With Trip Advisor stellar reviews and a reasonable nightly rate on Hotels.com, I booked two rooms at the Holiday Inn Express Dublin City Centre for our thee days of exploring Dublin. This was my second stay in Dublin and while I’ll leave it unnamed, I knew I didn’t want to return to the hotel I stayed in on my last visit.

The rooms had been booked via Hotels.com for a cash rate of €85 per night and for a hotel that’s in the top 10 on TripAdvisor in Dublin, I’d say this was a very good rate. Plus the fairly central location and the recent renovation of the entire property had great appeal at the time of booking.

Overall Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars
Location: 4 of 5 Stars
Service: 5 of 5 Stars
Comfort: 5 of 5 Stars
Cleanliness: 5 of 5 Stars

The hotel was newly renovated in 2016 and the property shines with it’s fresh update. The rooms are well appointed and the ground floor features a large breakfast buffet area, a night time bar with a variety of beers, and lots of comfy seating.

Location

Located the north side of the River Liffey, the Holiday Inn Express Dublin City Centre is on Upper O’Connell Street in the city centre (as the name implies). The location is decently convenient but it’s a long walk to many of the main attractions on the south side of the Liffey.  Relative to location, my only dislike being the lack of good restaurants close to the hotel. You need to walk several blocks to get away from the most touristic restaurants and fast food on Upper O’Connell Street.

But one of the reasons I selected this hotel was due to it’s location right next to the 747 Airlink bus to Dublin Airport. We had a rental car for the majority of our trip in Ireland but returned it once we had arrived back in Dublin. We’d be using the 747 Airlink bus to get to and from Dublin Airport.

Service

Service was very good overall at the Holiday Inn Express Dublin City Centre. There was always lots of staff at the front desk so a helpful staff member was always accessible. Check-in was easy and even though official check-in time is 3 PM, we were able to access our rooms at 2 PM on arrival.

But one of my favorite things about the Holiday Inn Express Dublin City Centre was the complimentary full breakfast buffet and the friendliness of the breakfast room staff. Most breakfasts this robust require a surcharge but like many Holiday Inn Express properties, the breakfast was included in the standard nightly rate.

Each morning, the staff was full of smiles and chatter. My Dad loves to talk to any strangers and he enjoyed a morning conversation with the folks at the Holiday Inn Express Dublin City Centre.

Comfort

Everything in the Holiday Inn Express Dublin City Centre was remodeled from the ground up and the rooms are certainly no exception. Our rooms were at the long corridor on the second floor but I think the walk was worth the extra quiet and a nice view out onto the adjacent street. The double room was tastefully modern; well-appointed with some nice amenities.

The double bed had fresh, cozy linens and small bedside shelves with plenty of power ports, USB outlets, and bedside lighting. There were two small storage areas with a small nook for the iron and ironing board and an open coat storage area where the in-room safe was located. The bathroom was spacious with a roomy walk-in shower. I loved the full-sized Dove body wash in the shower and hand soap on the counter. The towels were plush and soft.

The room climate was comfortable and I loved the spacious windows overlooking the city streets below. The room was well thought out and the modern decor was stylish but comfortable.

Cleanliness

If you’ve read any of my previous reviews, you know that cleanliness is very important to me and the Holiday Inn Express Dublin City Centre didn’t let me down. Everything in the room was near spotless and the bathroom was sparkling clean.

Final Verdict

Overall, the Holiday Inn Express Dublin City Centre is a winner in my book. The reasonable rate, the central location, and modern style all added up to a nice experience. I am not necessarily a huge IHG property follower but I do appreciate a consistent experience that the majority of their hotel properties offer. While the location isn’t perfect for my preference, it’s an all-around great choice in Dublin.