Bruce, Marilyn, and Del Brett founded Future Inns UK. Their Cardiff hotel first opened its doors in 2005, followed by Plymouth in 2006 and Bristol in 2009. They are modeled after Canada’s commercially successful and popular Future Inns Halifax, which opened in 1989.

They intend to open more hotels throughout the United Kingdom. If you book directly with Future Inns, you can be sure that you won’t find a better deal anywhere else.

Running a successful hotel chain is all about giving excellent service and listening to customers to figure out what went right and wrong. That is the concept behind Future Inn Bristol.

Future Inn Bristol review

Description

Discover why so many visitors choose Future Inn Cabot Circus Hotel as their Bristol hotel of choice. It provides a family-friendly environment with a variety of amenities designed for travelers like you, offering the perfect blend of value, comfort, and convenience. 

Guests can enjoy free Wi-Fi, and rooms at Future Inn Cabot Circus Hotel include a flat-screen TV, air conditioning, and a desk. Take advantage of some of the amenities available during your stay, such as a 24-hour front desk, room service, and luggage storage. Guests of the Future Inn Cabot Circus Hotel can also dine at the on-site restaurant. 

Parking is available adjacent to the hotel at Cabot Circus NCP for visitors arriving by car. Because of the hotel’s proximity to popular landmarks such as Bristol Old Vic (0.6 mi) and St Mary Redcliffe Church (0.7 mi), guests can easily visit some of Bristol’s most well-known attractions. 

During your visit, be sure to try one of Bristol’s popular fish and chips restaurants, such as The Ivy Clifton Brasserie, The River Grille, and Severn Shed, which are all close to the Future Inn Cabot Circus Hotel. 

Do you want to go exploring? Then look no further than We The Curious (0.9 mi), Cabot Tower (0.1 mi), and Bristol Museum & Art Gallery (0.9 mi), all of which are conveniently located within walking distance of the hotel. 

Scene

The Future Inn, like many of Bristol’s hotels, is all about functionality; the Future Inn caters primarily to business and short-stay guests, so the décor is simple. Outside, everything is boxy concrete and glass.

Inside, beige and cream dominate, with laminate wood furniture and the occasional photo print of a Bristol landmark to liven things up. 

The beds are apparently Canadian, but it’s unclear why this is desirable. It has more personality than most chain hotels, but it isn’t going to win any design awards.

Location

This modern hotel, part of the Future Inns mini-chain (with sister hotels in Plymouth and Cardiff), is right next to the city’s flashy new shopping complex, Cabot Circus, and is easily accessible from both the city center and the M4. Rates include free parking in the Cabot Circus car park next door, which is a huge plus in a city where street parking is virtually non-existent and day rates in city center car parks are exorbitant.

Rooms

There are a total of 149 rooms. The only difference between Standard and Superior rooms is a smidgeon more space; the main difference is whether you want to face the main road (dubbed City rooms) or the quieter courtyard at the back of the hotel.

The design is simple and modern: a boring corporate style. There’s a small workstation, as well as tea and coffee-making facilities, a mirrored wardrobe, and a moderately-sized bathroom, though some of the fixtures are showing signs of wear and tear.

Rooms can become stuffy in the summer because the windows aren’t open.

Features

The Future Inn’s ethos revolves around catering to short city breaks and business travelers, so the space is kept to a minimum. 

Its reception area is open 24 hours a day, and the staff is pleasant and approachable. However, check-in can get busy, so you may have to wait longer than you’d like, and there is no place to sit while you wait. There are two lifts that take you to the upper floors.

Rooms have basic tea trays and kettles, as well as a hairdryer, TV, and a small work desk – but they are functional, not fancy. 

The Chophouse Restaurant offers limited room service, including burgers, sandwiches, Thai curry, nachos, and other items. The main benefit here is direct access to the NCP car park next door, while the six conference rooms will be useful to businesses.

Food and drink

The Chophouse Restaurant next door serves the essentials – rump steak, fish and chips, and Piri-Piri chicken – but there are better options in town. Breakfast is not included in the standard rates but is available as an add-on. 

There’s a fairly standard buffet on offer – cereal, muesli, pastries, yogurt, and so on – as well as cooked and vegetarian options, but there are some fantastic cafés in Bristol to try, so it’d be a shame not to.

Pros of Future Inn Bristol 

• The simple hotel offers good value.
• A shopping center and Cardiff Bay station are both a short walk away.
• The rooms are fairly large, with flat-screen TVs and desks.
• The restaurant serves a breakfast buffet and Sunday roasts.
• Room service is available for the majority of the day.
• Wi-Fi and parking are both provided for free.

Cons of Future Inn Bristol 

• Rooms have very basic toiletries.
• Many rooms are subjected to traffic noise.
• The decor is uninteresting.
• No gym (but the hotel does provide free passes to one nearby) 

Restaurants near Future Inn Bristol 

• Salkaara
• The Real Greek – Bristol
• The Phoenix
• Nando’s Bristol – Cabot Circus
• TGI Fridays – Cabot Circus
• Zizzi – Bristol Cabot Circus
• Urban Tandoor
• Volunteer Tavern
• Coal Kitchen
• Bella Italia