Imperial Hotel

I'm just back from Escape Spa @ The Imperial Hotel Cork. Read my review here.

I had a beautiful morning at the escape spa. My back neck and shoulder massage was perfect, so relaxing. Then I had a dry flotation which I'd recommend for total relaxation. The staff were so lovely, friendly and kind. Audrey had a lovely chat with me before my treatment to ensure I'd enjoy the experience. Órla was the therapist who did my massage and it couldn't have been better. I have no hesitation recommending the escape spa and hope to return soon. Thank you 😊

 Ber

Firstly, this hotel is in a lovely location if you are looking to have a wander around Cork, do some shopping etc. Its a very well decorated hotel, the lobby was beautiful and the staff that greeted us couldn't have been nicer! We booked a package which included dinner - the dinner was simply AMAZING, and again the service was 10/10. The room was also stunning, the bed was comfortable, the bathroom was lovely and the room was clean. The hotel overall was clean and well presented. We had cocktails in the cocktail bar and it was a lovely experience. There's definitely an 'imperial' feeling to every aspect of this hotel. I cannot fault the service in this hotel, it was great value for money and we 100% will be booking here again.

We were due to stay here just before Christmas but as we both fell sick the hotel were very accommodating and moved it to start of January.
On arrival we got an upgrade ( much appreciated )
The hotel was still very Christmassy and the renovation of the hotel bar was beautiful.
We had a B&B with evening meal so we were looking forward to our meal experience . We were not disappointed, the menu was fantastic and everything was cooked from fresh . We had a very nice waiter ( Evan ) he was so good at his job. He had a rapport going with all the tables he was working and everyone liked him.
The food was amazing as was the choice. Breakfast the next morning was again top notch. Lovely choice and again all cooked fresh and lovely service from the staff.
This was not our first stay and will definitely not be our last.
I do have one complaint and that is the service at the main bar. My opinion is this is down to a lack of management presence in the bar. This is the only explanation for the bar staff and the floor service staff ignoring the customers and avoiding any work. There were plenty of staff on and as usual one staff member carrying the rest. Unfortunately I did not get this man’s name but he was a Trojan worker and carried his fellow workmates last Saturday night.
Wonderful stay was had and we will definitely be back.

My sisters and I went to Cork on a shopping weekend and stay 2 nights mid December. Room was average shower was a step into bath which had handicap rails so you could hardly turn in the bath tub. We went down to main bar on Friday evening for a cocktail before dinner. All seating in the bar seemed to be reserved for outside groups when we enquired were there any seats for staying guests we were told if we can find any but if it had "reserved" on the table we cannot sit there. Eventually some ladies pulled up in a booth and made room for us. We ordered a cocktail each and when we ordered another one we were told sorry they had run out off ice! All weekend from what we could see the bar staff seemed to be under pressure and could not keep up with the demand and as it was near Christmas and very busy. Staff were also very rude . We did not eat dinner only breakfast which was fine. Parking is about a 7min walk but would make it a lot easier if they charged an extra €5 and valet parked your car. Staff at reception when we checked in never mentioned breakfast times or where it was served. On a plus I will say the location of this hotel is excellent for shopping.

Great location , lovely calm atmosphere, rooms really clean and comfortable excellent sleep in beds , we had the 3 day Xmas package , amazing value and staff were so helpful and accommodating couldn’t do enough for us , thermal suite is great too !

We payed €300 for one night on the 21st and the bar was a disgrace. No comfort for paying guests. No seat for 2 hours. Awful.

In keeping with its name, The Imperial Hotel deserved to be better. Our accommodations were great, the property's location was good but parking was problematic. The casual dining restaurant, which was also used for breakfasts, needed some character. It would have help if both the service and food had been better. The servers seemed poorly trained or perhaps just all new. Also, when the hotel staff happily refer you to a multitude of good restaurants outside the hotel for dinner and say nothing about on-site dining, what does that say about the hotel's restaurant? Fitzgerald's Bar was an impressive space.and offered a wonderful ambience.

Deceptive advertising and misleading policies.

This is a warning for future customers of this hotel. Despite marketing the Christmas 2025 package as cancellable prior to December 1st on their marketing materials, they are refusing to honor both the marketing terms on their website and also the booking confirmation sent to myself (attached to this review) resulting in a likely lengthy dispute process.

What is particularly insulting is that the hotel, having been shown the discrepancies in their online terms, changed them and are now denying that there has been any change despite the previous terms still being available on the Internet Wayback Machine.

I would be very wary in giving this hotel any business with deceptive practices such as these.

€410 for a room directly above the bar, everything in the room is rattling with the boom of the music downstairs, its like being in a muffled bar - it's truly awful

I really didnt want to leave a negative review but I felt like I wasn't left a choice. Here's my positives, the hotels location is great and the staff we encountered were lovely. The breakfast was really good. The not so good parts, the room was average a few stains on the carpet, bedside lamps were far to big for the bedside lockers, the ensuite was dated with a small bath and an awkward shower head angle but all of them points you could possibly over look even after paying €240 for a Sunday night. What we can't overlook was the location of the bedroom it was situated directly over the area where empty glasses are brought out and kegs are brought in. From before 5am we were woken by the very loud noise of bins of empty glass been rolled out into the courtyard then a bin lorry coming to collect them and when that was over the kegs arrived, it all stayed going until after 7am. This meant we only had gotten 3.5 hours. What has made me write this review is the fact I mentioned on checkout our experience and suggested that room sould not be sold on a Sunday night if this is the case every Monday morning. My concerns were wrote down but I didn't hear anymore. Two weeks later I was sent an email to review our stay which I did and mentioned again what I had said on check out and still I haven't heard anything back from the hotel. So a word of warning if your planning on staying here make sure your not allocated room 208 on a Sunday night!

A little business and a little pleasure !! Mainly shopping in Cork , a great hotel certainly when staying g in the City , also which makes it so special, we have been travelling to the imperial for years & even though it has changed hands some staff are still there and recognise you by name ! That’s just so good .. and a real personal touch which should be bottled ..I even met a tv personality Harrison Gardner who kindly stopped for a photo
Anne Biddys Good Luck Horse Shoes

Lovely hotel.

Wonderful hotel. Staff were amazing. Bar is fantastic.

Upon arrival, unpaid for the breakfast for 4 people as my husband and I were traveling with friends. At breakfast the next day, we were questioned by the matre d regarding paying for breakfast and I replied I did already. The next day it was the same thing but by the manager who checked us in. After we sat down and were eating, she again approached our friends and said we needed to pay for breakfast Even though I had already told her we had. I mentioned I had a receipt and would find it as proof. She said it wasn't necessary right now it could wait. She left and returned a few minutes later and as I told her I found my receipt, she said no worries, it was already paid....very embarrassing. Then as we returned up tonight rooms after breakfast, both our friends and our room keys had been turned off and this was before 11 am ...we did pay for an additional night so I had to return to the main lobby and had the staff recharge the cards. Again very embarrassing. Finally, the front lobby and breakfast restaurant had a continuous smell of sewerage. Staff said there was nothing they could do. Would not recommend this hotel.

Beautiful rooms with extremely helpful staff. Highly recommend to anyone looking to stay a few nights in Cork.

First room was not clean. We moved to a clearly refurbished room which was much better.

After a very disappointing start to my stay where I was met with a room that was unfit for purpose, I complained and was finally upgraded to one of the best rooms in the hotel. From then on I enjoyed my stay very much. The breakfast was good but the lunches were not. A friend joined me for lunch one day and was disappointed by the quality of the food which she could not eat. She didn't want to make a fuss so did not complain. I had lunch in the restaurant on two days myself but both lunches were very bad. What I ordered was not what was sent to the table. I had to send the two meals back. No properly trained chef could have produced those three meals my friend and I had between us on separate days. I heard many complaints from the other guests about these "doorstep bread slices" which according to everyone were as hard as a rock. The staff as usual were wonderful and made me very welcome. I would like to thank the following for looking after me so well: Anita in the breakfast room, Geraldine in Reception, Marta, the new manager in the dining room, Breda in the Coffee Shop, Anam who looked after my room with care and attention, Ryan and Adrian, the two concierges who were very helpful. I would also like to say Hello to Christie who was on holiday when I was there. I hope you had an enjoyable holiday with your grandchildren.

Too much noise from bars below until 3 AM.

For an above average hotel it was very disappointing that parking was off off site with no valet parking option

Great location, older but very clean and serviced rooms, very good bar and restaurant. Staff was excellent and it is clear that they are well managed but constant oversight.