Thistle Trafalgar Leicester Square

Location and cleanliness.

Room was clean, quiet and functional; all you need, albeit not much more

When I arrived at 10 am I asked for early check-in as I had requested by mail and phone already, invoking business meetings at noon for which I had to shower and dress and the fact that I was going to leave at 6 am the next day and would thus occupy the room less than 24h. The answer was a stereotype "we have no availability now, have to put you on waiting list, cannot guarantee you will get a room before 14h". Only when I insisted, mentioning that someone had just checked out in front of me and that it would certainly not take more than an hour to make up that room and that otherwise I would have to look further and cancel my reservation did the staff take the "trouble" of calling housekeeping. And - surprise - there were actually two nice rooms free and ready on the top floor ! Afterwards the staff became very friendly and accomodating though, allowing me to have my breakfast (which was included) on the day of arrival rather than of the departure which would have been too early. I cannot say whether the initial formality and lack of flexibility and disposition is company policy or was due to the attitude of the two people at the reception.