Review: Hyatt Centric The Liberties in Dublin, Ireland’s first Hyatt hotel

This is our review of the Hyatt Centric The Liberties hotel in Dublin.

Last week, I (Sinead) took a trip to Dublin to visit the newly opened Hyatt Centric The Liberties.  This is the first Hyatt hotel to be built in Ireland and it chose the Centric brand – Hyatt’s take on city-centre ‘modern, boutique hotels’.

Rob enjoyed his stay at the Hyatt Centric Madrid back in 2018, but we haven’t reviewed a Centric hotel since.  When we were kindly offered a review stay by Hyatt, I jumped at the chance to head to one of my favourite cities.

Hyatt covered the costs of my stay but HfP paid for all of its additional expenses.

Getting to the hotel

From Dublin Airport there is the ‘Airlink Express’ bus service (buy tickets in the arrivals terminal) and you should catch the route 747 bus to the Ushers Quay & Christ Church stop. From there it’s less than a 10-minute walk to the hotel. Alternatively, a taxi from the airport should cost less than €30. St Patrick’s Cathedral is a good landmark to use for directions as it is well known and opposite the hotel.

Where is Hyatt Centric The Liberties?

Before you book the Hyatt, you need to understand a bit about its location.

The hotel is located quite centrally in an up-and-coming area called The Liberties.  Whilst not directly in the city centre, Dublin is a very walkable city and from Hyatt Centric The Liberties a lot of the top sights are nearby.  Temple Bar is less than 15 minutes’ walk away, as is the Guinness Store House and the shopping areas around Grafton Street aren’t much further.

The Liberties is a fascinating area – full of very interesting historical sights and a burgeoning whisky distillery scene, along with some achingly cool pubs and cafes on nearby Camden Street.

As is often the case, trendy and interesting doesn’t make for the prettiest part of a city and if you are looking for picturesque Georgian townhouses, you might be disappointed.  However I’d still recommend it as a great base, especially if you are planning to try a whiskey tour or want to explore a less ‘touristy’ part of Dublin.

Check-in and overall service

As can be expected in Dublin, check-in was warm and welcoming. The receptionist was charming and helpful, and very efficient. The hotel has been open just six weeks, but there was no sign of teething issues throughout my stay. I found all the staff I met to be relaxed and friendly.

The bedroom

The room was thoughtfully designed, with some lovely choices of material and furniture. The hotel had a subtle mid-century modern style throughout, and the bedrooms also reflected this with a stylish mirror, funky side lamps and use of some attractive dark woods.

The team at the hotel very kindly upgraded me to a ‘King View’ room on the 5^th floor, meaning I had (unsurprisingly) a view over the city. The room had decent lighting options, a useful desk area and considerable space. The bed was extremely comfortable with soft linen.

The tea and coffee making facilities were fine with a decent coffee machine and a good selection of teas. I didn’t find an iron, though I may have missed it, but joy of joys, there was a powerful hairdryer – my personal benchmark for useful hotel amenities!

The bathroom

A very spacious and well-equipped room with a rainforest shower (now a standard in new hotels it seems) and a good array of toiletries including separate shampoo and conditioner, which those of us with longer hair appreciate.

Dining at Hyatt Centric The Liberties

The hotel team told me that they put an emphasis on sourcing as much locally supplied food as possible, using nearby greengrocers and butchers and this did seem to show in the freshness of the food. I didn’t try the dinner service but I found breakfast service to be very good.

There was an array of both hot and cold options so whether you wanted something quick and light or a ‘full Irish’ to soak up the previous night’s sampling of the local refreshments, you should be happy.

I would particularly recommend the bakery section, with traditional Irish bread and some dangerously addictive mini-muffins – there’s a talented baker somewhere in the hotel.

The bar

I didn’t properly try the bar, apart from whilst on the hunt for some lemon tea late at night (yes, I know how to party) but it was extensive, especially for a whiskey-lover.

It was an incredibly stylish part of the hotel and seemed welcoming enough to visit even as a non-resident, but it was quiet whenever I was there. This is probably more of a reflection on a new hotel, but I do think being in Dublin, it may struggle with competition for a late-night tipple.

And there are some novel features too ….

Hyatt Centric The Liberties stands in the heart of an incredibly historic area. During the building of the hotel, a number of significant archaeological finds were made, including some 11th century graffiti and an 18th century horse’s head, and the hotel have taken care to weave this history into the overall experience of staying there. A local artist created artwork inspired by the finds and there’s an interesting display about what was discovered.

The team at the hotel have also really embraced the local whiskey heritage (there are more than 40 distilleries in the area) and run tastings at the hotel along with distillery tours.

Conclusion

Overall, as you’ve probably gathered, I really enjoyed my stay at Hyatt Centric The Liberties. It had style without being too stylish, the modern necessities of a brand-new hotel but with a bit of its own character and was in an area of Dublin that has a lot to offer.

Looking at a midweek stay in January, the rooms start at a World of Hyatt member rate of €120 per night, or €128 for non members which I feel is reasonable. Redemption stays start at 12,000 World of Hyatt points off-peak.  Given Rob’s benchmark of a 1p target valuation when redeeming, you might be better paying cash until rates start to creep up towards the Summer.

You can visit the Hyatt Centric The Liberties website here.  Thanks to the team at the hotel for organising my stay.

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