Thistle Westminster

Great Location

by TripAdvisor Member kimmyklc

We stayed at Thistle Westminster in October 2005 for two nights free as part of a British Airways promotion. The location was excellent for a tourist wanting to see the sights...A block from the underground, about 2 blocks from Victoria Station and walking distance from Buckinham Palace. "The Big Bus" London tour bus has a stop right in front of the Thistle Westminster. Other excursion tour bus companies picked us up right at the Thistle Westminster. Very safe area to walk around at night. The concierge was excellent - we were very pleased with all his recommendations. Our room was not ready for us to check in early when we arrived at 9:00am. At 11:30am, a room was available, so they upgraded our room to an executive room and let us check in early at no charge. The executive room was very roomy, with two twin beds, a couch, 2 desks, plenty of drawer and closet space. There was air conditioning in our room, which we were not expecting from reading other reviews. The internet access in the room was dial-up, but they had a computer with high-speed access in the lobby, for a charge. Although we read that the hotel needs updating, it wasn't bad at all. A lobby couch was a little worn on the arm, but overall, it was fine. Along the lines of a nice marriot. We met someone staying at nearby Rubens, which other trip advisor reviewers said was better to stay at. Rubens looked very posh, but the people we met said the rooms were so tiny they could hardly walk around in it. We would definately stay at Thistle Westminster again.

Do Not Stay Here

by A TripAdvisor Member

This property has been neglected for a long time. We paid $400.00USD a night for a triple room that for 1 1/2 days had no hot water. Air conditioning did not work at all for our 4 night stay. The garden view was full of weeds and appeared to be ignored. The continental breakfast is horrible, the hot breakfast is worse. Furniture in the lobby/sitting room is worn and faded with dated decor.
The best compensation we were offered after having to negotiate with the manager was a complimentary dinner at the hotel. No Thank You.
$400.00 a night would have given us a room at the Ritz in a United States property. The Thistle Westminster is a consumer ripoff. Do not book a reservation here under any circumstance.

Great Location - Very Helpful Staff - Large Rooms

by A TripAdvisor Member

Myself, my wife and our 12 year old daughter vacationed in London and Paris in April 2006 and spent three nights at the Thistle Westminster. I chose this hotel based on reviews here, its location and the price. I was not dissapointed.

I was surprised by how large the room was. We booked a triple (a REAL double bed and a fold out couch) with an ensuite bath/shower. The room itself was very much like a Radisson or Mariott in the states. Large main room with a desk and seating area (where the fold-out couch was and a decent sized bathroom in which everything worked (amazing water pressure, by the way!). The only complaints I have is that the fold out was not very comfortable, you could feel the frame beneath the matress - but this is fairly normal for a fold out bed so it wasn't a deal-breaker or anything.

The location was fantastic! Literally less than a 5 minute walk from Victoria station. Since we flew into Gatwick, we just jumped on the Gatwick Express train (approx 30 min from the airport to Victoria) and walked to the hotel. Our room was not ready early - but they did secure our bags.

The proximiity to Victoria Station puts literally all of London at your doorstep and the hotel is, literally, a 5 minute walk from Buckingham Palace.

All the staff were extremely helpful, one in particular - Michael - was a real gem. He helped us with tickets to attractions, neighborhood information, and even helped us find a good Indian restaurant and a REAL English Pub (as opposed to the "tourist" pubs that surround the hotel.

I can't speak to the hotel breakfast or room service since we didn't partake. Our room was cleaned daily and fresh towles were provided.

We paid £120 for a triple through londontown.com - it was the best rate I found for a triple, since we were staying over a weekend. Granted, that was a little more than I had intended on spending, but it was the cheapest rate I could find after an exttensive search.

I would stay at this place again - however the next time I go to London I might try a different neighborhood...there are Thistle hotels everywhere

Nice Stay, Convenient Location

by TripAdvisor Member glenbogglegirl

The location of this hotel is great!!! Easy access to anything by tube, two streets away from Victoria Station. The rooms are very comfortable and clean. The Big Bus Tour has a pick/up drop off right in front of the hotel. Many good pubs and eaterys are in the area.

The location is almost directly behind Buckingham Palace - the Royal Mews are nearly across the street.

The concierge was great! Very helpful in all of our questions.

We booked our hotel with Virgin Vacations, it was a great stay at a great price.

a good but not great hotel

by TripAdvisor Member Dutch Brother

This is your standard three star London hotel with very little pretense of being anything else. Because of London prices, it seems fairly expensive for what you get. The room was more than adequate, with twin beds and a sleep sofa. The layout was a rather long, narrow room, maybe 11' by 25'. The room included a mini-fridge, an ironing board built into a wall unit, and several other nice touches. Overall it is more functional than charming, but still was appealingly tasteful. The location is excellent, just a couple blocks from Buckingham Palace and Victoria Station. The breakfast that came with the room included a hot buffet and was fine. Service was fine but nothing exceptional. This is a nice, good hotel, but I wouldn't want to pay too much for it. We got the room for free as part of a British Air package, and were well satisfied with it, but if we were choosing a room from scratch, we might have searched for something that offered a bit more for the price. We saw prices on the internet of around $200/night and that's too much for this hotel. You can do significantly better for that kind of money.

Excellent value

by A TripAdvisor Member

Great location in Central London and just one minute from London Victoria Train Station. Was a little hard to find in the beginning as it was not very visible from the main street but being THAT close to the Train and the Underground, you can zip to anywhere in London city as you wish. Excellent value for the price we paid for the room and the staff are very helpful, especially Mr David at the concierge desk.

Excellent base in London

by TripAdvisor Member efc

PROs:
-very close to Victoria station & Buckingham Palace
-helpful and friendly staff (we arrived in London around 7:30am and were allowed to check-in without any problem
-complimentary coffee/tea/biscuits
-good central heating in winter

CONS:
-no fridge
-no internet access

Great value for money

by TripAdvisor Member moultonman

Stopped for one night only January 14. Checked in early and room was not ready,but check in was quick and efficient and luggage left until later on.When arriving back after an afternoon sightseeing we was pleasantly surprised by our immaculate room, a good size and nice bathroom.Tea and coffee and biscuits also available.The corridor leading to the bedrooms was also very pleasant.The lounge/bar area was fine.Location was good for underground and bus station if required.Check out was as good as the check in.We paid £75 for one night with Last Minute.An excellent deal.

LONDON

by Melissa777

"LONDON"

We were there for 8 nights so took a 3 bedroom apartment at the Thistle Westminster! Good location, near Victoria tube but dull & very expensive!

Highly recommend staying at the Millenium Knightsbridge if you will pay the price, step out & into Sloane street, around the corner from Harrods & Harvey Niks, that's where I will stay next time!

Stayed at the Thistle in Oxford street once, tiny rooms & fumes from street overwhelming! Only good thing next to Selfridges!

Highly recommend Sketch for afternoon tea & dinner also Nobu, Berkeley! Spent a great evening there next time going to the Park Lane one!