Thistle Exeter Hotel

Staff Service was exemplary, despite the hotel being absolutely packed with a large function when we stayed there. The rooms were a little dated and we thought we were in for a rough night because of the hundreds of people partying, but it was without doubt the quietest, large hotel we've stayed in and slept like a log through the night (we were on the 3rd floor...great view of the catherdral spire). Breakfast was lovely, albeit small portions but filling. We wanted to eat in the restaurant for dinner...but it was dark and dingy and the choice was dreadful...almost a set meal as you only had 2 or three choices for starters/mains/dessert...so finished up in ASK near the square which was superb. The only other minor negative was that there was no doorman ever...so when you arrived with all your luggage with the car, you had to hump it yourself to check-in...and over £150 - £220 + vat a night is indicative of rip-off Britain, compared with what you can get for that kind of rate in any other European country or the US... but overall a very good hotel stay.

We stayed here for 3 nights and were really pleased with everything. It's central, car parking for £5 for 24 hours if the hotel car park isn't full, otherwise £7:50 for 24 hours immediately behind the hotel. Staff were pleasant, helpful and efficient. Our room and bathroom were very clean. Tea & coffee making in our room but we brought our own as we drink a lot of coffee. We have stayed in other hotels in Exeter but this was by far the best and we highly recommend it. It's surprising it only has a 3 star rating! We only had one small problem in that the heated towel rail in the bathroom is extremely hot and we both got burns. Apart from that - 10/10!

This is the second time I have stayed at the hotel. Both times I have been very pleasantly surprised. All the staff are excellent (with the exception of a rather surly lady when I checked out) and cannot do enough to help. Room service is good and we had an excellent breakfast. The room was very clean and comfortable and for £5 you can park your car for 24 hours, a real bonus in Exeter! I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this hotel to you.

I'd like to point out that this is the First time I have ever felt strongly enough about a hotel experience to write a review on this site, and believe me, I do stay in a lot of hotels for work/leisure reasons. I booked this Hotel through the 'Tesco Deals' promotion, it was £105 for a standard double room inc breakfast for one. I arrived at 5 o'clock and luckily got parked (there were 2 spaces left) and went to check-in. The receptionist, although friendly enough, commented (rather loudly) that they hadn't received my vouchers and that i therefore had a £105 rate to pay. I gave him the confirmation i had received from Thistle Hotels and he then went off to speak to head office. He came back and advised that he would have to keep my confirmation as proof of receipt to send to head office as for some reason my booking had not been updated to acknowledge Thistle had received 'payment'. He then got another receptionist to Zero the charge. All well and good, until i got to the room. If you get given room 317, unless you've paid about £20 don't accept it - tell them you want another room (even before seeing it). The only reason I didn't go back down and demand to be moved was because I was tired after a long journey followed by a day at work and just wanted a bath and bed! The room is tiny, the 'double' bed was two singles pushed together. When I looked out of the window i couldn't see anything as I had a sloping roof about 2 feet away, completely obscuring the view and any light. You could see out of a triangular section at the top right of the window! It is also very close to the lifts and you can clearly hear them, not good when you want a fairly early night and people are coming and going all hours of the night. The beds were so hard I ached in the morning! The bathroom was tiny and tired looking - but it did have a small bath! However, when i decided to use it I saw some hair in the plughole, using a tissue I decided to remove it (one of my pet hates) and there must have been at least 18 inches of hair (an inch thick) which immediately came out..... I would imagine the cleaners have not cleaned this for months... it was disgusting! Breakfast was good when I got it. I went down at 8.10 thinking that 50 minutes would be adequate as i had to leave at 9am. I gave my order for the hot breakfast at 8.15 and eventually at 8.50 I had to go and ask where it was as i was in danger of having to leave before being served. It miraculously arrived within one minute with a very apologetic waiter. On the whole i'm sure many people have a wonderful experience at this hotel. The other areas were nice, and the rest of my room was clean. Maybe I just got treated as a second class citizen through booking with vouchers? In which case, if you're paying a high rate it will probably be lovely and you will get a great room. If you get a good rate via their website or elsewhere then beware! I have used the Tesco Promotion with the Southgate in Exeter and the Marriott in Bristol and always been given a nice standard room as you would expect if you booked through their websites. I will go back to the Southgate in future - the car park is larger and you also have the added bonus of the leisure centre. I'd even choose the Travelodge over the Thistle - as I have to say, the rooms there are twice the size and twice as comfortable (but half the price) - you hear very little noise and at least you can see out of your window (even if it is overlooking the services!!).

The best 3*** hotel I've ever been in. Very convenient location just in front of station with parking at a modest fee, invaluable in Exeter. Lovely building and very kind and hospitable staff. Very, very good value at LGS 60. Only drawback is breakfast, for which at 9.30 nothing was left at the buffet, although eggs & bacon was cooked promptly in the kitchen. Roberto and Francesca from Italy.

The staff were friendly and the rooms were spacious and clean. The hotel itself is located across the street from the Exeter Central railway station and just around the corner from the High Street. Couldn't be better. We stayed for 2 nights. The first morning we ate breakfast in the hotel. Nice selection of hot and cold things for breakfast but maybe it's me but I thought £13.95 per person was a bit steep. The second morning we were in a hurry and went to the Starbuck's which is practically next door. Dinner is available in the dining room and there is a more relaxed menu available in the bar. Overall, I would stay here again and would have no hesitation in recommending this hotel.

We spent two night in a family room at this hotel. The hotel was very centrally located and the room was large and clean. The beds were very large and comfortable. However, some of the upstairs corridor carpets would benefit from a good clean. The self service breakfast was plentiful and there was an excellent selection, but because breakfast was over a three hour period some of the hot items appeared to have been there for a long time and were dried out. Overall, we were happy with this hotel and despite its slight limitations, would be happy to stay there again.

I stayed at this hotel for a couple of nights on business. The hotel is superbly located near the central station and only a few paces from the city centre and shops. The entrance hall to this hotel is very grand. I had a single room but it had a double bed. Although the room was very small it was newly decorated and was very clean and comfortable. The rooms have all the mod cons TV, hair dryer, Tea, Coffee and a big en suite bathroom. There is an extensive breakfast menu and the food was high quality. The only down side is that for such a big hotel there isn't many car parking spaces. I had to park my car in a nearby pay and display car park which cost me a small fortune. All in all I would stay at this hotel again.

I was really impressed with this hotel. I can't understand the previous reviews; perhaps they've refurbished the rooms since. The hotel is in a superb location, the entrance is grand, the check-in was reasonably quick, our room was spacious and clean, the bathroom was spacious and the shower was powerful. During our stay, they were hosting a large function and despite having a room next to the lift, we weren't disturbed by noise from inside or outside the hotel. I think the best thing was the breakfast which was great! The only negative points were that the TV had a few channels not working, the barman was slow and drinks were expensive ... but these are minor points! When you stay at this sort of hotel, you don't expect luxury - just a basic clean room but this hotel surpassed my expectations and I would definitely stay again.

This hotel impressed us - given some of the bad reviews on here we didn't know what to expect. The staff are very courteous and very nice - nothing was too much trouble. The Reception area is impressive and grand. We got this deal at £75 per night including breakfast which was buffet and a big choice. If anything some of the other residents were rude - this hotel attracts the upper classes given it's stature. On the night we arrived was Exeter Ladies night - we were expecting some strippers or Chippendales though sadly to no avail. Exeter ladies wear ball gowns, have coiffeured hair and blank you when you hold the door open for them. Room was clean, comfortable and good decor - we were most impressed and the experience made us want to come back soon.