'Allo! I'm not contributing to Ciao for the time being but if you are bored / desperate / weird enou...
'Allo! I'm not contributing to Ciao for the time being but if you are bored / desperate / weird enough to wish to continue to read my ramblings, you can find me on Dooyoo under the user name plipplop. See you around! :P
Member since:15.07.2000
Reviews:694
Members who trust:826
Stand by your beds – Phil’s been to another hotel!!
This week’s choice venue is the Thistle Hotel in London Euston –selected for its proximity to the train station given that I was arriving relatively late in the day. The Thistle is EXTREMELY close to the station, situated on the road that runs parallel to the main platforms. Wake up calls are therefore unnecessary for guests at the front of the building, as the 6.42 to Glasgow Central does that job nicely.
Upon arrival at the hotel I wondered whether I had stumbled across an old set piece from the Crystal Maze, as I was confronted with a myriad of marble walls and mirrors. The effect was rather chaotic and made the place feel very cramped. I finally located the main reception desk and was promptly greeted by an efficient (if not rather hard to understand) young lady. All the hotel employees with whom I had contact were consistently polite and helpful, which made a refreshing change for a London venue.
First impressions of my room were…average.
The room was clean and looked comfortable enough but my main reservation was the size. It was one of those rooms where all the doors banged against one another. The bedroom door opened straight onto the bathroom door, which swung back on the wardrobe door and the final effect was rather claustrophobic. The main area of the bedroom was big enough though, and there was an efficient air-conditioning system, which meant that the room could be heated/cooled accordingly. Although there was a large window, it looked straight into the window of another room (Big Brother fans eat your heart out) and I could also hear the air conditioning units on the roof.
Within the room there was a double bed, a strange pseudo-Egyptian cabinet with very limited storage space, a wardrobe (complete with safe), a television, a mini-bar (that was locked!) and two tables with chairs. Facilities available to guests included pay per view movies, PCmodem link, television and radio, telephone, and en-suite bathroom. The bathroom matched the bedroom in dimensions (i.e. it was tiny) but was well-equipped with a good power shower, small bath, wash basin and WC. Free shower accessories were supplied as well as a good selection of towels. The décor of the bathroom was decidedly over-powering – a subtle blend of black and white stripes that would have been murder in the morning if you had a hangover. Although the power shower was very strong, the water pressure to the hand basin was very low – to fill the sink took about twenty minutes.
The hotel offers 24 hour room service, albeit with a rather limited range of food and drinks on offer. Rather than eat out in the evening, I opted to order some food for my room. It took about 30 minutes to arrive (rather a long time in my view) and when the food arrived I wasn’t terribly impressed. At least it was piping hot and fresh – it’s just a shame that it didn’t taste very good. It will come as no surprise to you if I warn you that room service was horrendously expensive – club sandwich, fries and fruit salad with a glass of wine totalled around £20. Telephone calls started at around 50p per minute and the pay per view films were £7.50 each.
During my stay it became apparent that the Thistle hotel had one key failing.
Maintenance.
I thought it was rather strange that there was an odd-job card in with the hotel stationery, inviting guests to report faults to reception, but it soon became clear why. Upon climbing out of the bath, one of the handles on the side came off in my hand. The handle that opened the window was broken which meant that the window rattled. The tap to the wash basin was extremely loose, and when I pulled the curtains they slid straight off the rail where there was no rail guard. The general standard of the fittings was poor – I’m not sure how old the building was but it was definitely in need of someone to go round with a screwdriver! I’m not sure it should be guests’ responsibility to note and report these sort of things.
Breakfast was…expensive (£12.95 for a full cooked breakfast). I opted to eat in the restaurant, which was a curious, Mediterranean themed bar in the basement. The lack of natural light and over-use of glass bricks made the area rather harsh, and to be honest I couldn’t wait to get away. The people working in the restaurant were extremely polite and helpful, but the food was not of a particularly high standard. I would probably recommend that guests stick to a continental breakfast –or better still nip round to McDonalds’s.
The room that I stayed in was an executive room (yes, I laughed too) and I paid £103 room only. The standard rate is £175 per night, but I had managed to secure a considerable discount. That being said, the room was not worth this kind of money and had I not been staying on business I would have negotiated further discount.
I would stay here again (as long as I wasn’t paying myself) because service was generally excellent, and the hotel is well positioned for where I go in the city. Next time I’m going to take a screwdriver with me though!
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hope you got some serious bed action during your stay.craig
BNibbles 24.07.2001 00:41
I read this one after the Posthouse op. Wot, no naked ladies? We use a Thistle near Gatwick whenever we have an early check-in and leave the car there. I must admit, that lately, their attention to detail is on the wane. As you said, handles come off things and light bulbs have failed. Also, they've cut down on the free bickies with tea/coffee!
dabmim 22.07.2001 17:59
Wow I could of had around 3 breakfast for the price of one there!
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Advantages: Good locations, good offers for weekend breaks, pleasant rooms Disadvantages: Can be a bit samey from one hotel to the next. Staff unsure of how to handle complaints
Jul 21st, 2001
very helpful by (99%):
helpful by (1%):
