I stayed at the Premier Inn - there's a shuttle bus going to/from Dublin Airport every 30mins for 2€/way. Otherwise take a taxi which will be around 8€ (at least for me it was at midnight...maybe there's a higher price at night). Travellodge is closer to the RYR HQ, and most of the other guys stayed there...but even the Premier Inn is maybe 10mins walk from the HQ. Most of them said that the Travellodge is a very "basic" hotel so I'd recommend the Premier Inn; but I don't know about the difference in price. There are a few bars/restaurants - even a McDonalds
- nearby so you surely won't starve to death...
As prep I'd recommend uPilot.ie - very nice guy who really gets you ready for the assessement. I'm sure if you have never been sitting in a 737 cockpit before it's helpful
to learn the layout of the instruments and for a refresher on your CRM/briefings/useful tips for the assessement. Don't expect it to fly like the Ryan 737 sim. He even picks you up from your hotel.
Regarding the TR: You can choose now between the 295oo€ non-bonded way or the 5ooo€ 5-year bond. Just FYI.