Arrived in Mount Juliet Friday 31st Nov. A friendly greeting from the manager at the car park, offering to park the hire car and take my bag, was encouraging. A pleasant walk through Hunters Yard to reception, where the welcome was efficient and informative. The room was well appointed on the 2nd floor and all seemed ok. Despite the natural beauty all round the Estate, (a place I enjoyed as a boy as friends of the McCalmont family, who owned the Estate years ago), the hotel disappointed in so many ways. On entering the clubhouse bar, I was confronted by an aggressive, unshaven manager who demanded 'what are you here for?' He then wanted to know if I was staying in the hotel. I demurred slightly and enquired would that make a difference to which he replied yes, that non residents would receive less priority. Strange. When I asked for a corner table overlooking the grounds, he declined and stuck me in the corner of the room, saying that table was booked. Needless to say, the table remained empty for the duration of my stay in the bar. Dinner in the Hound restaurant promised much and delivered little. Following the arrival of a Ballygowan still water at €7, the soup was 4 soup spoons worth and sat cold in a half filled bowl. The 'fillet' stake weighed in at €52 plus a vegetable side at €6. The fillet was not a fillet but 2 overcooked tiny medallions of beef. When I asked my waiter, whonwas an Adian gentleman, he simply smiled and took the plate away. I don't think he understood what I was saying. Whilst I have no issue with overseas staff working hotels in Ireland, this particular restaurant was staffed almost exclusively by one ethnicity, save for a young F&B manager, who looked well out of his depth. ( I overheard the diners next to me complaining about the poor quality of meat for which they were offered a 20% discount). Whilst the ambience was reasonable, the overall quality of food was very poor and massively overpriced. I repaired to the saddle bar, without doubt, the most soulless place of its type I have seen in Ireland. Again manned by 2 asian gents, there was supposed to be 'live music' which, to put it politely, would have belonged more in a funeral parlour than a hotel bar. I left after a few minutes. Back in my room the lights were faulty with no individual switch for the bathroom..a minor problem I am sure can be easily fixed.
The golf course was closed, perhaps down to lots of rain. Despite lots of golfers I spoke to bemoaning the situation, having prepaid €300 to play, the other biproduct of so much rain appeared to cause the drains to back up, with the consequence of a nasty aroma of sewage all round the place.
As I write, I am still staying in the hotel. The prospect of breakfast awaits. I shan't hold my breath. In summary, this beautiful place and part of my wonderful childhood in Ireland, has been emaciated by an American hotel chain. All the wonderful charm of the old place has been displaced by American cliches, standard retorts by staff imbued from a faceless brand standard hospitality manual, delivered in a glib and empty way. Certainly not in the time-honoured Irish custom. Yes, the hotel is still pretty and the estate as alluring as ever, especially the old McCalmont family home, which still stands impressively amonsgt the lovely rolling countryside of Co. Kilkenny. But overall the place has most much of its magic. One final mention: at dusk last night, a huge flock of crows circled above the hotel. Literally thousands of them, swirling and swooping, then settled ad stark silouettes, perched ominously in the many trees around the car park and hotel. A slightly eerie yet exhilirating sight, reminiscient of Alfred Hitckcock's The Birds movie from the 1960s. When I enquired within whether this was a regular occurence, the member of staff I addressed seems oblivious to it all..My final comments to the hotel would be to lose its anonymity within Marriott and get back to basics. Restore some of that old Irish magic, which you can only do with more of the indigenous population and concentrate on personal interaction rather than imported US-led soundbites, governed by spreadsheets, profit motives and high pricing. Profits will always come from client satisfaction, which surely remains the only true yardstick by which a hotel can be valued. Embrace your location, your history and humanity, change some of your imported ethics and who knows, you may still restore the magic of Mount Juliet. Disappointing.
