If I had a few million to spend on a brand new Hotel, the old adage ..'location , location , location ..' would be my top priority.
So why on earths name was so much money wasted on locating a brand new Hotel right alongside and in between ,a very busy Dual -Carriageway , a very busy Round-about and a very busy Shopping Centre???

The issue with this review is not about its design /architecture, furniture ,fittings,etc etc , but is mainly to do with incessant traffic / noise pollution that even with good ear-plugs ,was inescapable through our ,(Thank God), one night stay.Even our few words to pass on our 'sleepless night grumble' when checking out, was hardly eased by Receptionist stating that on some nights Air traffic is apparantly another noise problem!

On some positive points: Bed as stated by other reviewer was very comfortable with easy parking another plus.Rooms standard 4* size but not biggest we have stayed in with basic and unexciting design of bathroom to left/right, bed, bureau table,tv, table /2 chairs etc..Plenty of shampoos,good quality towels etc.

Negatives,(besides location) :brown colourings are rampant throughout Hotel and to us a depressing colour scheme,Bathroom while 4* size could have done with a lot more cleaning in corners and behind toilet bowl and water pressure for shower was pretty poor.Extractor fan was not working.Video hire at €11.00 !! No biscuits with tea service.Excellent heavy curtains designed to minimise light intrusion was defeated by curtains not been wide nor long enough at top and sides therefore allowing Spotlights all over exterior of Hotel to flood room.Daft.

Breakfast was disappointing for supposed 4*. An extremely clever Bain-Marie high tech buffet table consisted of.......a fry! No smoked Salmon or any other expected 4* choices, nor even a Menu which is basic 4* service, to be found or offered.Why were 3-4 staff milling around 'scratching' and yet no table service? Tea/Coffee and toast is all that was delivered by staff.An awful waste of staff and customer service and care.I suppose this is the upper market breakfast trend of last few years but at same time, needless.!

For what we paid ,our offering consisted of sleep deprivation,poor breakfast and an overall disappointing impression of what should be a far better Hotel experience.Will not return for seconds but will be very interesting to see over time whether this establishment has a long term future given issues as discovered with our stay.

We stayed at the Clayton Hotel for one Saturday night on the 23rd Feb 2008 and our only regret was in the shortness of our stay. We had booked a room on the Executive floor and from parking at the hotel where impressed with the design and layout. Staff where very helpful and as soon as we reached our room we where more than delighted with our choice. The room was vast in size, very relaxing sitting area and beautiful bathroom. The bed is what dreams are made off, it was the most comfortable I have ever stayed in.

We had a young baby and before arriving phoned to ask for a cot, which was fully set up and dressed in our room on arrival. Overall our stay was more than relaxing and enjoyable. We ate in the bar on Saturday evening and breakfast in the main restaurant on Sunday morning. Bar menu is well priced and service was very good, starters where excellent and only let down by rather bland main course for all four in our group. Breakfast was a large buffet selection and was excellent in choice and layout.

Overall this is a great hotel and a great base to explore Galway and the surrounding areas. We hope to get back for a longer stay in the coming months and to enjoy that amazing bed.

The bar, restaurant and staff here are all very, very good. We stayed on a Saturday night at the start of December, when they also had an extra 500 people in the function room for christmas parties. However, the bar remained efficient, the staff very organised, and the restaurant was flawless. Hotel courtesy car took us into the city centre for Christmas shopping and bought us back when we were ready - a very nice touch indeed.


The main downside, apart from a chilly (as in cold, not unfriendly) reception, was the leisure centre. The hotel seems to have been built in two halves that the architect forgot to join. The leisure centre is in the bottom part of one half and poor signage can leave you baffled and lost. The centre itself was cold, soapless, shampooless and littered with wet towels. They don't supply any baskets for used towels. And the ladies changing room had no spare towels, so a long treck back to the bedroom was needed. Despite requesting extra towels for the bedroom at 4pm on the Saturday, they never turned up.

With a bit more attention to detail this hotel could be very good indeed. They have the staff, they have the ability. A bit more organisation would do the trick...

I stayed in the Clayton for three nights this month. Everything went perfectly.All the staff are all Irish which seems quite rare these days.We had a slight problem with checking in regarding the type of beds in the room and I noticed we were also put above the ball room and as there were Christmas parties taking place i asked if we could be put in the quietest room or floor possible. This was changed for us with no problems or issues and we really got what we asked for. The room was quiet, away from traffic within the hotel and spotlessly clean and fresh. Every thing you would need in a standard room was included.
We got room service on all three mornings and it was perfect.You get a quick call from reception to let you know room service is arriving in a minute or two so you can prepare yourself to answer the door.Each morning it arrived bang on time and our room was cleaned perflectly every day.
The restaurant was good. We ate there twice. On one of our nights we arrived back quite late but the chef delayed closing the restaurant by a few minutes for us so we could get a quick bite to eat. We had the seafood chowder and it was delicious.
Staff were so helpful in the bar and restaurant area which really does make you feel welcome and at ease.
We parked each night in the underground car park which seemed pretty secure and is accessible by a lift past reception.
The whole hotel itself was spotlessly clean and being a four star you would expect this high standard of cleanliness. I was not dissappointed in any aspect of my stay and would highly recommend this hotel to anybody.