Description: The best things about the Thistle Victoria are the opulent lobby; the buffet breakfast; the comfortable, but elegant, coffee lounge; and the luxurious, but expensive, bar.
Now for the REST of the story . . .
We arrived in London about 10am, tired from our long flight from San Francisco. Hoping for an early check-in, we were told, "Check-in is at 2 pm. Come back then." Now, I've arrived in London in the morning many times, and in nearly every case, the hotel has tried its best to accommodate my request for an early check-in. The Thistle Victoria made no apologies. I was just told to come back at 2pm.
At 2pm we were faced with a LONG line. Finally, we managed to complete check-in and went to our room on the fifth floor. The room was stuffy, with no air-conditioning, and the windows wouldn't open at all. The ceiling fan did a very poor job of moving air about the room and made an annoying ticking sound.
Exhausted, we finally settled down for a nap before heading out for the evening. Fifteen minutes after falling asleep, the fire alarm went off! We stumbled into the hall to find everyone fleeing down the beautiful, opulent staircase (and the concierge running up with uniformed firemen). So we followed the crowd to the park across the street, where we waited with assorted homeless people for the word that it was safe to return.
For £39, we could have upgraded to a room with robes and air-conditioning, but we foolishly didn't do it. Jet-lagged at 3am on a stuffy July night proved this to be a big mistake on my part.
Or maybe it was booking a room at the Thistle Victoria that was my mistake.
Close