Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Thistle Westminister

For a few years I have collected Fodors readers comments on hotels near Victoria and Charing Cross. Here are the parts that cover Thistle hotels. I can gladly e mail you the whole list, if you ask me.

Thistle Hotel prices. Reports from travellers say that it is worth shopping around for the cost of a room in a Thistle hotel. They suggest you start with two company sites,
http://www.thistlehotels.com/offers/ then ?Regional offers?, then ?London?then "View All Offers". In June 2004 this showed the following offers until 31 Dec 2004, with full English breakfast, per passenger in a double room,
At Thistle Trafalgar and Piccadilly, from 49.50 GBP
At Thistle Charing Cross and Thistle Royal Horseguards, from 62.50GBP
Weekend Special at Thistle Charing Cross, 55GBP
In July 2003 the Thistle website was offering weekend rooms at auction, starting at a pound a night
For the Thistle Victoria: http://www.thistlehotels.com/hotel_d....jhtml?id=4684

Then they say you should check via brokers:
http://www.lastminute.com, then Hotels, then London. Shows only Barbican and Tower, nothing central
http://www.orbitz.com, then hotels, then London and dates. Shows only Charing Cross
http://london.hotelguide.net/, then Thistle. Shows only Charing Cross, at full rates and no discounts

Another traveller called the Thistle company?s 800 number and asked for their best rate. When she was given a rate she asked if there was a better rate and there was

Grosvenor Thistle, the Victorian hotel right at Victoria station. I stayed there years ago several times. There is an entrance right in the hotel to the station which was convenient . The rooms were clean, the help, friendly, helpful shops and cocktail lounges.

Grosvenor Thistle, right there at Victoria, indeed over it and surrounding it, cannot be beat for location, location, location. It is huge, and it does lack the charm that smaller places can deliver. However, being right there at your train station and/or tube stop has huge advantages. Our room there was spacious, clean, and comfortable. Buckingham Palace Road , SW1W 0SJ, phone 7834 9494 and 0870 333 9120, fax 0870 333 9220. 148 pounds or 208 dollars a night for a double.

October 2002: We had a double room on the fifth floor of the Thistle Vic. It was a good sized room with twin beds, nice dresser with mirror, big closet (wardrobe type), small table, two chairs, a trouser press, and a TV, and nicely decorated. The bathroom was larger than other places I have stayed, too, with both tub and shower.

The area is convenient, but I like the Gloucester Road tube stop area better. I haven't stayed in Bloomsbury and would like to try that next time. (There is always going to be a next time for me; I love London.) What is particularly nice for people not familiar with the city is that there is a hotel entrance inside Victoria Station, so if you come from Gatwick by the express train, you are home when you get to the station.

We did hear muted train announcements during daytime hours, but they were not distracting and we did have the windows open all the time. I don't believe there is any air conditioning. Our room was through a priceline.com vacation package and did not include breakfast. We didn't eat breakfast in the hotel dining room since it was quite expensive when not included.

We stayed at the Victoria Thistle in 1998 and it was very nice. "Victorian" in no way implies aged or seedy--the exterior is quite Victorian, but our room was spacious and lovely. We could hear the announcements from the station drift up, but they were in no way interruptive or sleep preventing. There really aren't too many announcements later in the evening or through the night. (I think we were on the third or fourth floor.)

The location is perfect, of course, as it is right in the heart of things--walkable to Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey. It is convenient, obviously, to the rail station and to the tube, as well as bus stations. If you are flying in and out of Gatwick, it has the bonus of being right there where the jetlagged get off the Gatwick express! And if you are on Brit Air, you can check your luggage there at Victoria and not have to fiddle with it on your return trek to Gatwick. American Airlines used to have a check in there, too--I don't know if they still do.

If there is a down side, it would be that its sheer massiveness means it is not exactly cosy and charming. It is more regal and just plain large. The breakfasts we had there were not quiet moments to start the day, but rather clattery, bustling experiences. But given all its other advantages, that was a minor point.

Obviously we liked the place, and when the state of North Carolina gives its community college teachers a huge raise, we would stay there again! It is more affordable via airline package deals, I think.

I stayed at the hotel last month (November 2002), booked through Londontown.com for 45 pounds (VAT included). There are two wings. It is not very convenient to stay in the side wing, as you have to change elevator, and walk through Very Long corridors. The room was nice and clean, but nothing fancy.

Correspondence from Fodors forum, 29 March to 5 April 2003

Question from Judy

My travel agent has suggested the Thistle Victoria Hotel for my family of four's first visit to London. Does anyone know anything about this hotel and its location? How about the Harrington Hall or the Park International? These are other suggestions by my travel agent. Any tips about what to do and how to get about would be appreciated

Replies

RosemaryM: We stayed at the Thistle Victoria a few years ago when it was still the Grosvenor Thistle. It is old and rather Victorian, unless it has been refurbished with the new name. However I enjoyed it. It is so close to Victoria Station that there is an entrance to the Station concourse from the lobby. From our room you could hear the announcements from the station. It is very convenient if you are coming from Gatwick.

Ann: The hotel is OK. Not great but OK. Everything works. My only problem is the Victoria area. Horrendously busy, noisy, and covered in construction. They are currently redoing the front of Victoria Station which will be impossible to avoid. If you are only staying a few days then being dead central is key. If you are staying a week or so, go about one or two tube stops to the west for a more neighborhood London feel.

JoeE: We have just returned Sunday, March 30, 2003, from a seven-night stay at the Thistle Victoria on an American Airlines vacation package. We couldn't have been more pleased with it for our first stay in London. Access is so easy from the Gatwick Express. There are two short flights of stairs from the train station lobby up to the hotel lobby. One flight of about four steps and the second flight of about ten steps. The lobby and staircase are regal. The room was very nice. The towel warmer in the bathroom was convenient for drying our washables. While in our room, we weren't aware that we were near the train station. Many city busses depart from the plaza in front of the train station. The tube is just a few steps down from the station level. We didn't think the area was seedy at all, especially compared to the area around the Munich and Frankfurt train stations. There are several decent restaurants (including a pub) in Victoria Place two levels up from the train station. We would seriously consider staying there again.

We stayed at one of the Thistle chain hotels, the one at Victoria Station, during Sept. 2003. Hotel was very convenient, being right at Victoria train station (entrance right in the station) and next to one of the main tube stops. We were within walking distance of Buckingham Palace, etc. Rooms were not luxurious but nice and comfortable. The hotel staff was polite and helpful. Seemed to be quite a few Americans - I guess we like convenience. Next time I'm in London, I probably won't stay there just so I can try something different (and a different area) but I wouldn't complain if I had to stay there again. One caution - if you do stay here and need A/C, ask for it in advance. Some of the rooms have A/C and others do not. I believe our room was less than $150 per night (but who knows now since the pound is so strong against the dollar).

Charing Cross Thistle Hotel. Full rate 190 to 255, discount 90 for a double in 2002
Thistle Hotel prices. Reports from travellers say that it is worth shopping around for the cost of a room in a Thistle hotel. They suggest you start with two company sites,
http://www.thistlehotels.com/offers/ then ?Regional offers?, then ?London?then "View All Offers". In June 2004 this showed the following offers until 31 Dec 2004, with full English breakfast, per passenger in a double room,
At Thistle Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly, from 49.50 GBP
At Thistle Charing Cross and Thistle Royal Horseguards, from 62.50GBP
Weekend Special at Thistle Charing Cross, 55GBP

Thistle Charing Cross, 13 September 2004 one. The hotel is a classic railway terminus hotel, in about as good a location as you can get. It's one of the few London hotels i've ever stayed in (about a year ago), and while its rooms are hardly lavish, it really wasn't possible to fault it.

13 September two. This hotel does not have its own car park but uses Spring Gardens car park nearby. You cannot get more central than the Charing Cross Thistle. The monument in the front of the hotel is where all distances to London are measured from. Also, the area around the hotel is very safe and as it is located above a main train station every inch of the area is fully covered by CCTV and usually with a heavy police presence of Metropolitan and London Transport police.

13 September three. Just completed a weeklong stay at Thistle Charing Cross yesterday. Noise is not a problem. The neighborhood is fine. Excellent location close to everything. Quick, early check-in. Rooms are a bit small. Maid service generally good except had to keep asking for more towels. Restaurants and bars and general hotel services were way overpriced.

Thistle Westminster, July 2004: I stayed there December 97 to January 98 and it was a nice hotel, clean, the people at the desk helpful, an attractive hotel but not luxurious. The location is convenient, only a couple blocks to Victoria Station.

Thistle Royal Horseguards, August 2004: I would highly recommend this. It is so easy to walk from there to any prime location in London, and it is two minutes to the Embankment tube station. The staff was great, the included breakfast nice, and the room was big and comfortable. Another writer: I agree with the comment regarding the Thistle Royal Horseguards which was exceptional.

Thistle Trafalgar Square. October 2003. When we got to our hotel around 10:30, we were able to check in right away. I know the advice here is to stay awake that first day and go to bed early, but that just does not seem to work for me, and since we were able to check in so early, we slept for a few hours. We stayed at the Thistle Trafalgar Square (115 pounds including VAT and breakfast). I felt that this was a great choice. You could not be closer to all the bus stops in Trafalgar Square (and of course, if you want to take the Tube, it is close as well), plus Trafalgar Square proved to be a great spot for all sorts of things going on. The room was small, which I expected, only the size of a night table between the two twin beds, but with a closet and dresser. The bathroom was decent size, and the shower was terrific! Lots of water as hot as you could possibly want it and plenty of water pressure. Sure felt good at the end of a day of sightseeing! The people at the desk were helpful if needed. The included buffet breakfast included eggs, sausage, cheese, yoghurt, fruit, croissants, beans, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms, hash brown potatoes, bacon, basically anything you want. You could also order toast if you wanted it.

Thistle Trafalgar Square. 13 September 2004, one. Hotels in London aren't high-rise, having a room on the fifth as opposed to second or third floor won't really have much effect. It's a good position for the real touristy areas of London.

13 September, two. I stayed at the hotel in spring 2004. The room is a little small but clean, no noise I could notice. The public area is less grand than Thistle Charing Cross; small breakfast area,could be very busy in mid-morning. I just booked B&B for 92 pounds for this month through londontown.com.

13 September, three. I just booked a B&B for 30 GBP. Very quiet, 3 min walk from the tube.

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