You seem a little prickly this morning (Thistle Tower Hotel London)

Member Name: Sarahjh

Product:	Thistle Tower Hotel London
Date:	19/11/08 (85 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A very pleasant hotel,clean,reasonably efficient and friendly

Disadvantages: nothing major

We did the proud parents thing recently and went to an awards ceremony in London.Neither of us are familiar with the city itself,we have been to shows and taken the day odd sightseeing but we both knew that an A-Z would be needed.
We knew we were going to have to have an overnight stay,we wanted to be able to celebrate the day without worrying about having to drive home.Plus we both wanted to revisit Chinatown,on a previous trip we had really enjoyed an excellent evening meal there.
We left the hotel booking to our son,he knew The Thistle Tower Hotel on the north bank of the River Thames was just a stones throw away from the Tate Modern,a gallery we very much wanted to visit and a ten minute taxi drive away from the ceremony in the West end.

The hotel is very little to look at from the outside,a fairly drab 70s exterior and just ten minutes walk from the Tower Hill tube station,overlooking the unique St Katherine's dock on one side.
The saving grace was the close proximity to the Tower Bridge and the Tower of London and when night fell and the bridge was lit up it was a sight to behold!

The hotel has 24 hour access and when you enter the reception area you instantly forget about the dreary 70s style building!
Reception is elegant,stylish and clean.
We had no problem at all checking in,polite and friendly staff many who were from other countries.We had a room on the fifth floor which managed to give us a spectacular view of Tower bridge.

Like most hotels The Tower is just a maze of narrow dimly lit corridors,lifts and stairs.We only had the one night stay at the cost of £120 for the double room, so the only concern we had was to find our room and the way back down to the bar!

The Thistle Tower has just over 800 rooms,all with integrated entertainment systems,plasma screens and one of the must haves for many people wireless Internet access.(Internet access is charged for)The hotel has its own fitness centre.
The restaurants include The Brasserie where its possible to enjoy a mix of European food.
Light snacks and coffee are available in The Gallery and The Carvery serves our personal all time favourites,roast meals,salads and light lunches,with an extensive dessert menu.
The XI Bar is very contemporary yet comfortable,it looks out over the water and at night when the water is lit up it is beautiful.Of course the bar serves a very wide range of drinks,and they are more than happy to mix you any cocktail you should wish for.


Our air conditioned room was reasonably spacious all things considered,the large bed was dressed fashionably with cushions,the bed linen was fresh and well pressed.The flat screen television was lined up perfectly for bedtime viewing.But oddly enough neither of the lamps could be accessed from the bed.A comfortable occasional chair was sat beside a small set of drawers.
We had little in the way of luggage with us,but the robes were perfectly adequate for a short term stay. A trouser press sat in the corner next to the mini bar.I hadn't taken my hairdryer but luckily there was one in the room.
An outside telephone line was available,though we had no need to use it.Tea and coffee making facilities were in the room and had been well stocked up.Room service was available at all times but again we had no real need to use it.


A classic and modern bathroom,clean lines and shiny tiles,with a large luxurious heated towel rail,soft white towels and plenty of complimentary shower gels,soaps .The bathroom had two thick white bathrobes which was a nice touch.The shower water was hot and the facilities were spotless.It was obvious that the Hotel Housekeeper had very high standards!

We thoroughly enjoyed our meal in Chinatown,followed by a few drinks in the XI Bar much later.
We slept well even if the bed was a touch firmer than our own at home!

When we went downstairs for breakfast the queue was a little off putting,so we plumped for coffee and croissants in The Gallery.
Again the staff were smiling and friendly when we checked out,and it was a pleasant end to a very special occasion.
When we return to London again we would be more than happy to have another stay at The Thistle Tower Hotel.

Other facilities include:
Tourist information.
Conference facilities.
In room movies.
Family rooms.
Wake up services.

Check in is 14.00-Check out is 12.00
Parking is available but will be charged for per day.

Summary: Stylish and contemporary,The Thistle offers good quality