Non-motoring > The Tower - A Guoman Hotel in London	Miscellaneous
Thread Author: rtj70	Replies: 31

New Mon 1 Mar 10 22:08   The Tower - A Guoman Hotel in London - rtj70

Any opinions on this hotel near the Tower of London? Good or bad. About to stay there for a couple of nights (for work). I still have time to change the booking. My work venue is near(ish) to Lombard Street so this look quite close. Reply to this message | Report message

New Mon 1 Mar 10 23:59   The Tower - A Guoman Hotel in London - tyro

I take it that you are familiar with these 528 (or so) opinions? tinyurl.com/y8ubld9 Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 2 Mar 10 08:04   The Tower - A Guoman Hotel in London - Fenlander

SWMBO was looking at this place late last year for an overnight after an event. We'd looked the TripAdvisor as Tyro mentions and it was a puzzling mix of good and terrible. In the end she couldn't get over the negatives so gave it a miss. Will you keep the booking to do a forum review for it?? Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 2 Mar 10 08:41   The Tower - A Guoman Hotel in London - rtj70

Never thought to do a TripAdvisor search - do all the time for holidays. Doh. We have to book via an agency and there are preferred hotels. This is the closest to where I need to be that is in our price range. I think it's £120 per night B&B for us. So I am not expecting much apart from the location looks good. Maybe I should take a camera ;-) Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 2 Mar 10 09:19   The Tower - A Guoman Hotel in London - Fenlander

It's not the end of the world for work though is it. I always look at Trip Advisor and hesitate if the bad reviews are more than 10-20%. Mind you for our regular late autumn trip to Blackpool supporting our daughter in a dance thing using that criteria takes out 90% of the hotels. Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 2 Mar 10 09:40   The Tower - A Guoman Hotel in London - Iffy

...TripAdvisor was a puzzling mix of good and terrible... Reviews on TripAdvisor and the like are a waste of space. If there are enough reviews to give a statisitically worthwhile overall opinion, they will almost always be mixed. If there are only a handul of reviews which are mostly bad or mostly good, the suspicion will always be they are unrepresentative. In the case of the Tower Hotel, some of the reviews date back to 2002, when it was owned by a different company. And even if it was under the same ownership, would a guest experience eight years ago have much relevance today? Last edited by: ifithelps on Tue 2 Mar 10 at 09:43 Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 2 Mar 10 09:55   The Tower - A Guoman Hotel in London - Fenlander

>>>Reviews on TripAdvisor and the like are a waste of space Hardly. There are over 500 reviews on that hotel and 50% or so are 2007 or later and many for 2009/2010. It is true like online reviews for cars, cameras etc etc you have to consider the reviewers standards for comparison, their motivation behind the review and if the kids made the weekend away a nightmare etc... but a picture does form. Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 2 Mar 10 11:53   The Tower - A Guoman Hotel in London - FotheringtonTomas

>> Reviews on TripAdvisor and the like are a waste of space. The problem is that some reviews are not from people using services, they're from people providing them - "Oh! Our business needs a fillip! Let's log on to tripadvisor and say something good about ourselves!". Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 2 Mar 10 09:41   The Tower - A Guoman Hotel in London - Mapmaker

This pub about 20 minutes walk from Tower Bridge has rooms www.beerintheevening.com/pubs/s/13/13947/Grange/Bermondsey No idea what the rooms are like, but the landlord sells excellent steaks. Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 2 Mar 10 09:45   The Tower - A Guoman Hotel in London - rtj70

The trouble is we have to book the hotels for which we have a corporate rate. We can book something ourselves if it's less than a certain amount but that won't go far in London. My course is near the financial district so I might just see how this hotel is. I can always move tomorrow! Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 2 Mar 10 09:52   The Tower - A Guoman Hotel in London - Iffy

rtj70, It's a chain hotel which has been open a long time in a very competitive market. I can virtually guarantee it will be at least average, probably verging on good. I've never had serious problems in any four star hotel I've stayed in. My occasional efforts at finding budget accommodation have been less than 100 per cent successful. Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 2 Mar 10 09:54   The Tower - A Guoman Hotel in London - Mapmaker

My guess is that the pub would be considerably cheaper... There's always the Tower Bridge Road Travel Inn (just over the river) www.premierinn.com/en/hotel/LONTOW/london-tower-bridge?CMP=KNC_Gb Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 2 Mar 10 10:04   The Tower - A Guoman Hotel in London - rtj70

Yes maybe I should have played it safe and gone for the Travel Inn. I did a quote for staying there for the next three nights on the hotel website. It came to over £600. I'd expect a lot for £200 per night. My company will be paying £120 so I must be in the broom cupboard. Anyone up for a beer one night this week then? Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 2 Mar 10 12:09   The Tower - A Guoman Hotel in London - RattleandSmoke

I usualy just stick to the well known chains but usualy budget ones after some very bad experiences. The thing I havw found with London is the price dosn't always indicate quality. I've found while the chains can be boring as all the hotels look identical I always get a known standard. I;ve also found that Americans tend to be give very bad reviews for hotels which I have been impressed with but they have different standards when it comes to hotels. I remember staying in a cheap Travelodge once which cost about £30 and some American reviewer moaned that it didn't have air conditioning where the reality is in London for that price you're lucky to get your own room and a toilet. You can't go wrong with a Premmier Inn always very comfy beds and depending on which chain the hotel used to belong to very large rooms. They are just very boring. Last edited by: RattleandSmoke on Tue 2 Mar 10 at 12:10 Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 2 Mar 10 14:06   The Tower - A Guoman Hotel in London - tyro

>> Reviews on TripAdvisor and the like are a waste of space. Some of them are, some of them aren't. The discerning reader soon learns how to tell which are to be ignored, and which are to be heeded. Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 2 Mar 10 14:35   The Tower - A Guoman Hotel in London - R.P.

Just don't wear a purple shirt and tie like I did once in a Manchester one. Someone asked me to carry their bags....my reply was do I look like Lenny Henry ? Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 2 Mar 10 14:42   The Tower - A Guoman Hotel in London - rtj70

Good advice ;-) I often get asked for assistance when I'm in stores like PC World and finally figure out why. I often don't bother wearing a coat if I've just popped in from the car park. But I don't disappoint because I usually offer some free advice ;-) Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 2 Mar 10 17:59   The Tower - A Guoman Hotel in London - rtj70

Well the outside certainly is ugly. Could be MI5 in here! Not seen them yet. I've ended up in a deluxe room on the 8th floor with a view of St Catherine's Dock and can see the top of the 'Gherkin' building from my room. Lots of very expensive yachts to be soon below! Some a lot more than others. Big money. So far it's okay. I have a separate(ish) lounge area and two TVs, bar, etc. BT Openzone wireless internet so I can connect via iPass for free (to me). Lots of staff at reception because 400 were arriving soon after me! I got here in time. Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 2 Mar 10 18:15   The Tower - A Guoman Hotel in London - Iffy

Two tellys? Separate lounge? Luxury. When I were a lad.... Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 2 Mar 10 18:31   The Tower - A Guoman Hotel in London - RattleandSmoke

The last police I stayed in London had no TV, it did have a student union bar on the ground floor though so I could not complain about £2.30 a pint of Hoegarden in central London! Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 2 Mar 10 18:22   The Tower - A Guoman Hotel in London - Zero

Ah that sounds like what was called the Tower thistle hotel. The filmed an episode of the Sweeney there. And yes, it has been used by MI5. If you get time during the day, tour the bridge engine room, and pop over the other side of the river to take photies of HMS belfast at night. Last edited by: Zero on Tue 2 Mar 10 at 18:23 Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 2 Mar 10 18:38   The Tower - A Guoman Hotel in London - rtj70

I brought a compact digital camera - not the SLR but I planned ahead. I have seen this building on telly in something before. It probably was the Thistle or similar. Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 2 Mar 10 18:51   The Tower - A Guoman Hotel in London - Iffy

Yes, it was the Tower Thistle for a lot of years. The older reviews on Trip Advisor refer to it as such. Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 2 Mar 10 19:03   The Tower - A Guoman Hotel in London - Netsur

I was just there in November - visiting Tower Bridge. Really good exhibition on the top and some decent restaurants on Butlers Wharf opposite plus the Design Museum which is worth a visit as well. Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 2 Mar 10 19:11   The Tower - A Guoman Hotel in London - rtj70

The Shiraz I am drinking is quite nice as is the view of Towe Bridge. On my iPod via wifi on Bt openzone. Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 2 Mar 10 20:35   The Tower - A Guoman Hotel in London - Zero

>> Good advice ;-) >> >> I often get asked for assistance when I'm in stores like PC World and finally I am thinking about getting a job as a PC world tech guy on the basis that 1/ I know more than them about pcs but I can de-skill myself if required. 2/ I do rude and distainfull really well 3/ I can spot garry glitter when he comes into the store. Last edited by: Zero on Tue 2 Mar 10 at 20:35 Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 2 Mar 10 20:48   The Tower - A Guoman Hotel in London - rtj70

You're over qualified :-) I've enjoyed in spare time helping people there too (time to kill). In fact I've taken over from a member of staff to assist on many a time to advise. And I could have uspold a Mac or two before now. It's so easy there. Last edited by: rtj70 on Tue 2 Mar 10 at 20:49 Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 2 Mar 10 21:34   The Tower - A Guoman Hotel in London - RattleandSmoke

I worked at currys once and if a customer returned a PC that kept crashing they had a great way of fixing it. I asked the manager how do we repair he said something sarcy like I am the PC tech I should know, you just re-image it. I asked don't we test the RAM, power supply, hard drive etc. No we just image it. What they basically did was just reinstall windows and hope the problem would ago away. If I did that in my business I would have run out of customers a long time ago! Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 2 Mar 10 21:46   The Tower - A Guoman Hotel in London - BobbyG

Many years ago when I was only 18 and working for Norwich Union in Glasgow, I was sent to some sort of brain storming meeting in London and put up in the then Tower Thistle hotel. First time I had flown, first time on the underground as well. I was petrified. Think I got my meal delivered to my room and never moved from there! Last time I was in London I stayed in a posh posh hotel jumeria or something like that. Hated the whole experience of folk falling at your feet. However tomorrow I am in a dodgy Travel Inn in downtown Liverpool! Lucky the van doesnt have hub caps :-) Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 2 Mar 10 22:03   The Tower - A Guoman Hotel in London - RattleandSmoke

Don't worry its just the cat convertors scousers like to knick :). Transit ones are worth a fair bob too. To be fair you're probably safer in Liverpool than many other places these days :). Last edited by: RattleandSmoke on Tue 2 Mar 10 at 22:03 Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 3 Mar 10 21:21   The Tower - A Guoman Hotel in London - Badwolf

>>However tomorrow I am in a dodgy Travel Inn in downtown Liverpool! Wish I'd read that yesterday, Bobby. I'd have invited you to nip over to the Pier Head to say hello. Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 2 Mar 10 21:47   The Tower - A Guoman Hotel in London - bathtub tom

Which is why Currys, Comet, PC world, Halfords etc. are all conveniently next to each other in my home town so I can avoid them. Reply to this message | Report message