Guests give hotel five-star reviews, despite it not being open

A hotel in Dublin has been on the receiving end of shining reviews before opening to the public, in part due to an “unforeseen” delay.

The Times reported last week that The Marlin Hotel in Dublin had become a high-ranking hotel on booking sites thanks to rave reviews from ‘guests’, all before the residence aimed to open its doors on 24 August.

Today we open our doors to Residents and we cannot wait. #MarlinHotelDublin pic.twitter.com/wdrMLICmQL
— Marlin (@MarlinHotels) August 24, 2019

Several reviews on Booking.com at the time called the hotel “exceptional”, with the property garnering a 7.9 out of 10 rating on the site.

However, Booking.com has since removed these reviews because, as it turns out, they were for another hotel that was being used as alternative lodgings for travellers who had been transferred from The Marlin Hotel.

This came as a result of an “unforeseen” delay in opening, according to the hotel, which some alleged guests say they learnt of at check-in.

This meant that several disgruntled tourists, who vented their frustrations online, were forced to stay at alternative lodgings.

“My wife and I arrived to check into the Marlin Hotel in Dublin. Low and behold the hotel is not even open yet,”TripAdvisor user welltravelled818 wrote.

“We were greeted outside by hotel staff whom sent us to another hotel for our stay.

“I feel the hotel should have contacted the guests prior to arrival, since our new hotel did not even have our reservation on file … Although the hotel arranged for our stay at another hotel, it is not ideal to have guests show up to the Marlin and see it is not even open yet and be taxied to another hotel.”

Another guest wrote: “Poor customer service. We had two rooms booked. Called ahead to let the hotel know we would be arriving late to be told it hasn’t opened yet. No email to inform us. Email filled later today. Not good enough.”

One negative review from a "guest" at The Marlin Hotel, Dublin drew the concern of a team-member at the hotel.

One negative review from a “guest” at The Marlin Hotel, Dublin drew the concern of the owner of the hotel.

As reported by The Sun, a Marlin Hotel spokesperson told Sun Online Travel: “[T]he management team ensured that all guests who were scheduled to stay at the hotel were accommodated in similar or upgraded accommodation in the local vicinity.

“We appreciate that some people were disappointed; however, the circumstances were beyond the hotel’s control. We expect to open in the coming days and will resume taking bookings on Sunday 25 provided there are no further delays.

“Marlin is looking forward welcoming guests to what will be Dublin’s newest and most contemporary hotel.”

At time of writing, The Marlin Hotel, Dublin did not have a review score on Booking.com and is open for business.

Featured image: @MarlinHotels/The Marlin Hotel, Dublin

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booking.com dublin ireland The Marlin Hotel tripadvisor