Park Central Hotel

Very Good
Traveller Type: family with young children

Good
Traveller Type: young couple
  : Good location and great room, more like a suite!
  : Breakfast was chaotic, service not good. We had to clear a space at a table and in the end walked out without eating. They appeared to have run out of some things on the buffet. It looked as though the staff couldn't cope

Wonderful
Traveller Type: young couple
  : The room with sea view was clean and had plenty of equipment in the room for our needs. Reception staff were very pleasant and we were able to store luggage until our time to leave.
  : It was unfortunate that breakfast in the pleasant dining room did not come up to standard due to the cooked meal not being served in a reasonable time. So much so that we felt we had been forgotten. We understood it was a busy morning for the chef, but it would have been better if the waitress could have apologised for the 40 minutes delay. This meant subsequent mornings when we needed to use public transport we couldn't risk waiting. So just had the continental. Provision of an area map with bus stops in our room would have been helpful.

Pleasant
Traveller Type: young couple
  : The location was excellent. Room was acceptable. Breakfast was continental . All hot dishes were extra cost
  : the shower was difficult to use. The staff on the first night were not helpful as apparently we had two bookings which was the fault of hotel/booking.comIt took a 30 minute call from my mobile waiting to get hold of an agent at booking.com. Also an email message explaining what went wrong. we should have been better served by Booking and the Hotel.

Wonderful
Traveller Type: with friends

Good
Traveller Type: solo traveller
  : Good staff, Good Rooms
  : Its not a 4 star hotel. More like a 3 plus star at most

Very Good
Traveller Type: young couple
  : The receptionists were pleasant and accommodating. AJ was helpful and welcoming. All the others were also
  : There's no lounge area where one could have a comfortable rest when one is not in their room. I think that a lounging area would greatly add to the hotel. There is a small area at the Crab (restaurant) but that's conducive to those who want to have a drink or 2 There was 2 fire alarms which woke me up, and I guessed others to; but not a word was said about it. There was no apology, I don't think that's good for a public image. If anything, even if the hotelier don't care, give people the impression that you do.

Wonderful
Traveller Type: group

Good
Traveller Type: young couple
  : The closeness to the sea and friendly staff . Beautiful weather, beautiful setting.
  : My room was a bit worn, floor board squeaky.

Good
Traveller Type: solo traveller
  : Old school hotel near (but not directly on) the seafront. Comfortable mattress and pillows
  : Whatever you do, do not order the omelette at breakfast....Mine arrived virtually swimming in butter.....It was the greasiest monstrosity I was ever served for breakfast. I tried taking a couple bites, but there's no way I would be able to eat that pile of grease without getting sick......The two bites I had were pretty flavourless too......I'm hoping that's a one-off, since the Continental breakfast I had the day before was adequate. They should also offer fresh fruit, as the canned fruit salad was pretty drab. The sandwich I ordered at lunch wasn't bad, either.This has nothing to do with the hotel, but the Council who runs Bournemouth. I'd never been before, but I always pictured Bournemouth to be a pristine seafront city popular with pensioners and Tory Party Conference goers. Once you get off the beachfront, it's anything but.......As you drift off the promenade and head toward the city centre, prepare yourself for.the gauntlet of aggressive panhandlers, shouting prostitutes and an army of Spice and Crack junkies trying to sell you their boosted goods. Bournemouth is also one of those post-war rebuilt cities designed more for the emerging automobile with little consideration for human foot traffic. At some places the pavement just disappears.....The shabby, unkempt post-modern buildings abound. Bournemouth reminded me more of Birmingham or Coventy by the sea......Don't leave the seafront after dark........It felt to me as if I was in Atlantic City, New Jersey more than England......That Jersey Shore feel abounds, from the tacky seaside to the tawdry ghetto inland.......It's not the hotel's fault, I know, but prepare yourself for this reality if you ever journey to Bournemouth.