The Thistle - leaves a thorn in your wallet (Thistle Hotels in general)

Member Name: zoe_page_1

Product:	Thistle Hotels in general
Date:	17/03/04 (113 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: I stayed for free - eating, drinking and working out at the company's expense

Disadvantages: Rack rates are hi-igh

I recently spent 2 nights at a graduate job assessment centre in the ultra exotic location of Middlesbrough. Our venue for our stay way their local Thistle hotel which, though national, is a chain I had not experienced before. The directions on the website were reasonable and though a short detour meant it took me twice as long as planned to get there from the station, the fact that it was located just moments away meant I was still there within 10 minutes of stepping off the train.

Checking in took a few minutes as a group of us seemed to have arrived at once, so I had chance to look around the lobby. This was small as they go, with only 8 seats available - meaning that when out group of 11 assembled there in the morning some were left standing. The lobby area was not a particularly interesting one, housing a few free newspapers and essential local tourist information leaflets (though I use the word "local" in the loosest possible way since one was for attractions in the Blackpool area - quite a treck from this area of the country). When my turn came I managed to check in with very little fuss and was quickly assigned a non-smoking room up on the 6th floor - floors 2 to 8 are bedrooms with level one being the restaurant area and the 9th floor the conference area, full of boardrooms and coffee corners where we would soon find ourself spending our days. In fact, the only trouble arose when the girl on reception enquired "Guardian or Express, Madam?" to which I replied "No, thank you", and immediately notice my mistake in not realising it was an either or question, and not an option to be declined. Leaving her still bemused (but really, do I *look* like a Guardian reader?) I took the lift up to my room.

I had expected this chain to be somewhere between Ibises and travel lodges in the hierarchy of chain hotels, and this turned out to be pretty much the case. The bedroom housed all the usual suspects - large double bed, p
lenty of drawer and wardrobe space, two tables and a desk, lounging arm chairs and so on. The bathroom was sparkling and though compact (if I'm being nice - cramped if I'm not) had a bath as well as a shower, lovely large basin and temperamental toilet. The complementary toiletries were lovely and even came with a note saying you were more than welcome to take them home. They were Otium branded which is the name of their Pool / Gym / Spa set up, and in a change from the usual impossible to open sachets, came in adorable single-use bottles. The room seemed clean and all my belongings were tided the second day leaving me quite guilty about the way I'd left my papers scattered across the bedspread that morning. Hidden inside one wardrobe was a trouser press / ironing board combination, and an extremely hard to figure out iron that didn't want to switch off for a good 40mins after I politely suggested to it that it did so. There was also a free in room safe that could be easily programmed with the 4 letter security code of your choice. A note in the room politely requested that you store any valuables in it at all times, so it became home to my GHDs and portable DVD player for the duration of my stay. I would have liked a minibar if only to store my brought-with-me drinks in, but apart from that I was lacking for nothing. The room was a good temperature - not hot and stuffy as some can be - and the window opened easily though only in the tilting way - no doubt to stop you plunging half a dozen stories to your death if the view made you feel a bit despondent and you started looking for a way to end the torture. The television provided was a large one but the channels disappointing - only sky sports as well as terrestrial. Pay per view movies were charged at £7.50 per channel so if you wanted to watch more than one production the bill quickly added up. Choices were limited to semi-recent cinema / DVD releases - Finding Nemo, Sea biscuit and Calendar girls
were all on offer, along with 4 adult channels offering such quality titles as "little lace panties" among others.

The hotel has a gym and pool area open Monday to Friday from 6.30am - 10pm, and 8am - 8pm at weekends. Both were small but acceptable for hotel places, and I quickly fell in love with their cross trainers, fitting in a worrying 4 visits in the day and a half I was there. I also made it to the pool once and from there to an ultra relaxing 10 minutes in the Jacuzzi where I was entertained by a young lady (16ish) who told me all about the time her and "the boyf" stayed over in the hotel for a valentines day treat. How lovely. The amount of chlorine in both the pool and Jacuzzi made me glad that body lotion was one of the products provided in the bathrooms as well as the usual bath foam and shampoo.

The hotel claims to have a café and restaurant though in actual fact these are located in the same room. We were on full board (not usually on offer) so ate 6 meals there during our stay. Breakfast was acceptable though the buffet tables were a sincere let down after the menu guide provided on the table The "baker's basket" of croissants, baps, bagels and muffins turned out to be a tatty rattan affair with a pitiful number of half baked rolls. Cereals, cold meats (lots) and cheese (2 kinds - Cheddar and Cheshire), fruit salad and yoghurts were also available. A cooked breakfast was on offer but had nothing vegetarian either morning - just limp looking sausages and pieces of bacon swimming half-heartedly in a pool of grease. Toast (obviously the thistle term for "warm bread") was brought to tables whether you wanted it or not. Drinks were mainly self service and include apple, orange, grapefruit and tomato juices. I asked for a glass of water one day since the jug containing it had been taken off to a table by a rather thirsty looking guest, but this took a while to materialise. The second morning all
the jugs were full of other things, but my request for l'eau was met much quicker. A reception style problem occurred once more when the waiter offered "tea or coffee?" and I came back with a "no thank you" once more. He looked quite put out, but obviously remembered the next morning because I wasn't offered either again. Both mornings I was met with an "are you dining *alone*?" which was followed by a silent but very much implied "surely not". I have eaten alone at restaurants and in hotels all over Europe and America, but have to say it only ever seems to be an issue within the UK.

Lunch was buffet service and a limited one at that - a small selection of salads and meats, some rolls and a couple of hot dishes - such as rice and chicken curry one day. Luckily the pudding selection was outstanding - so much so that on our last day I felt the need to have 3 trips to that table, chowing down on chocolate mousse, cheesecake and chocolate fudge cake in turn. The evening was more of the same - we were on a limited version of the main menu, and though not much appealed to me, I made up for it at chocolate bombe and cheese and biscuits time. Those eating proper meals said the food was ok if not outstanding. The menu is described as MediterAsian, incorporating a mix of the two types, but all menus were noticeable lacking in vegetarian options. Drinks were unbelievably expensive for the north east, so aside from breakfast most of us stuck to water. Room service can be ordered, but the prices are high and the selection not very extensive.

The conference facilities seemed ok with all rooms full of pads of paper, snazzy Thistle Hotel pens, flip charts and OHPs. The coffee areas were well stocked at all times and a small selection of biscuits constantly available, and I never saw so many bottles of mineral water in one room as I did during our sessions there.

Security in the hotel seemed good, and the li
fts themselves don't work in the evening unless you swipe them with your room key card which seemed a good idea given the location.

I would probably not have chosen the hotel any more than I would have chosen the city in question, but for an all expenses paid trip I think we were all happy to tick good in the "verdict on accommodation" section of our feedback questionnaires. My bill said £102 per night dinner bed and breakfast which was ridiculously high - but probably one of those rack rates no one ever pays. I'm almost certain the company were paying no more than half that for the group of us. The location in town was good - a cinema and several pubs were nearby, and the shopping centres were just a stone's throw away. Overall, a fine hotel for business travel, but a little over priced and under equipped for me to choose to stay at if my own credit card was being charged. Whether or not I get the job (results out at the end of the month, so fingers crossed) I am glad I got to try this place out, and must say I felt lovely and secure in the hotel despite the surroundings.

Summary: