Dublin hotels · head to head
Townsend three-star versus Francis Street aparthotel — a 13,124-review Travelodge with flat-nine service against a Storehouse-side Staycity with location 10 out of 10.
By Kaiser Khan · last reviewed
Rates for both move constantly, so nothing here quotes a price. Each full review carries the rate comparison for that property.
Different star classes and different maps at a similar headline score — 9.4 at both — but one sells theatre proximity and breakfast praise, the other sells Guinness walks and parking. A practical either/or.
We publish a handful of comparisons per city, chosen by an editor. We do not generate a page for every possible pairing: at thirty hotels that would be 435 near-identical pages per city, and at five hundred it would be 124,750 for one city alone — which is a doorway-page pattern, not a service to anybody trying to pick a hotel.
Should you book this hotel?
Travelodge if service, breakfast and Bord Gáis proximity matter and you accept small rooms; Tivoli Staycity if the Storehouse and Liberties are the anchor — accepting cleanliness caveats and no full restaurant in the cited facts.
Position decides the itinerary. Travelodge puts Bord Gáis at 0.2 km and Temple Bar at 1.1 km; Tivoli puts Guinness Storehouse at 0.8 km and St Patrick’s at 0.6 km. Location scores 9.49 against a flat 10 at Tivoli — different products.
Both post 9.4 out of 10 supplier ratings — Travelodge from 13,124 reviews (10 January 2026), Tivoli from 10,129 (16 January 2026). Travelodge leads on service and overall experience (9.95 each); Tivoli leads on value (9.75) and location headline. Room quality is soft at both: 8.44 small rooms at Travelodge, 8.77 cramped groups at Tivoli.
Star class splits three-star versus four-star. Travelodge lists restaurant, kid-friendly buffet and terrace; Tivoli lists parking garage, snack bar and coffee shop — aparthotel kit without a full restaurant in the cited amenity list.
Verdict last reviewed . Rates, refurbishments and management change — re-check anything time-sensitive before booking.
3-star hotelCity Centre & Temple Bar edgeTravelodge
A three-star Travelodge on Townsend Street — Bord Gáis Energy Theatre 0.2 km — with flat-nine service scores from 13,124 reviews and small rooms as the named trade-off.
Third-party guest reviews: 9.4/10 from 13,124 reviews — as of
4-star hotelLiberties & Guinness QuarterIndependent
A four-star Staycity aparthotel on Francis Street — Guinness Storehouse 0.8 km, location 10 out of 10 — with cleanliness during stay and cramped-group-room complaints beside strong value scores.
Third-party guest reviews: 9.4/10 from 10,129 reviews — as of
Every row is checkable against the supplier data on the two property pages. “Level” is a real answer and is used — a comparison where one side wins every row is usually a comparison somebody wrote backwards from the conclusion.
| What is being compared | Travelodge PLUS Dublin City Centre | Staycity Aparthotels Dublin Tivoli | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Official classification | 3-star | 4-star | Staycity Aparthotels Dublin Tivoli |
| Position | Townsend Street. Bord Gáis 0.2 km, Temple Bar 1.1 km, Connolly 1 km. | Francis Street. Guinness Storehouse 0.8 km, St Patrick’s 0.6 km, Temple Bar 1.3 km. | Level |
| Supplier rating (our hotel data provider, /10 — display only) | 9.4 from 13,124 reviews, as of 10 January 2026 | 9.4 from 10,129 reviews, as of 16 January 2026 | Level |
| Location (third-party guest score, /10 — display only) | 9.49 — central Townsend | 10 — Liberties / Storehouse side | Staycity Aparthotels Dublin Tivoli |
| Service (third-party guest score, /10 — display only) | 9.95 | 9.73 | Travelodge PLUS Dublin City Centre |
| Room quality (third-party guest score, /10 — display only) | 8.44 — small rooms named | 8.77 — cramped for multiple guests named | Staycity Aparthotels Dublin Tivoli |
| Food and beverage (third-party guest score, /10 — display only) | 9.48 — breakfast praised | 9.21 — breakfast positive | Travelodge PLUS Dublin City Centre |
| What guests complain about | Small room size; limited amenities | Cleanliness during stay; room size for groups | Level |
| Guinness Storehouse (POI) | 3.6 km | 0.8 km | Staycity Aparthotels Dublin Tivoli |
| Aparthotel / parking garage | Not aparthotel — no parking garage in cited facts | Parking garage listed; aparthotel setup | Staycity Aparthotels Dublin Tivoli |
| Review sample size | 13,124 reviews | 10,129 reviews | Travelodge PLUS Dublin City Centre |
Rows taken: Travelodge PLUS Dublin City Centre 3, Staycity Aparthotels Dublin Tivoli 5, level 3. Counting rows is not how you pick a hotel — one row usually decides it, and the verdict above says which.
Every property we cover in Dublin, the areas they sit in, and the verdict on which area suits which trip.
Neighbourhoods, transport, what a day costs, when to go and what to skip — the long-form guide behind these hotel picks.
