Family Vacation at Thistle Tower

I stayed at the Thistle Tower for 6 days/5 nights with my parents and sister. Below are my thoughts on the hotel.

Location: The location is great. While not in the center of London, but on the east side of the City of London directly across the London Bridge from the Tower of London. St. katherine's dock surrounds the east side of the hotel. Its very scenic. There is also a Safeway grocery store in the dock area that closes around 8pm during week if you need supplies. The tower hill tube stop is a short walk. There isnt much going on at night or on the weekends, but you're a short cab ride to anywhere.

Rooms: We had two rooms: two twin rooms on the 5th floor facing the tower of london. The room size was normal for London standards. They were clean and very well maintained. The bathroom was the standard tub/shower. The beds were low to the ground but the mattress were firm and slept well. Overall, the rooms were pretty standard for a room in london, however, the second and third floors seem to look nicer. But I didnt get a look inside any rooms.

Service: Overall there was no problem with the service. One one occasion, I called to ask for a bottle opener and it took longer than it should have (maybe 1 hour), but that was not a big deal. The hotel maids come early (8-9am) so if you dont want to be disturbed please hang out the sign on the door. The front desk was always well staff and the employees were helpful and friendly. Also, the doorman did a great job of arranging cabs.

Random thoughts: The hotel does not have ice machines on every floor nor does it have soda machines, but the pub sells bottled water, soda and of course beer which can be taken to your room. The continental breakfast was very good and there are long lines on weekends. During the week the hotel is full of business people and on the weekend it was crowded full of tourists. The hotel restaurant is very expensive for US tourists.

Overall, there were no complaints and I (we) would gladly stay there again and would not hesitate to recommend this hotel.

Great location-NOT good for shopping at weekends!

Just stayed at Thistle Tower for one night. Arrived midday after a long Sunday morning spent travelling so just wanted to check in and change as we were meeting a friend at 2.30pm. Called beforehand to ask if our room was ready and we were told to turn up after 12.30 as most guests had not yet checked out from the night before. We left it a while longer and turned up at 2pm-the official check in time but our room was still not ready for us. When we asked how much longer it would be they told us to come back "Much later". We were unhappy with this as we were tired from travelling and wanted to change before meeting our friend.

We left our luggage with concierge which was a good service-a ticket was given to us so that it could be easily located and not just given out to anyone who did'nt have a valid matching ticket. We returned at 5.30pm and were finally allowed to check in. We had a club double room on the 9th floor which was very nicely decorated with a marble bathroom and bathrobes. The view of tower bridge was stunning-especially at night when it was bathed in bright white light. Very romantic. We ordered room service which was satisfactory. A word of warning for those staying at the hotel or anywhere else in this area at the weekend-EVERYTHING is closed! On the Sunday we had to go into Covent Garden to go shopping as all the malls in this area were closed. Same goes for restaurants and bars-nothing is open on a Saturday or Sunday evening as it is the Financial district and really only open Mon-Fri.

Good for midweek breaks and business visits but weekend leisure travellers will be disapointed with the lack of shops/bars/restaurants open in the area at weekends. Good for sightseeing though-St. Pauls, Monument, Bank of England and Temple are all within 15 minutes walk away. And of course the Tower of London and Tower Bridge are on your doorstep! Would definately stay here again, but midweek rather than at a weekend.

Great location!

We stayed at the hotel for 10 nights. We really enjoyed the location because it was on the river and the view of the Tower Bridge and the Tower of London is magnificant. Additionally, it's close to the underground and it's fairly quite at night, which mattered to my husband and I. It is because of the view and the location that I rate it above-average. However, we were awoken our first night after significant jet lag to a false 'fire alarm'. We were there in January so it was very cold, and we had to evacuate down the side staircase and out in to the front of the hotel. They did after about 10-15 minutes let us in to the lobby where we had to wait for the 'okay' to return to our room. Other than that, the rooms were clean and warm, and beds were adequate, and the service was fine. The food was average but the staff was friendly. Again, the hotel has one thing really going for it...LOCATION!

Thistle Tower Review

My boyfriend and I just got back (today) from a weeklong stay in London (and some time in Paris). During our time in London, we stayed at the Thistle Tower. The hotel was clean, and the staff was friendly. We were delighted that the hotel was so close to Tower Bridge and the Tower of London, and the hotel was also within walking distance from a tube station (giving us easy access to several other London attractions, such at Westminster Abbey, which is on the same tube line). We had a lovely view of the Thames, and although another reviewer claims that they were kept up all night by party boats, we had no such experience.

At no time did we ever even hear anyone from any neighboring rooms, not to mention any noise from outside. Additionally, our room was clean, and everything seemed to be quite new. One day a bulb on a lamp burned out, and a staff member was up to our room within minutes to replace it. The bathroom was immaculate, and the room was plenty big (with heated towel racks, a large closet, etc). We were never once disturbed by anyone, including maids, etc. Oh, and the concierge was wonderful (he was very helpful and assisted us in figuring out the tube, getting taxis, finding restaurants, getting tickets for tours, etc).

Great views, but ...

Stayed at the Thistle Tower because it was convenient to London City Airport. The view of Tower Bridge from my room was fabulous! However, the room itself was scratched, frayed, rundown, and well below the quality expected for the price. The bed was the worst part - lumpy and sagging down the midline. Food (breakfast) was only so-so. I won't be back.

Fantastic Views

My hotel room at Thistle Tower had an absolutely amazing view! However, be warned that if you have a river view, you'll be awakened (or kept awake) by party barges that roam the Thames until the wee hours of the morning. I found the staff to be exceptionally warm and helpful; the breakfast buffet was outstanding and I would definitely stay here again! Views from the Thames Bar are amazing!

Comfortable/Modern Hotel

Our stay at the Thistle Tower was comfortable. The hotel has amenities such as, "real" airconditioning, modern bathroom facilities, ice making machines, and an appetizing breakfast, which is important or expected by most American travelers. In my job I travel to many countries reviewing Hotels and rating them. There were no problems with the fire alarms or incompetent staff. I highly recommend this hotel, especially with the discounted rate I received through ...

Love the Thistle Tower

I was a First time trveler to London. Our room was more than we expected. All staff were very friendly and helpful. The view was spectacular. We could not have asked for more!

Appalling Service

I am responsible for offering travel advice to my staff. We're a transportation company so there is extensive worldwide travel involved for most members of our staff. I have advised our company travel agent that under no circumstances is she to book anyone into this hotel.I often go to London for extended business trips (often 2 to 4 weeks at a time). I usually stay at a small company preferred hotel near the Tower Bridge, but decided to try the Tower Thistle for a change.I was there for 2 weeks. During my stay there, the fire alarm went off 9 times and the entire hotel had to be evacuated each time. No explanations were provided, no evacuation guidance was offered and no apologies were given. One time, the alarm went off before 6 am on a very cold and rainy Sunday morning.I had a beautiful City View room but it was extremely cold (in the middle of winter in 2002). I called to have the thermostat adjusted several times, but to no avail. All they could give me was an electric heater which broke on the first night. I complained very loudly and was moved to another room 4 days later. The new room was nice, but extremely noisy (it overlooked a construction site).I understand that no hotel room can be perfect, but the staff simply would not listen to my concerns or simply trivialized them.

Top Location

Located in the city, it may seem that the Tower Thistle is not for the first time visitor to London, but get the right room and it offers an unparalled view of Tower Bridge. Worth the extra for a City Club room, ask for one with views of Tower Bridge. It's worth a visit to the bridge itself, and of course the Tower of London is just across the road, and an essential visit. The hotel is of a good standard, with clean, comfortable and reasonably well appointed rooms. The weekend rates are particulaly attractive, and just across the river is Conran's gastrodome, offering a choice of classy restuarants. Dining in house is OK, but beware of breakfast if there are groups in house - it's busy. The food is ok, but treat yourself acroos the river for dinner.