Lapps Quay, Cork, Ireland | (618) 248-8274
Close to the city center, public transportation, and
restaurants
Modern rooms with mini-fridges, some with balconies and river views
Indoor heated pool, children’s pool, and hot tub
Asian restaurant and a lounge with light meals
Afternoon tea service and 24-hour room service
Well-stocked gym with an aerobics
studio
Spa offers beauty treatments, sauna, and steam room
Seven fully equipped meeting rooms, plus public computer
Full-Irish breakfast served daily (for a fee)
Kids' club and events offered around holidays
Free Wi-Fi throughout
Discounted rates for underground parking garage
Fee for parking and breakfast
Complaints about cleanliness and heating/AC problems
Restaurant food is reportedly mediocre
Swimming caps required for the pool
The Clarion Hotel Cork is a centrally located four-pearl
property that’s popular with business travelers and tourists alike. The 198 rooms are contemporary, though a little dated in style, and they're well-equipped with flat-screen TVs, Nespresso coffeemakers, and
mini-fridges. Hotel highlights include an Asian restaurant and bar, a large
fitness center, an indoor pool, and a children’s pool, meeting spaces, and a spa.
However, parking and breakfast cost extra. The nearby River Lee Hotel is a comparable property and offers free parking.
Disclaimer: This content was accurate at the time the hotel was reviewed. Please check our partner sites when booking to verify that details are still correct.
Scene
Modern hotel with an impersonal vibe that attracts business and leisure travelers alike
Housed in a building made of stone and
glass, the Clarion Hotel Cork, built in 2005, looks a little impersonal from
the outside. However, the interiors are considerably more pleasant, with floor-to-ceiling windows that brighten the lobby and three navy
front desks, glossy floors, and armchairs clustered on printed rugs that provide
modern touches. The best style feature of the hotel is the Atrium Lounge, a
large square area lit by an expansive skylight and accented with modern
furnishings in green, orange, and navy blue hues, gray leaf-printed carpet, and
gold hanging globes. Other funky elements to the Atrium include a large
egg-shaped pod that seats up to four and an area with floors
covered in turf grass and multiple flat-screen TVs clustered on the wall. In
contrast, the on-site Kudos Restaurant and bar has a streamlined look, with
red and green chairs and wooden tables. The
property is generally busy and though the main clientele are couples, it also gets plenty of business travelers and vacationing families.
Location
Located on River Lee and within walking distance of the city center and transportation
The Clarion Hotel Cork is
located on the banks of River Lee and is within easy walking distance of the
city center. There are multiple dining options and shopping on St. Patrick’s
Street, a six-minute walk away. It takes nine minutes to reach the English
Market on foot. There's a bus stop a
two-minute walk from the hotel, and Cork Kent Train Station is 12 minutes away on
foot. As for the surrounding area, Blackrock Castle Observatory is a 12-minute
car ride, while Blarney Castle is a 16-minute drive away. It takes 16 minutes
by car to reach the Fota Wildlife Park and 11 minutes to reach Cork International Airport.
Rooms
Contemporary rooms with flat-screen TVs, Nespresso coffeemakers, and mini-fridges
The hotel has 198 rooms in categories
ranging from base-level Superior Rooms to
Executive Rooms with couches and Family Rooms with sleeper sofa beds for children. Some rooms have balconies with river views, and Suites offer separate living rooms and bedrooms. Furnishings include plush mattresses with white
linens and gray-and-red bed runners, gray chairs or
couches with red cushions, and basic blond-wood furniture. The look is dated, but the hotel plans to refurbish the rooms at some point in 2016. Standard
amenities include free Wi-Fi, flat-screen TVs, Nespresso coffeemakers,
air-conditioning, and mini-fridges. Bathrooms are spacious, with shower/tub combos, and those in Suites and Executive Rooms have separate walk-in showers and deep soaking tubs. Toiletries
and hairdryers are provided. Some past guests have complained of inconsistent cleaning and problems stabilizing the heating and air-conditioning to a
comfortable setting.
Features
Spa, fitness center, pool, children's pool, restaurant, bar, and meeting spaces
The Clarion Hotel
Cork offers a wide array of features for its diverse clientele. The highlight
for many is the SanoVitae Health and Fitness Club, which offers a spa with
the usual range of beauty treatments and massages plus a sauna and a steam room.
It also has a large fitness center with over 50 pieces of fitness equipment
that includes cardio machines with TVs, free weights, weight machines, and an
aerobics studio with fitness classes (for a fee). The indoor heated pool,
children’s pool, and hot tub are also a part of the fitness club. Guests must
use swimming caps in the pool, and children are only allowed in the pool area
during certain hours.The on-site Kudos Restaurant and Bar is one of
the best-known Asian restaurants in Cork and provides 24-hour
room service, but complaints have been made concerning slow service and poor food
quality. The Atrium Lounge serves light breakfast and lunch items and there’s
an afternoon tea for a pricey fee. A full Irish breakfast is offered each
morning, though it's expensive and isn’t included in most room rates. For business travelers, the hotel has seven
meeting and event spaces that come fully equipped with audiovisual equipment. Some have views of River Lee. Though the hotel lacks a business center, they do have a public computer for guest use. The hotel is kid-friendly, with a kids' menu and kids' club activities hosted around the holidays. There’s free Wi-Fi
throughout the property, and underground parking is available for a discounted fee.
