London - Thistle Marble Arch for $60

Old Feb 21st, 2006, 05:02 PM
  #21  
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I'm just back from my stay at the Thistle Marble Arch. $60 was a great deal.

It was a large, busy business-type hotel. My room was pretty small, certainly sufficient for 1 or 2 people, and probably usual from a city hotel. It was decorated fairly nicely. The bed was very comfortable. It had a small refrigerator which came in very handy. The bathroom, while small, was efficiently laid out. In short, while not luxurious, it was very comfortable. The room was very clean and it was tidied up nicely each day.

At check-in, the friendly woman asked if I'd like a 20 GBP upgrade to a nicer room which includes breakfast. I just said no, thank you. No pressure. No mention of Priceline. Check in took 5 minutes, maybe less. The room was ready when I arrived at noon or so.

The location was very convenient. A block from the tube stop. My room overlooked Oxford Street, so it was a little noisy. After the first night, I didn't notice the noise any more. (We previously stayed near the Notting Hill Gate tube stop and I preferred that area as it was quieter and quainter.)

The people at the hotel were all very nice. The service was not top-notch, but was always friendly. Any comments following are small quibbles. (When I received a phone call, they insisted that I was no longer staying at the hotel. My caller had to tell them 3 times that they were sure I was there.) (When I asked the concierge how to get to Locanda Locatelli, a top-notch restaurant that was 2 blocks away, the concierge was not familiar with it and had to look up the address. Not a problem, but usually the concierge is familiar with the area restaurants and can make recommendations.) (The instructions on the phone for voice mail, room service, etc. were incorrect so I had to call the front desk to inquire how to do these things.) (Then the voice mail message kept flashing on the TV, even though I had electronically directed the message to be deleted, thus preventing anyone from watching the TV. The front desk said they had to reset it and did so. Does everyone who receives a message have to call the front desk to be able to watch TV?)

The lobby was a little smoky, but besides passing though to go in and out, you only have to stay there for 5-10 minutes at check-in and check-out. There is an internet station set up in the cafe in the lobby. It costs 4 GBP for 20 minutes and the mouse didn't work too well. I would recommend an internet cafe, which I subsequently used for 1 GBP for 2 hours, with better functioning equipment. This one was a few doors down from the Phoenix theatre.

To summarize, I would gladly stay at the Thistle Marble Arch again. My first choice, when travelling with a family, would be to rent an apartment if possible. When travelling with 1 or 2 people, the Thistle Marble Arch was great. I would like to have seen the upgraded rooms to see if the difference would be worth it next time.
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Old Feb 21st, 2006, 07:03 PM
  #22  
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travelgirl2, thanks so much for this report, it makes me even more excited about my trip to London and my stay at Thistle Marble Arch. I was wondering if the room would have a fridge, and you've answered my question. Can you answer one other, please? Does the room have a coffee pot and cups?
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Old Feb 22nd, 2006, 03:03 AM
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P_M - there was a pot with a coil inside to heat up water. Also, packets of instant coffee, tea bags and a packet of hot chocolate. I bought a small container of milk and kept it in the fridge.

There was also a hair dryer in the desk drawer (not the bathroom). It was screwed into the drawer, so you had to stand at the desk to use it.

Have a great time!
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Old Feb 22nd, 2006, 03:12 AM
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One other thing I found very useful. I purchased an Oyster card for the tube. It's a pre-paid card for the subway. It costs 3 GBP and then I added 20 GBP to use for trips. This way, it just charged automatically for each trip I made. It eliminated having to get tickets, as you just swipe the Oyster each time you go in and out. Also, my understanding is that if you take a lot of trips, the maximum it will charge you for the day is 50 pence less than a 1 day travelcard. I found it useful because I never knew if I was going to take the tube 1 or 2 a day and then walk a lot or end up using it 5 times.
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Old Feb 22nd, 2006, 03:28 AM
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Hi travelgirl2-Just wondering- we are a family group of 5. Can we buy one Oyster card or do all individuals have to have their own?
It certainly sounds more convenient than trying to work out how much train travel you will do for the day and if you should buy single fares or a day pass
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Old Feb 27th, 2006, 08:30 PM
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Hi! never been to london before,can you tell me what part of town the hotel is located in? I'll be flying into Gatwick and out of Heathrow at 6:40 a.m. 2 days later, will this location work for that early flight? thanks!
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Old Feb 27th, 2006, 09:00 PM
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We loved the Thistle Marble Arch! $60/night for this hotel is an unbelievable bargain.

One really nice feature is the "North American" outlet (near the desk) so you don't have to worry about dual voltage appliances or plug adapters.

While we were staying there, I noticed a room key sticking out of the slot on the door of another room on the way back to our room. The "privacy" light was turned on, so I didn't want to knock, even though it was only about 10PM. So, I took the key all the way down to the front desk. When I handed it to the desk clerk with an explanation, he just pitched it into the trash can assuming they would just come ask for another one. So, I wrote a note for him to leave for them - just in case they remembered leaving it in the door.
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Old Feb 28th, 2006, 12:36 PM
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JoMark: My understanding is that each traveller needs an Oystercard. No sharing.
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Old Feb 28th, 2006, 12:59 PM
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Just taking a quick look -- even I have heard of Locanda Locatelli. What was the concierge smoking? How was dinner, by the way?

I forget the name of the guy who owns that restaurant, but if I remember, there's at least one other restaurant owned by the same guy.
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Old Feb 28th, 2006, 01:40 PM
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"Congrats, travelgirl2!! I've only used Priceline once and I got a suite in Houston for only $50. Since then I am a Priceline fan for life, and I'm very much looking forward to trying it again."

Don't be mislead by success in Houston. It is easy to get good deal in places like Houston where no one wants to go. Hotels in hot tourist areas fill their rooms easilu and don't need to resort to Priceline and the like. This is not to say that Priceline is bad, just don't expect huge bargains travelling to real tourist places in season.
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Old Feb 28th, 2006, 01:40 PM
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travelgirl2-

thanks for the report on the hotel. I'll be staying there for 6 nights in June - I also won it on Priceline, but for $55.

I'm ecstatic on the deal I'm getting. I think I'll decline the 20 GBP upgrade, too.
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Old Feb 28th, 2006, 01:49 PM
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FIFTY-FIVE BUCKS!

I think TMA must be price-pointing. They've determined that they can maximize their occupancy (and/or liquidate ALL their remnant space) by taking any rate they can get on Priceline.

May they prosper.
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Old Feb 28th, 2006, 02:40 PM
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"don't expect huge bargains travelling to real tourist places in season."

Imhornet, do you not condsider London to be a real tourist place? Did you read later my other post about getting Thistle Marble Arch in London for $60/night? Both times I used priceline got what I wanted at a HUGE discount. And it seems that a lot of others have done the same.

As far as my bid in Houston goes, the suite I got for $50 was indeed a very popular and pricey area of town. I did quite a bit of research before making that bid and I found nothing else in that area for less than $100/night for just a basic room.
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Old Feb 28th, 2006, 06:18 PM
  #34  
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Just checking back in...

JoMark - Oyster was very convenient. I don't know about using it with a family, but I will be researching this also since I will be returning next summer with my family. I'll be checking into this on their website too.

Corgis - I'm not an expert on London, but this hotel was 2 easy blocks from the Marble Arch tube station. On the way from Heathrow, I took the tube (with 1 change, I believe it was at Holborne). The trip was 1 1/2 hours, including a long walk from the terminal to the tube stop. On the way back to Heathrow, I took a more direct tube route (with 2 changes, which was difficult with luggage due to the stairs) and it took closer to 1 hour 10 minutes. Another faster option is the Heathrow Express. I don't know how early these start running. But, I assume you don't want to stay at the airport for 2 nights, so you'll probably be coming into the city in any case. I'm not sure what the best location for you would be. I can say that I found travel on the tube to be very easy. Good luck.

djkbooks - I didn't notice the North American adapter! What a great feature.

111op - I had an excellent meal at Locanda Locatelli. Scallop appetizer, pasta with chicken livers (never would have tried that but I asked the waitress for her favorites - it was very good) and a fish dish. Wine, cappucino. Expensive at 69 GBP plus gratuity. Wonderful service. As a solo diner, they were very welcoming and attentive. The staff was excellent, in my opinion. The atmosphere in the restaurant is elegant (but not too much so). A very enjoyable evening.

chepar - $55! Wow. Great deal.
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Old Mar 1st, 2006, 01:27 PM
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"Imhornet, do you not condsider London to be a real tourist place? Did you read later my other post about getting Thistle Marble Arch in London for $60/night?"

When did you go. If it is in high season, I'd be surprised. You can always get lucky, but it is the ezception, not the rule.
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Old Mar 1st, 2006, 01:37 PM
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People have won their $55-60 bids for dates in every month of the year - check out betterbidding.com and biddingfortravel.com .
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Old Mar 1st, 2006, 01:44 PM
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$60 is awesome. Just as an FYI I booked The Hilton Waldorf for $90 in late June of this year, which I considered to be a pretty good deal for a 5 star, and considering the location.
Jeff
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