that's fine as nobody makes you go there. The hotel is open to all, in whatever dress code you desire. I have seen 2 workmen pull up on the drive, in dirty work clothes and go in for a drink. Nobody stopped them and nobody looked down their noses at them. The concierge still parked their van for them until they were ready to leave.

Long live the g, and the group.

galvianlord

Galwaytech, needless to say I totally agree! The whole thing smacks of good ol' Irish begrudgery!

On reflection there is also a degree of inverted snobbery....

Galway is thought of as a bohemian city, where the alternative is welcomed! A city of pubs and music and the arts. This comes from it being such a young and vibrant city with a hefty student population to maintain this dynamic. To be alternative in Galway is a badge of honour. Now that's all well and good, but when people take that to an extreme and knock anything like the g for being pretentious are they not just saying that it does not conform to their own view of the city....it smacks of hypocrisy in that you can be unconformist only if youre a certain type, as long as it's our type!

The G does not conform to the common Irish view of a hotel, but by god it certainly stands on its feet internationally. Maybe that's why the rumours took wing, as competitors were frightened by its success and drawing power.

And all created by a man from Abbeygate St and Philip Treacy one of the most unconformist designers to come out of Galway let alone Ireland and a product of my alma mater, the RTC.

One would think it would be welcomed with open arms.....

Krieg

Nice post Galwaytech, but now I must ask, How long have you been working there?

Galwaytech wrote: »

Let me also put straight the fact that a 5* hotel must have a pool and leisure facilities. This is NOT TRUE! A 5* hotel has to attain a standard of service and the g has attained a 5* standard. It makes no difference of location you could open a 5* hotel in any run down area or top notch area, the standard or service is what counts.

Are you sure thats true? AFAIK there is no international standard rating therefore every country has its own guidelines on how a hotel is rated and generally the extra facilities are required to be a 5 star+
But im guessing that the irish rating system does not require the extra facilities and as you say, its based on the "standard or service"

Robbo

Pass the (posh) sick bag and deliver us from misplaced and mawkish PR efforts.

galvianlord

nothing good to say at all then....oh well doesnt really surprise me....misplaced and mawkish.....jeez, i think i my point stands.

Galwaytech

Asbad wrote: »

Nice post Galwaytech, but now I must ask, How long have you been working there?



Are you sure thats true? AFAIK there is no international standard rating therefore every country has its own guidelines on how a hotel is rated and generally the extra facilities are required to be a 5 star+
But im guessing that the irish rating system does not require the extra facilities and as you say, its based on the "standard or service"

Lets us look at internationally recognised 5* hotels. The Dorchester on London’s Park Lane. One of the MOST prestigious hotels in London or the entire UK. It has the upmost standards but does NOT have a swimming pool. Like the g in Galway, it has a thermal suite, a pool to relax in.

The Waldorf Astoria in mid town New York. One of the finest 5* hotels in New York. Does NOT have a swimming pool.

Do I need to go on??? 5*s are NOT about amenities but about the standard of service to the guest. It's something that might be a little alien here, but believe it or not, a 5* guest doesn't always want a swimming pool.

PS, I've been associated with the group since the beginning, if that matters here.

Fey!

You two have spent a lot of time defending the G. You keep saying about how good the rooms are and how friendly the staff are - both points which some of us had already made.

As for the amenities needed for the 5 star rating, I had always understood that there were certain requirements. Obviously I was wrong. However, one part of this which was ignored was the requirement for the premises to be operational for 12 months prior to being rated in order to show their service level, while the G rated itself as 5 star from it's opening day. Is this right or wrong.

By the way, the star rating system seems to vary according to country and according to company doing the rating.

While I feel that it's a good thing for two people (or at least two boards accounts) from the same company should fight their corner, ye are a little bit on the agressive side. A lot of us like to see local business' doing well; it's a sign that the city isn't completely dead while we're being talked into a recession by the economists. That said, some people have said that, as a personal opinion, they don't like the G, or that they don't feel it's up to the standards of other hotels within the same group.

Also, you don't seem to want to accept that the restaurant has had a lot of disappointed customers; perhaps the issues it have now been ironed out, but it earned it's reputation very quickly.

galvianlord

I dont mean to come across as agressive, just havin a philosophical discussion about the merits of the argument! So first and foremost if anyone has taken offence, none was intended. If I defend it, it was only in the interests of balance.

We could have had an entire thread of people knocking the hotel and its achievements, or we could have one which sought both sides of the story. I have noted that everyone is entitled to their opinion, but in my favour I think any reasonable person here would see that there were much more snide/agressive posts knocking the place- some by people who have not even experienced the place - than any of mine which defended it?!

I may be idealistic but that's what I sought to do by arguing in favour of the hotel which I must point out I do not work in although I am employed by Monogram. On the restaurant I'll leave the bridgestone review of the past few weeks to speak for that. I feel i am gettin enough to trouble...

PS Just noticed the two board accounts comment...not gonna bite....I'm afraid it's must be just two like minded individuals! IP addresses can be checked methinks

Galwaytech

Fey! wrote: »

As for the amenities needed for the 5 star rating, I had always understood that there were certain requirements. Obviously I was wrong. However, one part of this which was ignored was the requirement for the premises to be operational for 12 months prior to being rated in order to show their service level, while the G rated itself as 5 star from it's opening day. Is this right or wrong.

Fey, you are totally right in what you are saying. There are differences in certain ways the AA or other groups rate the hotels, and you are also right in the fact that there isn't any real international standards group. There are recognised industry standards and this is where my infomation is coming from.

I am also not trying to be agressive, I am trying to defend something I find quite amazing.

On your other point, a hotel has the option of rating themselves for the first 12 months. It is important that the hotel rates itself according to the standard it wants to acheive. If a 3* hotel opens and says it's 5* then all it will do is loose face after the first 12 months when a true rating is done. A hotel does not even have to publish it's rating but again not a good idea.

In my previous post I was trying to point out that hotels around the world can be 5* without the need for certain stereotypical items.

I have a passion for this group due to the way that it works and not many people get to see that which is a shame. It is also very very frustrating when people who don't know the whole story (or even some of it) start saying things like the g is closing or is moving etc. The only funny part is waiting to hear what the next rumour will be. I'm putting my money on the g becoming the first nuclear power plant here in Ireland, but please Fey, that's just between you and me :-)