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Zombie Hotel weekends as radio competition prizes.

  • 24-09-2013 08:05PM
    #1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,549 ✭✭✭✭


    Newstalk & Today FM's love affair with Zombie Hotels continues apace..every time that Matt Cooper or George Hook run a competition it's inevitably for one of these 'roundabout view' Soviet architecture hospital hotels. A feature common to most of them is their failure to operate to a standard befitting a country with aspirations to having a tourist industry. Two of the current favourites as competition prizes are the McWilliam Park Hotel (Claremorris) and the Glasshouse Hotel in Sligo. As a contributor to TripAdvisor myself I always head there after the latest prize competition is read out.

    The McWilliam Park which has 260 reviews has almost 30% of respondents rating it Average/Terrible with 70% rating it Very Good/Excellent.

    While the recently opened (2007) Glasshouse Hotel in Sligo fares slightly worse again from a larger pool of 672 reviews. Reading the reviews would put one off ever setting foot in either venue.

    The glowing advertorials read out by the Newstalk/Today FM presenters would lead you to believe that they are talking from personal experience of these hotels. Anyway, you have been warned by an insider. :D

    Veering off topic in the interest of fairness to the Zombie Hotels, some of the older hotels fare little better or even worse in some instances! The former Great Southern Hotel, adjacent to Sligo Station, has an incredible dissatisfaction record of 50% of the respondents. It strikes me as long overdue that many of these Fawlty Towers operators lost their ratings.


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Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,351 ✭✭✭NegativeCreep


    In fairness, the contributors on TripAdvisor come across as miserable feckers most of the time. A lot of grand places get awful reviews.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 9,533 ✭✭✭SV


    Tripadvisor, the place where everyone goes if they've had a bad experience and very rarely people will go if they've had a good experience.
    That's why these hotel ratings and review sites are always so harsh.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,549 ✭✭✭✭Judgement Day


    SV wrote: »
    Tripadvisor, the place where everyone goes if they've had a bad experience and very rarely people will go if they've had a good experience.
    That's why these hotel ratings and review sites are always so harsh.

    Patently untrue as in most cases the majority of reviews are positive - even in the case of the McWilliam Park. Also, for every negative review there's probably far more people who give out about their experiences to their friends rather than post on TripAdvisor.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 20,299 ✭✭✭✭MadsL


    I don't give a damn about what private radio stations do as advertorials.

    I do give a damn that the Irish Govt despite having gotten out of the hotel business with selling off CIE hotels, now appears, via NAMA, to be intent on running zombie hotels at a loss "until the market picks up". Seriously, wtf? If I owned a profitable hotel business I would be livid.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 33,779 ✭✭✭✭Princess Consuela Bananahammock


    Newstalk & Today FM's love affair with Zombie Hotels continues apace..every time that Matt Cooper or George Hook run a competition it's inevitably for one of these 'roundabout view' Soviet architecture hospital hotels. A feature common to most of them is their failure to operate to a standard befitting a country with aspirations to having a tourist industry. Two of the current favourites as competition prizes are the McWilliam Park Hotel (Claremorris) and the Glasshouse Hotel in Sligo. As a contributor to TripAdvisor myself I always head there after the latest prize competition is read out.

    The McWilliam Park which has 260 reviews has almost 30% of respondents rating it Average/Terrible with 70% rating it Very Good/Excellent.

    While the recently opened (2007) Glasshouse Hotel in Sligo fares slightly worse again from a larger pool of 672 reviews. Reading the reviews would put one off ever setting foot in either venue.

    The glowing advertorials read out by the Newstalk/Today FM presenters would lead you to believe that they are talking from personal experience of these hotels. Anyway, you have been warned by an insider. :D

    Veering off topic in the interest of fairness to the Zombie Hotels, some of the older hotels fare little better or even worse in some instances! The former Great Southern Hotel, adjacent to Sligo Station, has an incredible dissatisfaction record of 50% of the respondents. It strikes me as long overdue that many of these Fawlty Towers operators lost their ratings.

    The two hotels you mention get scores of 8.5 and 8.7 out of ten respectively on booking.com, so they seem at the very least good places to stay.

    Beyond that, not sure what you'er getting at? I'd be happy to stay at either if I won and I'm not sure of what you mean by the phrase "zombie hotes"...?

    Are you tryign to vent a personal grudge against someone here?

    Everything I don't like is either woke or fascist - possibly both - pick one.



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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,549 ✭✭✭✭Judgement Day


    MadsL wrote: »
    I don't give a damn about what private radio stations do as advertorials.

    I do give a damn that the Irish Govt despite having gotten out of the hotel business with selling off CIE hotels, now appears, via NAMA, to be intent on running zombie hotels at a loss "until the market picks up". Seriously, wtf? If I owned a profitable hotel business I would be livid.

    Whatever happened to this http://www.businessandleadership.com/news/item/17459-25pc-of-irish-hotel-rooms-m - gathering dust like so many other reports I suppose.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,549 ✭✭✭✭Judgement Day


    The two hotels you mention get scores of 8.5 and 8.7 out of ten respectively on booking.com, so they seem at the very least good places to stay.

    Beyond that, not sure what you'er getting at? I'd be happy to stay at either if I won and I'm not sure of what you mean by the phrase "zombie hotes"...?

    Are you tryign to vent a personal grudge against someone here?

    I don't where you're getting that from. :rolleyes: Incidentally, I just took a look at the McWilliam Park on booking.com - a far smaller number of reviews and a very eccentric way of displaying results which does not impress.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,971 ✭✭✭Orim


    Thread title disappoints.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 20,299 ✭✭✭✭MadsL


    Orim wrote: »
    Thread title disappoints.

    You would have thought someone would have cashed in on that concept by now.

    Few pints in the Winchester and wait for it all to blow over.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,889 ✭✭✭✭For Forks Sake


    it's inevitably for one of these 'roundabout view' Soviet architecture hospital hotels.

    While the recently opened (2007) Glasshouse Hotel in Sligo fares slightly worse again from a larger pool of 672 reviews. Reading the reviews would put one off ever setting foot in either venue.

    :confused:

    View from the bar of the Glasshouse in Sligo : http://i0.bookcdn.com/data/Photos/OriginalPhoto/60/6077/6077019/Glasshouse-Hotel-photos-Interior-Hotel-information.JPEG


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 245 ✭✭Syndic


    Orim wrote: »
    Thread title disappoints.

    Agree.

    Clicked on this thread thinking I would be signing myself up for a zombie apocalypse experience type thing in the very near future. Gutted.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,549 ✭✭✭✭Judgement Day


    Just checked the Best Western Southern Hotel (formerly Great Southern Sligo) on Booking.com - 50% dissatisfaction on TripAdvisor and an 8.5 rating on Booking.com - now that's what I call interesting.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 33,779 ✭✭✭✭Princess Consuela Bananahammock


    I don't where you're getting that from. :rolleyes: Incidentally, I just took a look at the McWilliam Park on booking.com - a far smaller number of reviews and a very eccentric way of displaying results which does not impress.

    Your opening post has a sense of you makign an effort to deride something, without actually being clear as to what.

    Your start off against the radio stations for offeringf what you appear to consider sub-standard prizes.

    You then have a go at the two hotels in question: refering to them as "Soviet architecture hospital hotels" - wtf is THAT based on? Have you ever stayed there?

    As to you being an insider: what ts that based on? An insider to what? Tripadvosr? What exactly is your claim to be an "insider" based on?

    And you still haven't told me what you mean by zombie hotel or why the hotels you mention qualify to be so.

    I use booking.com a lot and have stayed in dozens of places in various countries, both good and bad, and the reviews, while maybe not as numerous, are certainly accurate.

    Everything I don't like is either woke or fascist - possibly both - pick one.



  • Posts: 168 ✭✭ [Deleted User]


    My idea of hell is a weekend staying in a wedding hotel.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,889 ✭✭✭✭For Forks Sake


    Just checked the Best Western Southern Hotel (formerly Great Southern Sligo) on Booking.com - 50% dissatisfaction on TripAdvisor and an 8.5 rating on Booking.com - now that's what I call interesting.

    That hotel has been let go downhill steadily over the last number of years. McEniff has put no money into it at all. It's only selling point is the location next door to the train station (as with all former Great Southern hotels).


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,549 ✭✭✭✭Judgement Day



    I take your point on that one - the hotel is of Zombie construction, fit-out and style of operation but location is good. Most of the reviews, even the bad ones, praise the location. In general the true Zombie Hotels are located overlooking roundabouts or some equally exotic feature - the former Quality Hotel (now Maldron) at Wexford N11 roundabout is a good example.

    https://maps.google.ie/maps?ie=UTF-8&q=Maldron+Hotel&fb=1&gl=ie&hq=maldron+hotel+wexford&cid=0,0,9287159467000516577&ei=o_FBUqGfJciN7QbJioHADw&ved=0CKsBEPwSMA0


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,549 ✭✭✭✭Judgement Day


    That hotel has been let go downhill steadily over the last number of years. McEniff has put no money into it at all. It's only selling point is the location next door to the train station (as with all former Great Southern hotels).

    He picked it up cheaply too along with the Bundoran GS Hotel when the first wave of GS Hotels were sold for a song in the 1970s. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_McEniff

    It's great to see what hard work and being a party member can achieve.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 795 ✭✭✭Gokei


    I work in abbotts, elanco and fas. Ive lost count of the amount of times I've stayed in the Glasshouse. Im yet to have a bad thing to say about it.

    What is wrong with it in your opinion op?
    Without using the word zombie.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,549 ✭✭✭✭Judgement Day


    Gokei wrote: »
    I work in abbotts, elanco and fas. Ive lost count of the amount of times I've stayed in the Glasshouse. Im yet to have a bad thing to say about it.

    What is wrong with it in your opinion op?
    Without using the word zombie.

    I made no claim to ever having been to the Glasshouse and if you read my OP you will see that I'm highlighting the fact that most prizes offered by the two radio stations concerned are for hotels that have far from satisfactory ratings. Would you be happy if you operated a business where you had 30% dissatisfaction from customers?

    As for not having a bad thing to say about the Glasshouse - fine - but what do you say about those 30% or so of respondents on TripAdvisor that had a different experience? Just a load of moaning minnies I suppose.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 20,299 ✭✭✭✭MadsL


    Hold on, neither of these hotels are owned by NAMA?

    In what sense are they "Zombie hotels"?


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 14,142 ✭✭✭✭fits


    I have stayed in both hotels and they are not comparable to each other.

    The Claremorris one is pretty much on a roundabout, and I didnt think was deserving of four stars. Pretty soulless spot.

    The Glasshouse on the other hand, is right in the middle of Sligo and is pretty swish. I think the room I had was the fanciest I have ever stayed in with panoramic views of Sligo and the mountains beyond. Decent breakfast too. the reception could do with a new carpet but outside of that, its a decent spot. I'd take a free weekend away there, no problem.

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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,221 ✭✭✭NuckingFacker


    I don't mind zombie hotels, but I hate it when the zombie waiters let bits of their skin fall in my soup. Puts me right off.


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 23,255 Mod ✭✭✭✭godtabh


    I've been to the Glasshoue many times really like it. Never heard it once on Matt Copper as a competition


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,043 ✭✭✭MurdyWurdy


    Can someone tell me what a zombie hotel is? I was thinking it was hotels offering weekends pretending to evade zombies during an apocalypse. I was all set to run for my credit card and get it booked!


  • Posts: 6,321 ✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    De fuq is the OP talking about..?? :D


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,549 ✭✭✭✭Judgement Day


    Your opening post has a sense of you makign an effort to deride something, without actually being clear as to what.

    Your start off against the radio stations for offeringf what you appear to consider sub-standard prizes.

    You then have a go at the two hotels in question: refering to them as "Soviet architecture hospital hotels" - wtf is THAT based on? Have you ever stayed there?

    As to you being an insider: what ts that based on? An insider to what? Tripadvosr? What exactly is your claim to be an "insider" based on?

    And you still haven't told me what you mean by zombie hotel or why the hotels you mention qualify to be so.

    I use booking.com a lot and have stayed in dozens of places in various countries, both good and bad, and the reviews, while maybe not as numerous, are certainly accurate.

    On mature reflection after reading my OP I can see why my use of the "insider" word has thrown you - I meant an insider who has worked in the Zombie hotel industry. I know nothing of either of these hotels save what I have read on TripAdvisor and have used to illustrate my point as they are the current favourites on Newstalk/Today FM.

    Zombie hotels - is there a definition. My own interpretation of the term is hotels built in inappropriate locations, with tax incentives, by people with little or no experience of the hotel trade. They then proceeded to operate them with poor management and as much foreign labour as they could get away with. The architectural 'style' speaks for itself - they either look like Soviet apartment blocks, hospitals or shopping centre - were probably designed by quantity surveyors rather than architects...

    Surprisingly, I too have travelled widely and stayed at hotels in many different countries but have never felt the need to book through any third party agency. These days I would be reluctant to stay in any hotel as I find the standard of good guesthouses far more acceptable. You're also less likely to be eating breakfast cooked hours before you're awake and then reheated as required. There are also unlikely to be drunks shouting and roaring outside your guesthouse/B+B.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,221 ✭✭✭NuckingFacker


    Jake1 wrote: »
    De fuq is the OP talking about..?? :D
    Zombie hotel apocalypse. It's all the rage on the radio it seems, or somthing. He's an insider, must be immune. I did always wonder why some receptionists were so dull and stilted looking. This explains a lot.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,549 ✭✭✭✭Judgement Day


    godtabh wrote: »
    I've been to the Glasshoue many times really like it. Never heard it once on Matt Copper as a competition

    I didn't specify Matt Cooper in relation to the Glasshouse - it was Hook's prize this evening.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 33,779 ✭✭✭✭Princess Consuela Bananahammock


    On mature reflection after reading my OP I can see why my use of the "insider" word has thrown you - I meant an insider who has worked in the Zombie hotel industry. I know nothing of either of these hotels save what I have read on TripAdvisor and have used to illustrate my point as they are the current favourites on Newstalk/Today FM.

    Zombie hotels - is there a definition. My own interpretation of the term is hotels built in inappropriate locations, with tax incentives, by people with little or no experience of the hotel trade. They then proceeded to operate them with poor management and as much foreign labour as they could get away with. The architectural 'style' speaks for itself - they either look like Soviet apartment blocks, hospitals or shopping centre - were probably designed by quantity surveyors rather than architects...

    Surprisingly, I too have travelled widely and stayed at hotels in many different countries but have never felt the need to book through any third party agency. These days I would be reluctant to stay in any hotel as I find the standard of good guesthouses far more acceptable. You're also less likely to be eating breakfast cooked hours before you're awake and then reheated as required. There are also unlikely to be drunks shouting and roaring outside your guesthouse/B+B.

    I still can not see where you make the connections to either zombies or Soveit apartment blocks. First requies a more approriate defintion; second a more appropriate comparison! Sounds like you're using these phrases simply because they sound dramatic rather than to paint any accurate picture.

    How can you call either hotel if you've never stayed at it? Saying a hotel is bad or didn't meet you standards in on online review is one thing, but did the reviews actually portray them as you do?

    Everything I don't like is either woke or fascist - possibly both - pick one.



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 457 ✭✭Scarlet42


    Have never stayed in The Glasshouse. . But have been in it loads of times. Have had great food in the restaurant and great nights in the bar. . The setting and location of the hotel is excellent and it looked class all in Green for St Patricks day last year.. would love to stay in one of those rooms overlooking the River Garavogue.. especially when the water is really gushing...to the waters and the wild! .. not a roundabout in sight!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1k4uK1vjzI


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