i recently stayed here with my girlfriend as a surprise for her birthday, well what can i say form the moment we stepped through the door until we left it was such an experience. from the reception staff to the bar & restaurant staff everything was wonderful we could not have asked for more.
our room was superb, overlooking the square and just fab.
could not fault this hotel at all the staff were so helpful and friendly no matter how big or small our query was and always done with a smile.
WONDERFUL

We arrived at 10am reception very welcoming,car valet parked,porter named Kelvin very helpful and pleasant,Suite on top floor facing over Eyre Square was first class coffe lounge on 5th floor nothing special,service in bar and seating area very good
Restaurant was a joy ,the Maitre Di Peter was first class as was the service,the food was some of the best we experienced in a very long time,especially the Mackrel,Sea Truot,Kinvara lamb and the Steak could not complement the Chef(Malachy ??) enough,in fact asked to meet him to pass on our complements very nice man and he made some further recommendations for other meals,we stayed 4 nights and would highly recommend ,try for a front room and if you are a light sleeper bring some ear plugs as the city dosen't seem to sleep,wish we could have stayed longer Neil D&Wife

The only saving grace for this hotel is it s staff. The reception was hidden away to the right. it was very dark and jaded and worn out. Everything seemed to be painted black..

Our room was at the back right over the bus depot. Every morning we were woken up at 6.00am to the sound of the men shouting and the busses leaving the depot. The room was basic and the bathroom was small with cracked tiles around the bath. The grouting was mouldy.

We moved rooms on the 2nd night and we were given an executive room at the front of the building overlooking the park. It was much better, but the busses followed us and parked on the corner near the hotel waiting for passenger. The breakfast was the standard fare, the hot food was luke warm.

the hotel is in a great location central to everything. It was a grand old lady in her day and it is a pity that it has fallen into such a bad state.

We will not be returning EVER!

I don't think you can beat this hotel for location in Galway. If that's a priority for you, this may be the right choice. In addition, the valet parked our car for two days at no charge. We only ate in the bar in the basement where the food portion was quite good and the value was appropriate.
Upon check-in the desk person upgraded us to a junior suite. It was an excellent room, but on the 4th floor it rather oddly looks over the back of the bus station. Our corner windows were not on Eyre Square so there wasn't too much noise. The room was SO warm we had to ask for a fan (at which point the clerk said she'd try "but everyone is asking for one") and leave all the windows open. This worked fine, but leaving the windows open in the bathroom resulted in a significant diesel smell from the bus station.
The room was well-appointed, the tv picture clear, and the bathroom more than substantial. The only oddity is the bus station noise/smell, and a rather high price. We did receive an upgrade but had I paid our price and not received this upgrade, I would've thought it especially expensive.