I really want to write a balanced review of our stay so I'll summarise the key points as follows:

PROs:
New Hotel with stylish furnishings
Food at "The West" restaurant, & Service was very good
Massage & Spa treatments were excellent
Staff very friendly and helpful

CONs:
Noisey; with most rooms sharing an entrance hall way which bangs all night long
Many rooms face onto a busy road and walls paper thin
Bathrooms too small ( and we stayed in a suite! )
Barna feels a bit too plastic now...not at all authentic

Would I stay here again...probably not.

Just returned from a 2 night stay in The Twelve. Lovely hotel, friendly staff and fine food and wine. We had a standard room which had everything you would want for a comfortable stay.
Unfortunately the hotel is very noisy at night. We stayed in the bar til around 12 and when we went to our room we couldn't sleep a wink between the piped music and a group of giggly girls sitting outside shrieking like hyenas. We complained about the music which was lowered but sadly the "hyenas" had no volume control. We eventually requested to be moved and the staff were more than helpful and moved us to a suite. The suite unfortunately was beside a road so there was a constant stream of traffic. We said nothing though as it was much quieter than the first room.
The suite was spacious but quite average. I have stayed in far superior suites. It had a bar and I could't help but feel
that the space should have been used better. The bathroom was absolutely tiny. Personally if I was to return I would book a standard room.
The food in The Pins was very good and the service was excellent. My only other issue would be that when you book a package as we did, 2 B&B 1 dinner. The dinner is actually pub food in the restaurant or a E20 supplement in the restaurant. I think they should have a set menu for guests. I've never stayed in a 4 star hotel in ireland and expected to have pub grub.
In saying that it was a very pleasant stay and maybe I will return some day.

This "old" hotel is central to the total gutting and rebuilding of the once-charming town of Barna. It sits on the site of The Twelve Pins Hotel (which is how it gets its name), which was a nice little bar/restaurant with an outdoor picnic area and plain, reliable bar food. A good pint. A part of Old Barna. This is glossy, pseudo-authentic, and should be heartbreaking to anyone who knew the old town. If you're looking for an Irish experience that is pre-Celtic Tiger, this isn't it. It's part of the mindless gentrification of Ireland and, although there is nothing wrong with the accommodation itself, I urge first-time visitors to consider patronizing the pubs, restaurants, and hotels that are truly traditional. Go a little further down the road to Spiddal, perhaps.

We stayed at the twelve hotel for a two night midweek break in April 2008.

The hotel itself is very stylish, very clean and very comfortable. The rooms are decorated in a modern fashion and to a very, very high standard.

Food at the hotel is top notch. The main restaurant is outstanding (although the staff could be a little more attentive). The bar which also serves food provides a very comfortable and relaxed experience with top notch food for a very reasonable price (and more attentive staff).

This hotel provides serious value for money especially for a midweek break. If I were visiting Galway again I would certainly stay at the twelve.

It is worth noting that this hotel is not actually in Galway, it is situated in a small village about a ten minute drive away. This is not much of a problem if you have a car but failing that I am not sure how good the public transport is. In the village there is not much else but the twelve does provide everything you could want.