The Tower Hotel, by Thistle

I started my UK trip full of anticipation, but encountered a completely awful and extremely disappointing stay at this hotel! We booked three rooms, but due to a front desk system error, we were only given two. We had to wait for several hours until the third room was finally provided. One of the rooms we received had a pungent odor, and the toilet wouldn't flush at all – even manual flushing was ineffective. We had to urgently contact the platform to get a room change. A Chinese male staff member we dealt with was completely unhelpful throughout, not actively addressing the problems, and frequently sporting a dismissive smile. He was perfunctory in every communication, showing no service awareness whatsoever. After a long and tiring journey, we were already exhausted, yet we had to spend several hours dealing with various issues. Our otherwise good trip was completely drained of energy, and the experience was extremely poor. I absolutely do not recommend this hotel.

First off, the location is excellent, and the hotel itself is massive! The view room exceeded my expectations. However, the facilities are quite old, though the room was still clean and not cramped. Check-in was self-service via a machine. On the day I checked in, the hotel Wi-Fi was down, and there was absolutely no signal in the room, but it was fixed a few hours later. The pictures show the room's view during the day and night – truly exceeded what I expected!

Fantastic location with stunning views from the window. The beds are comfortable and the room is spacious. Elevators can get crowded during peak hours, and there's usually a queue for breakfast. The breakfast quality is great, but it's the same every day, which can get a bit monotonous if you're staying for a while.

The room was tiny, and the bed even smaller. The location has its advantages, though, with a nice river view. The running path is great for exercise, relaxation, and stress relief.

Excellent location and great value for money. However, of the two rooms, the more expensive one was on a lower floor with a partial view of Tower Bridge, not a full panoramic view. The other room, for my elderly parents who don't visit often, was given a high floor with a much better view after I requested it. This is my second stay here, and it's still pretty good.