Thistle Poole - Poole, United Kingdom 

I approached my stay at Thistle Poole with some trepidation. I had booked a short stay to attend a wedding through Superbreak without consulting Trip Advisor. Having stayed at Thistle hotels before, and knowing the location of this hotel, I assumed it would be fine. Most of the other reviews say otherwise but I have to say we were pleasantly surprised by the experience. The highlight has to be the restaurant service which was excellent. The maitre'd during our stay was Sandeep; he ran a very efficient team and is to be commended. The food was also good - not memorably good but good enough. The fabric of the hotel is certainly tired and it is quite clear that Thistle are investing a little as possible into this part of their portfolio in the hope that they will sell the site to a property developer soon. This is a shame, I would be more inclined to invest in my reputation by maintaining standards rather than rely on making short-term big bucks but hey, I don't run a chain of hotels so what do I know! The one area they could improve at minimal cost would be the performance of their reception staff. It does not cost anything to smile pleasantly, to be helpful and polite and to know something about the product. None of these appled to any of the reception staff we encountered in our two day visit. I won't bore you with the details but suffice to say that, if I was managing this hotel, I would invest in the training of my reception staff now - I would have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Finally, I would also be a bit more honest about the number and availability of rooms with a sea view - just tell people there is a premium for a room with a view - don't leave it for them to find out! And bin the cynical rip-off of charging ?5 a day for parking in somebody else's car park - just pay it up front and make your guests feel valued.

Located right on quayside in Poole. Grat views of the harbour if you get a sea view. Nice Hotel, perhaps in need of a bit of a re-decoration, about 15 years old I guess, but clean. Note that special events on quayside such as motor cycle and hot car rallys/get togethers affect access to cars at some time. Can be noisy but all done by 2130 .Tuesdays and Fridays.Breakfast excellent by friendly staff, and lots of info for some of the local restaurants and bars.