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From: Jean
Sent: 03 October 2019 08:44
To: crm@rui.com
Subject: Function, Gresham Hotel, Dublin. 20/09/19
Hello,
I originally sent this email to you 26/09/19. It was returned the next day as undeliverable. Since then, I have contacted the hotel concerned directly twice. I have received no acknowledgement or response from them. Poor customer service from the Gresham yet again.
Today, I found out that a fellow unhappy diner did manage to get a response from this email address so, I am trying again. To say this is frustrating is putting it mildly! (Email just bounced back again, now trying this complains form. Not holding my breath.)
This is my original email:
Hello
I invited my cousin to join me for a weekend in Dublin. We were part of an organised group of over 100 people.
We were a little shocked to learn that the meal organised at the Gresham was to cost E50's each. This is a great deal more that we would usually pay for a meal. In view of the cost and the prestige of the hotel, we expected to enjoy a really excellent meal. Sadly this was not to be the case.
My cousin is a vegetarian, and due to the vegetarian option not being specified on the menu, we visited the hotel in the afternoon, to check exactly what the vegetarian options would be. Your reception staff were most helpful and were able to find out that the meal on offer would be a risotto. As my cousin does not eat rice, she enquired if there was an alternative. Eventually, a member of your catering team came down to reception, which we appreciated. He advised that the alternative would be fettuccine. This, whilst not particularly inventive, was at least an acceptable meal.
Later, at the dinner, when it was time to order, my cousin was told that the vegetarian meal would be a risotto. She explained that she was expecting fettuccine, they seemed not to know this might be available. Which is seems, was indeed the case. What was served, certainly was not fettuccine.
What my cousin was served for her E50 meal is as follows:
A bowl of mediocre soup.
A bowl of fine rice noodles and dollop of something that resembled a vegetable mush (She has absolutely no idea what I was supposed to be, or what was in it)
Then, some considerable time later, a rock hard chocolate thing was served. No pouring cream, no sauce.
My own E50 meal was as follows:
A small amount of smoked salmon and some sad salad leaves
Two slices of tough and tasteless beef, a drizzle of gravy, a solitary potato, some mash and shared bowls of mixed vegetables.
My delayed desert, was a small apple crumble, not special, hard pastry base and no discernible spicing.
The dessert being served late, was really too late, and unforgiveable. We were past eating by that time. It might have been better to just not serve it at all.
I appreciate there may be other overheads included in the price, however, With the best will in the world, it is very hard not to feel aggrieved and more than a little exploited, more so my cousin, her meal was simply unacceptable. For her meal at least I feel a substantial refund is reasonable expectation.
Irish friends around our table actually said they were ashamed of what had been provided. They saw this as an embarrassment to Irish hospitality, especially as there were people present from many countries.
Our whole experience at the Gresham spoiled what otherwise had been an excellent weekend.
So disappointing.
Jean Livingstone.
