Menzies Carlton Hotel

Not what I expected for a four-​star hotel. The hotel looks
very nice inside and out but the facilities are lacking somewhat and the food was
mediocre.
The website said nothing of the gym itself (just that there was one), but as my
father found out, it was just a few machines, one of which was out-​of-​order and
several free weights, not what you would expect for a hotel of this quality.
The gym hours are from 7am most days, regardless of whether you want to use
just use the free weights or not.
We arrived on a Wednesday and couldn’t even get a booking that night for dinner
until after 8pm. All very well and good if you don’t have children who goto bed
at that time! We ordered room service instead and the woman who took my order
didn’t even know what the side dishes were (even though I was looking at the
room service menu at the time). We ordered a Parmesan and Roquette salad, onion
rings, Thai Chicken Curry and from the ‘Kiddies Corner’ a Cheese and Tomato
pizza and chips (which said it came with a choice of vegetables, salad or baked
beans, but the woman who took the order said that was not the case). Only the
Thai Chicken curry was good, my wife didn’t really enjoy the salad, the onion
rings looked and tasted like they had been drowned in grease and the kids pizza
was burnt to a crisp. When we went back down to order sandwiches for lunch the
next day, the service was so slow. There was only one other family there that
we could see and they weren’t even eating anything! There was only one waitress
on duty and it took well over 45 minutes for us to get our food and we only
ordered sandwiches and pasta in tomato sauce for my two-​year old. He was the
last one to get his meal, the poor little guy! The only saving grace for the staff
was when we went down for dinner on Friday night, it was excellent food and the
service was good too. Eating breakfast at the hotel was far from enjoyable as
well. We were able to seat ourselves, but getting the staff to get us a high
chair one morning was like having teeth pulled. We asked them three times and
in the end we had to go find one ourselves! The buffet was OK, but when we
tried to order items that were cooked to order, such as vegetarian sausages, we
were told they weren’t available. The
buffet was inconsistent with what was on offer. During the week, they had
sliced cheese, which I really like, but on the weekend, they didn’t have it at
the buffet and I had to order it.
The rooms were mediocre. My wife, two kids and I had a family room on a
mid-​level between the ground and first floor, not that you would have known
this.the receptionist didn’t tell us this and the signs for the rooms showed
that it was on the first floor itself. When we found the room, it had no
ceiling lights, just one table lamp by the door, a floor lamp in the sitting
area on the other side of the room and two table lamps on either side of a king
size bed. There was no air conditioning or a fridge (which I would have
expected for a four-​star hotel). There was no safe in the room either, again
something I would have expected there to be. Thank goodness we weren’t here in
the winter, because there was the worst draft coming both center windows when
we had very high winds for a couple of days! The only thing the room had going
for it was its size and that the TV was a good one (although there were only a
quarter of the cable channels available, everything else that I would have
expected to be available came up with a message ‘Weak signal’).
My parents’ room was a suite bedroom, with a small lobby area separating the
bedroom from the living room area, but there was only one phone and it was in
the living room area. There was air conditioning, but again, no safe or
fridge.very unusual for a four-​star hotel.
And here was the kicker, the hotel asked my father to pay for the entire stay
AT CHECK-IN.what kind of a hotel of this standard asks for payment up
front? Not one that I know of. My father refused to pay up front.
Overall, we put up with the hotel, but we didn’t stay the entire time we had
planned and I would not stay there again.

Dieses Hotel ist anspruchsvoll! Wenn man schon reinkommt, erblickt man einen wunderschönen Leuter und ein langen Koridor!
Die Rezeption ist standart, aber das Personal sehr hilfsbereit und freundlich. Das Zimmer ist sehr sauber gewesen und schönganz nach englischem Still mit charm.
Ich empfehle jedem sich dort mal Frühstück oder Lunch ins Zimmer bringen zu lassen: D
Das Frühstück ist schön präsentiert und bietet alles, was ein englisches Frühstück bieten kann. Was mir am besten gefiel, war, dass porridge und alles Andere frisch und auf Bestellung zubereitet wid.
Die Bar hat charm und läd gern zum trinken ein, da dort das Personal sehr angenehm ist!
Im großen und ganzem würde ich das Hotel weiterempfehlen für die, die es sich gut leisten können!Da das Preisniveau schon, nach meiner meinung, hoch ist.
Aber die Zimmer mit Meerblick machen es wieder gut. Besonders die nahe Lage zum Strand und zum Strand runter: D sind toll.
Wer etwas Zeit hat, kann am Strand schnell aml hoch laufen nach Boscombe oder Richtung Innenstadt.

I went there for a social event, had a fantastic night. Good music, lots to drink. Great food, fast service considering how many people were there.

Checking in, I felt as if I was a Conservative Party Grandee attending the Annual Conference in Bournemouth. The Reception area, though small, is one of the grandest I’ve seen, and stretching away from me into infinity was one of the longest, most sumptuous corridors imaginable.
The Carlton Hotel Bournemouth is positioned on the famous East Cliff, with splendid coastal views. Built in Edwardian times with a distinctly early Art Deco style, it has been extensively refurbished, faithfully to the original style, and the lounges retain a sense of historical grandeur.
To the immediate right of reception is the polished walnut panelled Library, with an interesting collection of antiquarian books and a display of English porcelain. Through a couple of lounges lies the Bar, a beguiling room steeped in Art Deco design. It has a superb collection of J.J.Hilbert autographed crayon drawings of famous politicians of the 50’s and 60’s on the walls.
The light fittings in all the public areas are either crystal or brass — cleaning must be a nightmare — and again thier style is awesome.
The Dining Room is majestic, with several large chandeliers, and warm rose pink panelling. It looks out across the bay.
There’s a neat little gym, some steam baths, a sauna and jacuzzi, with indoor heated pool, leading to a sunken terrace with a large outdoor pool — none of which I tried, I hasten to add, as I was too busy looking at the prints in the bar.
The breakfast buffet defies description, so comprehensive is it; it is beautifully presented and the serving staff are very kind and attentive. I didn’t eat for the rest of the day!
Single rooms start at around £120, doubles at £190. I got a walk-​in rate with 50% discount, not having booked. So it can be done!