Thistle Bloomsbury Park Hotel London

“Some good, some not so good.”

First, the good. This hotel is nicely located in Bloomsbury, which is considered part of Central London. It sits between two tube stops, Russel Square and Holdren, each about 1/3 of a mile away. So if you are depending on the Tube for transport, the location is excellent. Bloomsbury is a vibrant ne… more

First, the good. This hotel is nicely located in Bloomsbury, which is considered part of Central London. It sits between two tube stops, Russel Square and Holdren, each about 1/3 of a mile away. So if you are depending on the Tube for transport, the location is excellent. Bloomsbury is a vibrant neighborhood, with tons of restaurants and shops an easy walk away. It's also only three blocks to the British Museum. The hotel breakfast was decent. It's included, but only if you agree to waive housekeeping the day before. But that's a fair tradeoff. The staff is friendly and helpful. Now, the downside. My single room was really, really small. There was a single bed and a small desk and chair, but not even enough other space for a suitcase other than the floor between the bed and the wall. Even then, the space was not wide enough to open the luggage. The elevator was tiny and slow. Three people can fit without luggage. With luggage you're likely riding solo. The water flow in the shower was good, but the shower stall is only slightly larger than what you'd see on a cruise ship. What is really important to know if you are planning a visit to London in the summer is that the hotel DOES NOT HAVE AIR CONDITIONING. I was lucky because the temps dropped down into the 60's at night (about 18 degrees Celsius) so it was not too bad. But woe is the traveler here when the temperature rises.

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“It’s ok”

Fine for a short stay. Not bad value. Just a bit tired and no ac which will make it a little difficult in the summer.

“Nice staff, but tired hotel in need of renovation.”

This is clearly a building with some history; indeed it bears a blue plaque on the wall as the birthplace of Sir John Barbirolli in 1899. Sadly, one could be forgiven for thinking that the window frames have not been replaced since then. (see photos). I have been generous and given the hotel an ave… more

This is clearly a building with some history; indeed it bears a blue plaque on the wall as the birthplace of Sir John Barbirolli in 1899. Sadly, one could be forgiven for thinking that the window frames have not been replaced since then. (see photos). I have been generous and given the hotel an average rating on the basis of some positives; the staff are friendly and helpful, the breakfast offering is reasonable ( though we’ve had much better in other hotels recently) and it’s conveniently located in central London, only one tube stop from Kings Cross. It is however let down by its facilities. It’s a very old building and they appear to have squeezed as many rooms as possible into a narrow building. Our room was amongst the smallest we experienced for a branded group hotel, with little space to move around the beds. The wardrobe was equally small (see photo) so if you’re staying for a few days and have lots of clothes you want to hang up, that’s going to be a challenge. The worst aspect though was the windows. These are wooden sash windows, which have seen better days. I’m assuming that the building is listed, so replacing the windows may come at appreciable cost, but they are really letting the hotel down. They are disgustingly dirty and ill fitting, so there are draughts coming through, which meant that our room was quite cold at times, even in June. Our bathroom was also very small ( photos) with a filthy window, which they had hidden behind a dirty blind. Not the standard I would expect from a Thistle Hotel. As others have mentioned, there is an overall musty smell about the place, again perhaps reflecting its age. There is one small lift that accommodates only about 4 people or 2 people with suitcases. All in all, I feel sorry for the staff having to work in this environment, though the dirty windows don’t reflect well on cleaning standards. It’s a hotel that we won’t be returning to.

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