Anantara The Marker Dublin Hotel

Wanted to stay here for ages! Definitely not worth the hype. Would not return. Pros - close to Bord Gais, we were attending a show so perfect from that sense. *Some* staff friendly and helpful, breakfast was a good offering, lots of choice and items cooked to order fresh. Cons rooms are nice but when we arrived an overpowering smell of perfumed products in room. I was just getting over a migraine and husband has sinus issues. We couldn't stay in the room, were told not possible to change rooms. They provided an air filter which worked surprisingly well but we werent the only people to complain about the smell. If this is an ongoing issue as it seems to be, stop using the products! A member of staff told me a lot of guests request the air filter unit. You cannot open the windows and air con isn't sufficient. We didn't sleep well, room was too hot and bathroom was like a sauna. Its not good to have rooms too warm! Service in the bar area was worst I have encountered in a long time. We waited 40 minutes for 2 sandwiches. When it arrived after we asked about it, I was given a vegan club sandwich. I didnt order this. The waiter that took our order didnt write down the order and this practice needs to stop (have seen mistakes like this on countless occasions in other restaurants). Write it down and read it back to guest to prevent mistakes! We tried on 4 occasions to get staff's attention re the sandwich or to order a drink etc. 4 staff stood chatting at a service area , I had to get up each time. This is not 5 star service. In fact its not 2 star service. I mentioned to a server that the service was very poor. She ignored me and didht acknowledge even when we asked for the bill. It was €68 for 2 tasteless sandwiches and 3 soft drinks. No one acknowledged us as we left the bar area. My husband mentioned on Sunday morning the issues encountered at check out and he was told a manager would contact him later that day. No one did. Also in room 108, the phone doesnt work and shaving light in bathroom also not working. Attention to detail for the prices being charged is not good enough. On check in we mentioned our prior request for a quiet room. Receptionist seemed unaware but it was requested on original booking. The reception area is also very small and cluttered, poorly designed and the bar is more like a lobby area. We wouldn't return nor recommend unless huge improvements in service levels.

The location in Grand Canal Square is terrific. The service is hit or miss for what is billed as a 5-star luxury experience. The doormen are exceptional and one gentleman in particular will consistently swoop in to fix any issue he sees. The front desk staff however is either basically passable or losing their marbles and acting like they couldn't be more stressed out. They seem to have a lot of trouble handling anything more than 1 or 2 guests at a time. The rooms are fine for the hotel level but nothing incredible. The spa is strange. I had 5 massages (I know! I needed them!) and used their pool steam room and gym. The gym is basic - typical small EU gym. The pool and steam room were nice. The spa staff was like the lobby staff - half fine and half overly frazzled. 3 of the massages were fine but 2 were affirmatively bad, with the therapists cutting the time short and acting distracted and like they didn't actually know how to give massages. Those 2 were so bad I told the front desk and just got saucer eyes and crickets in return. The locker room is SPARTAN. There are NO TOWELS other than 1 tiny bath towel in your locker, which they seem to expect you to use for pool, gym AND shower. Ewww. Amenities there seem to be nailed down or non-existent and consist only of (screwed into the shower wall) shampoo, body wash and conditioner. It feels ... not luxurious. There is a small sign saying if you want an amenities kit, ask for one. Curious, I did so. The spa staff told me they had no clue what I was talking about and there are no amenities. OK. The ground floor restaurant hostess, Ivanna, was also a little off. We went down and the bar and restaurant were empty. We asked to be seated and Ivanna told us only if we ordering "cheese." We were really confused. She clarified there was a cheese tasting on the roof and we couldn't go unless we bought a special menu. We were like, "Can we just sit down here?" Ivanna was highly confused again but ultimately let us sit down. We asked to look at the drink menu and she brought us food menus. We asked again for drink menus and she got so frazzled and confused, we just went and got them ourselves. When our drinks came, one had rotten fruit in it. Despite that, it's definitely a decent hotel but maybe not worth the price given the inconsistent service and other great hotels also well-located. I would give the spa a second chance since the majority of the massage therapists were good but wouldn't use their locker room - too spartan. Your hotel room will be preferable.

A nice hotel in a decent location, but not 5 star. Rooms and social areas were clean and well furnished. However our bathroom had a cracked basin and a dirty shower. When reported to reception we were not offered any way to rectify this or compensate us.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 100/10 – An unforgettable stay at Anantara The Marker Dublin! If I wanted to be truly fair, I’d have to list every single person working in this hotel — because they were all spectacular. But since my memory works like a goldfish on vacation, I’ll mention only the names I managed to keep in my head (with apologies to the many amazing stars whose names escaped me!). Our experience was incredible from the very beginning. Before we even arrived, Archit Sharna sent us the most thoughtful pre-arrival email, making sure everything would be perfect for our stay. And from the moment we stepped inside, Rohan greeted us with warmth and a hot welcome drink — exactly what a cold Dublin day calls for. Throughout our stay, the team was friendly, professional, and genuinely wonderful. Jasmin was fantastic. Anslem, Jozet, and Ali at the restaurant made every meal feel like a celebration. And our room attendants Gabriel and Fay took such amazing care of us. Honestly, the whole team shines. Management clearly leads by example, and the result is a hotel filled with people who love what they do — and it shows. If I could rate this stay, it wouldn’t be 5 stars. It would be 100/10. A memorable, warm, heartfelt experience from start to finish. Highly, highly recommended. Jorge

After reading the reviews, I agree the staff are kind and genuinely try to help, and I’m sure they can produce some decent food. But I still don’t understand the hype around this hotel. It’s functional, lacks any charm, and is best described as… boring. Again, the staff are attentive, but if you like a so-called 5-star hotel that feels more like EasyJet, then this probably hits the mark. I was only there for 24 hours and wanted to share my experience, especially as a member of the group’s highest rewards tier — which normally influences my choice of hotel, but in this case, will likely push me away from returning. Before my stay, the very attentive staff sent me an email with a long selection of welcome options — gifts, snacks, pillow types, and more. They also asked for my arrival time, and normally at this status level there is some form of early check-in. I arrived just before noon (having informed the hotel I would arrive around 11 a.m.), yet the room wasn’t ready. These things happen, so I went for a coffee. Eventually I was given what they described as a “double-upgrade room.” In reality, it was a basic box: a bed, a window, a TV, a desk, and a bathroom. I struggled to see how this differed from an entry-level room. At this point, the benefits of booking through a loyalty program were disappearing quickly. Normally, Anantara provides a welcome gift, which may have been missed because the room wasn’t ready — but nothing was waiting for me. After a busy day, I returned to a very odd turndown service: still no welcome amenity, the empty water bottle hadn’t been replaced, the dirty coffee cup was still on the desk, and for some reason my clothes — which I had left on the bed — had been thrown into a corner. I called the duty manager to take a look, and he was clearly shocked. He said he would immediately arrange for my welcome amenity to be brought up. By this point it was nearly midnight — and what arrived was a couple of pieces of fruit and two squares of chocolate. At that stage, and given the missed opportunity for the hotel to redeem itself, I simply switched off. In summary: I took the time to respond to the pre-arrival email, yet none of the preferences were acknowledged. The room wasn’t ready, the “upgrade” wasn’t an upgrade, and no welcome benefits were provided. For a hotel charging true 5-star prices, the experience didn’t justify a rate that’s three times the cost of a Holiday Inn — especially when none of the loyalty benefits were actually delivered.