I stayed here a couple of nights mid-week. My room was on the executive floor and it was very spacious (huge even) and very comfortable. The decoration was a bit dated but everything was still very clean and in good condition.
I was lucky enough to enjoy a bit of sunshine with a beer in the garden which had a nice seating area. The bar was very cozy and the staff all very friendly. There are plenty of places to sit and chill throughout the ground floor - but don't be surprised if it is full of American tourists! There were coach loads when I was there but the staff seemed to know exactly how to cope with the numbers so it wasn't a problem.
I was unfortunate not to have enough time to use the restaurant or leisure facilities in the hotel but heard they were very good.
Bunratty itself is a beautiful little village with a couple of fantastic restaurants and bars - the locals were all very enthusiastic about the great food and were not wrong in being so.
I would most definitely recommend this hotel to anyone wanting to get away from it for a little while and enjoy the beautiful Irish countryside.

A very nice place to stay. The room was quiet, and clean. The beds were made up very nicely. There were cattle in the field outside our window. The bathtub was big, and the bathroom a nice size. The breakfast was buffet style, but we were well fed. Not that much to do in this area, so it is a good starting or stopping point on the way to and from Shannon Airport. Internet available (coin operated) in the hallway near the breakfast room.

This hotel is just OK. It's close to the airport and thats why we chose to stay there. What really annoyed me was they charged you 1 euro per 8mins to use their computer and another .30 euro to print out a piece of paper. When I printed my document their custom "we're going to charge you" window froze the machine and I lost my reservations that I was making for a ferry ride to the Aran Islands. No other hotel we stayed at in Ireland charged anything for use of their computer, printer or copy machines. At the ridiculous rate of a euro per 8mins. this was just flat out insulting. They might as well start charging for the TV in the room. There were also a ton of bus tours staying at the hotel which is apparently common here. Since they all do everything together if you get caught trying to eat breakfast at the same time they do, it can get overcrowded.

The staff in the hotel bar (Kathleens) and restaurant (Round Room) were extremely accomidating. Bent over backwards for us, and they should all get raises.

Bunratty Castle Hotel has a beautiful exterior and nice landscaping. The location is as close to Bunratty Castle and Durty Nelly's as you can get. Beyond those two things, the hotel is average at best. Breakfast was definitely disappointing with runny eggs being the worst feature. While the staff was basically friendly we did have to listen to an argument between two members of the wait staff while trying to enjoy lunch in the bar. Our room keys became "deactivated" twice as did many other guests. The room was fairly nice with a large bed but showed signs of wear as did the whole hotel. Overall, not a bad place to stay but a little attention to detail could make it much better.