Probably the worst hotel in Bristol

Having stayed at most of the Bristol City Centre hotels, I would probably rate the Thistle Grand as the worst! The only good thing is its location and the fact that you can park there, although you do have to pay dearly for it. The rooms are dark and dingy and most overlook the courtyard and with the generator going all night, these are really noisy. The breakfast is OK but service is slow but the worst thing of all is the room service - the food is absolutely appalling and like most hotels really expensive. Another problem is getting a drink. The ground floor bar services the restaurant and you can only get a drink here if you are eating there! The main bar is down in the cellar and is only serviced by several flights of steep stairs, a real problem for anyone with walking difficulties. In fact this hotel doesn't appear to cater well for disabled guests.

Take my advice and if you are thinking of staying here, then don't!

Not grand at all

"Faded" doesn't begin to describe it. In need of a makeover; in fact overdue it by about 10 years I'd guess. The bed sagged alarmingly ... and this was before I even got into it! Probably was a genuinely 'grand' hotel 100 years ago but a visitor is now just left with a glimpse of any long-dimmed grandeur. Breakfast was probably OK but I really couldn't be bothered waiting for someone to bring me toast and coffee - the morning's too hurried to waste 10 minutes there when you're on business.

On the plus side, quiet and clean enough and decent size room. It's 5 minutes walk from excellent fish & chips at Pellegrinos or some decent restaurants on Corn St. I would stay here if I had to but there are better in the city centre for the same price (£100 / night).

Missing The One Percenters

Bear in mind I only stayed in the hotel for one night:

Negatives - No Airconditioning, Noisey Fan, Loose tiles in the Bathroom.

Positives - Good location, good size rooms, good breakfast, has internet access (although a bit expensive).

Overall I would say I would use it again.

Another Thistle Disappointment

Thistle hotels seem to have some great central locations, as this one does, but the ones I have stayed in could all have done with a refurbishment. Bristol was no exception. The lobby was nice enough and makes a good first impression, but my room was jaded with cigarette burns on the carpet, scratched and stained furniture and needed a good airing. It was very warm too. The shower and bathroom were passable, and breakfast was good. The hotel was probably value for money too in central Bristol at around eighty pounds a night, but I'd rather spend a bit more money for something of a higher standard. Best thing about it was that it was very close to a cracking Italian restaurant where I had a lovely evening meal.

All round excellence!

Really enjoyed the overnight stay! Clean room and superb breakfast-would definitely recommend to all.

Mid Range 4* hotel, above average for the Thistle Group

I liked this hotel because of its standard of service, location and cosy decor. The rooms are well furnished if slightly outdated which sums up the hotel overall.

I stayed in a number of Thistle hotels including this one as they were offered at about 1/2 the rack rate through a last minute online booking, at this price the hotel offered excellent value for money.

The breakfast was the best thing!

I recently stayed at the Thistle, Bristol as part of a hen weekend group.

My initial impressions were good, the check in service was quick and efficient however as the other reviews mention, the car park is not the most modern of places and is a little bit creepy.

The room was quite nice though very old fashioned. Our group had 6 rooms altogether and it was quite amazing to see the difference there was between room sizes. The beds very extremely comfortable and all the linen was crisp and clean and the room as a whole was very clean.

The hotel bar drinks are extortionate and you can spend up to £10 for 2 vodka and cokes.

The ladies toilets just off reception were absolutely disgusting! I went in there about 7pm before going and only 2 were in working order, one had 'water' all over the cubicle floor and the other was blocked with unmentionable things.... I think there was a wedding reception there that day so there were probably more guests than usual but there should be no excuse for the state these toilets were in.

When we returned to the hotel in the evening (around about 1am) we were greeted with a police riot van and crowds gathered outside with grown men crying, apparently there had been some sort of altercation. However we had no more disturbance through the rest of the night yet when we went down to breakfast the following morning, the entire stairwells and reception area absolutely reeked of vomit. You could not escape it! Then on departure we went to pay for our parking and were told by the hen party package company through whom our stay was organised, that it was £6.50 per stay, but the hotel were arguing it was £6.50 per night. It took nearly an hour for those that had been over charged (which depended on whether the gentleman or woman on reception took the parking money) to get our money back.

The swimming pool which guests have use of for free was very pleasant but is not the one advertised throughout the hotel documentation, but was very clean and well run.

The best thing about our stay was the cooked buffet breakfast without a doubt!

I would only stay here again if I know there were no 'chav' wedding receptions going on in advance as the location is fabulous!!!

Must be better places in Bristol

I stayed here for 2 nights and was really dissapointed. Firstly, I booked by telephone then called back the night before my stay to extend by another night. I was told there was no record of my booking - so I booked again - and then got charged twice!!! I'm still trying to get the money back. The staff when I checked in were not interested and dismissed my query about the possibility of being charged twice.

The rooms were tiny (I satyed in a single room ) and overpriced at £108 (+ £6.50 parking per night - something I was not informed about when I booked) The previous review re. the car park is accurate - a nightmare to navigate with a bigger than average car.

There must be much nicer places to stay in Bristol than this for the price. The only bonus was the location - some great restaurants + shops nearby.

Excellent Value

I stayed in the Bristol Thistle during October 2002 and found

Room Clean, Comfortable and spacious

Service excellent

Food disappointing menu limited but fairly good value

4 star hotel

The service was poor, the food was poor,

and if your room is on the front of the building

the noise from hight club ravers etc., singing and shouting etc., until 4 or 5 in the morning is extremely loud, despite keeping windows closed. Had to have ceiling fans on all night.

The picture of the pool etc., for the Bristol hotel is not actually the one at Bristol which is a lot smaller than the picture infers.

The car park is difficult to navigate if you have

a larger than average car.