The Thomas Paine
Location: 33 White Hart Street, Thomas Paine Hotel, Thetford, England, IP24 1AA, Thetford, GB
Star Rating: 3 Stars
Property Type: Hotels
About this Property
Terrace with Stunning Views
Enjoy the scenic beauty from our terrace while staying connected with complimentary Wi-Fi.
Remarkable Amenities
Indulge in the communal living room, utilize the nearby fitness facility, and host events at our banquet hall.
Gastronomic Delights
Savor delectable meals at the restaurant, enjoy room service, and unwind with a drink at the bar.
Immerse yourself in a world of convenience and luxury at The Thomas Paine. Book now to experience a remarkable stay!
Important Information
- Guests can arrange to bring pets by contacting the property directly, using the contact information on the booking confirmation (surcharges apply and can be found in the Fees section).
Policies
Check-in: 03:30 PM - 09:00 PM
Check-out: 10:30 AM
Instructions: The front desk is open during the following times:
- Friday - Sunday: 3:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Amenities & Facilities
- Health or beauty spa nearby
- Electric car charging station
- Free WiFi
- Terrace
- Luggage storage
- Conference space
- Breakfast available (surcharge)
- Free use of nearby fitness center
- Smoke-free property
- Wedding services
- Wheelchair accessible parking
- Access to nearby indoor pool
- Free self parking
- Electric car charging station
- Banquet hall
- Reception hall
- Health or beauty spa nearby
- Wheelchair-accessible van parking
- Wheelchair-accessible on-site restaurant
- Visual alarms in hallways
- Handrails in hallways
- Handrails in stairways
- Upper floors accessible by stairs only
- Well-lit path to entrance
Rooms Available
-
Family Room
1 Double Bed and 2 Twin Beds
Layout - 2 bedrooms
Internet - Free WiFi 250+ Mbps (good for 3–5 people or up to 10 devices)
Entertainment - 40-inch flat-screen TV with cable channels
Food & Drink - Coffee/tea maker, electric kettle, room service (limited hours), and microwave (on request)
Sleep - Bed sheets
Bathroom - Private bathroom, free toiletries, towels, and a hair dryer (on request)
Practical - Iron/ironing board and wardrobe or closet; free cribs/infant beds available on request
Comfort - Daily housekeeping, heating, and portable fan
Need to Know - Toothbrush and toothpaste not available
Non-Smoking
Max Occupancy: 4 (4 Adults)
- Coffee/tea maker
- TV
- Private bathroom
- Heating
- Electric kettle
- Wardrobe or closet
- Toilet paper
- Shampoo
- Room service (limited hours)
- Daily housekeeping
- Free WiFi
- Free cribs/infant beds
- Portable fan
- Bedsheets provided
- Soap
- Toothbrush and toothpaste available
- Toothbrush and toothpaste not available
-
Twin Room
2 Twin Beds
Individually decorated room
Internet - Free WiFi 250+ Mbps (good for 3–5 people or up to 10 devices)
Entertainment - 40-inch flat-screen TV with cable channels
Food & Drink - Coffee/tea maker, electric kettle, room service (limited hours), and microwave (on request)
Sleep - Memory foam bed, premium bedding, and bed sheets
Bathroom - Private bathroom, shower, free toiletries, and towels
Practical - Iron/ironing board; cribs (free) available on request
Comfort - Daily housekeeping, heating, and portable fan
Accessibility - Hardwood flooring in room
Need to Know - No rollaway/extra beds available, toothbrush and toothpaste not available
Non-Smoking
Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)
- Coffee/tea maker
- Shower
- TV
- Private bathroom
- Heating
- Hardwood or parquet floors
- Electric kettle
- Wardrobe or closet
- Toilet paper
- Shampoo
- Room service (limited hours)
- Daily housekeeping
- Premium bedding
- Free WiFi
- Memory foam mattress
- No rollaway/extra beds
- Free cribs/infant beds
- Portable fan
- Bedsheets provided
- Soap
- Toothbrush and toothpaste available
- Toothbrush and toothpaste not available
-
Superior Double Room
1 King Bed
Individually decorated room
Layout - Separate dining area
Internet - Free WiFi 250+ Mbps (good for 3–5 people or up to 10 devices)
Entertainment - 40-inch flat-screen TV with cable channels
Food & Drink - Coffee/tea maker, electric kettle, room service (limited hours), and microwave (on request)
Sleep - Memory foam bed, premium bedding, and bed sheets
Bathroom - Private bathroom, shower, free toiletries, and towels
Practical - Laptop workspace and iron/ironing board
Comfort - Daily housekeeping, heating, and portable fan
Accessibility - Hardwood flooring in room
Need to Know - No cribs (infant beds) available, toothbrush and toothpaste not available
Non-Smoking
Max Occupancy: 4 (3 Adults)
- Coffee/tea maker
- Shower
- TV
- Private bathroom
- Heating
- Hardwood or parquet floors
- Electric kettle
- Wardrobe or closet
- Toilet paper
- Shampoo
- Room service (limited hours)
- Daily housekeeping
- Premium bedding
- Separate dining area
- Free WiFi
- Memory foam mattress
- No cribs (infant beds)
- Portable fan
- Bedsheets provided
- Soap
- Laptop-friendly workspace
- Toothbrush and toothpaste available
- Toothbrush and toothpaste not available
-
Luxury Double Room
1 Double Bed
Individually decorated room
Internet - Free WiFi 250+ Mbps (good for 3–5 people or up to 10 devices)
Entertainment - 40-inch flat-screen TV with cable channels
Food & Drink - Coffee/tea maker, electric kettle, room service (limited hours), and microwave (on request)
Sleep - Memory foam bed, premium bedding, and bed sheets
Bathroom - Private bathroom, shower, free toiletries, and towels
Practical - Laptop workspace and iron/ironing board; cribs (free) available on request
Comfort - Daily housekeeping, heating, and portable fan
Accessibility - Hardwood flooring in room
Need to Know - Toothbrush and toothpaste not available
Non-Smoking
Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)
- Coffee/tea maker
- Shower
- TV
- Private bathroom
- Heating
- Hardwood or parquet floors
- Electric kettle
- Wardrobe or closet
- Toilet paper
- Sofa bed
- Shampoo
- Room service (limited hours)
- Daily housekeeping
- Premium bedding
- Free WiFi
- Memory foam mattress
- Free cribs/infant beds
- Portable fan
- Bedsheets provided
- Soap
- Laptop-friendly workspace
- Toothbrush and toothpaste available
- Toothbrush and toothpaste not available
-
Luxury plus room
1 King Bed
Individually decorated room
Internet - Free WiFi 250+ Mbps (good for 3–5 people or up to 10 devices)
Entertainment - 40-inch flat-screen TV with cable channels
Food & Drink - Coffee/tea maker, electric kettle, room service (limited hours), and microwave (on request)
Sleep - Memory foam bed, premium bedding, and bed sheets
Bathroom - Private bathroom, shower, free toiletries, and towels
Practical - Laptop workspace and iron/ironing board
Comfort - Air conditioning, daily housekeeping, and heating
Accessibility - Hardwood flooring in room
Need to Know - No cribs (infant beds) available, toothbrush and toothpaste not available
Non-Smoking
Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)
- Coffee/tea maker
- Shower
- TV
- Air conditioning
- Private bathroom
- Heating
- Hardwood or parquet floors
- Electric kettle
- Wardrobe or closet
- Toilet paper
- Shampoo
- Room service (limited hours)
- Daily housekeeping
- Hypo-allergenic bedding available
- Premium bedding
- Free WiFi
- Memory foam mattress
- Pillow menu
- No cribs (infant beds)
- Portable fan
- Bedsheets provided
- Soap
- Laptop-friendly workspace
- Toothbrush and toothpaste available
- Toothbrush and toothpaste not available
Guest Reviews
- Martin (8/5): - Great location, staff & cost.
- David (10/5): - Excellent friendly service. Room clean, well kept. Recommended.
- Ricki (4/5): An odd experience - Stayed 3 nights for business. The single staff member on site was very accommodating when we needed to alter the booking date. Unfortunately the rest of the experience was sub par. No hot water for 2/3 days, and the shallow shower tray would overflow onto the floor after 3 minutes so you had to be fast. Arrived back one afternoon to the whole hotel locked up and no one in at all, one of the room keys stopped working so we were stuck in limbo in the hotel stairwell until someone could be reached, 4 phone calls later and a young lad arrived (who was very helpful and professional). Room was not made up one day, and the towels were not changed in the whole 3 days. The restaurant was closed the whole time, this was announced to us via email a couple of days before arrival, and after the booking was made, no breakfast option either so had to eat at the premier inn up the road. The ‘pool’ and ‘gym’ advertised is actually a voucher for the local leisure centre. Will not be returning to this hotel. Building is very nice and traditional, but parking limited. Be wary of glowing reviews for this hotel from new accounts only having made one review ever - fishy.
- geoffrey (6/5): - the property whilst old and historic was in desperate need of a coat of paint windows were filthy the bathroom was dangerous the shower drain cover was broken and a wood screw was used to replace the original one it stuck out and was very sharp as i found out when i stood on it, the room had no airflow / air conditioning the main road was noisy as was the car / house alarm that went off outside our window every 5 minutes from 5am onwards! not great!
- Donna (8/5): - All staff were very friendly and helpful. Great communication Rooms were very nice, airy, quality furniture and decor throughout. No air con but fans provided in rooms. Plenty of drawers and wardrobe space. Bathroom spacious with nice shower. No problems parking. Ate one night, both meals nice and i particularly recommend the punjab rajma curry which was delightful. Great location, a quick walk into centre. Minor critiques ..Music and talking outside my room a little loud until 2am but it was a Saturday night so not entirely unexpected and I’m a light sleeper. Other room slept like a baby. Couldn’t find a key card drop off box when reception was closed at checkout. Don’t know why hotels always use such tiny cups in the bedrooms.. I need a mug in the morning! I will happily stay again when next in Thetford.
- Amy (6/5): - Doors are locked after 9pm, and unfortunately due to rod delays I didn’t arrive until 10pm, at which point I was charged for late check in (a first in my experience), and the receptionist left shortly after
- David (8/5): - The kitchens were closed but the owner offered a room upgrade and bottle of fiz as recompense. Friendly staff and spotlessly clean room.
- Andrea (2/5): - First night no hot water they rang the day after to apologise but nothimg offered in way of reimbursment. Secomd night water was warm at best. Both nights the shower pressure was terrible, barely wets you. The bed is not comfortable in the slightest
- Denis (4/5): Poor show - Was shown to my room by receptionist room was not made up receptionist made up room served behind the bar prepared and served a light evening meal god knows what they would do without her was far to expensive for service provided and very low water pressure for shower a full refund would not be out of order very disappointing
- Alex (6/5): - Comfortable stay once the heating kicked in. The hotel was booked in the premise that on Hotels.com showed that it had access to gym facilities. Upon arrival, it was explained this was not the case. We were greeted kindly and checked in without any issues - booking was already paid for online. Breakfast - a box breakfast was offered but was also advised we could go to breakfast at a different hotel. The hotel is unmanned from around 8pm until…well I left at 8.50am and the front doors were still locked. Would have been great to sort out invoicing issues In person. Overall, my stay was ok
- Will (10/5): - After returning to the area after 16 years, we chose this hotel for the personal touch over other chain options. The hotel's staff was amazing and accomodating. They provided great service and every meal was delicious. The Thomas Paine Museum was of special interest and full of information for this history buff. We cant wait to book our next trip.
- Nicholas (4/5): - The room needs decorating, the pillows need replacing and the windows need replacing, preferably with double glazing to reduce the noise from the busy road outside.
- Petet (10/5): - Great little hotel. A real find
- Keith (10/5): A wonderful stay - Great friendly welcome by Gez and his team - Very friendly, professional service and attention. Room fantastic, drinks great, Goat curry - the best!!! Will be back just for the food and drinks available and attentive staff/friends
- Pauline (10/5): - Very nice building.
- david (10/5): - Stayed overnight while going to a gig in Thetford forest. The owner and his wife and staff were perfect hosts, very friendly and helpful. Enjoyed our meal and drinks. Atmosphere relaved and freiedly. Would definately stay again and happy to reconmend.
- Ian (6/5): - The staff here were super friendly but my goodness, the noisy from midnight until 2 in the morning from the washing machines was terrible, an awful Sunday night
- Carol (10/5): - Beautiful hotel. Owner and staff welcoming and attentive. Absolutely lovely room with everything you need in the bathroom. Good choice of menu at reasonable prices and cooked to perfection. Highly recommended.
- George (2/5): Dreadful - The hotel should not have been open Undergoing refurbishment No hot food at all
- Roy (10/5): Lovely Hotel - Had a lovely stay here great location very friendly staff will definitely be back
- Mr Theo A (8/5): Hotel in Darkness - The hotel is not staffed from Monday to Thursday so no restaurant or breakfast and reception. We are met by a lovely young lady who checked us in and left. There are a number of good restaurants within easy walking distance. Strange coming into a hotel in darkness, but certainly not off putting. We will stay there again.
- Garry (4/5): dont - the site is currently a building site. They are doing the place up..no bar or restsurant. entrance round the back. Dont think nyone on site at night . NO mention of any of this on hotels .com showr no pressure due to building works assume
- Gillian (8/5): Lovely room, building work hopefully finished soon - I was upgraded to the Thomas Paine room and it was amazing. A very special room, with sitting area, writing desk, high ceilings and just gorgeous. The shower was not as powerful or user friendly as I would have liked, but I could cope. There was confusion over breakfast - it has to be booked in advance online, and is only a box breakfast. There is currently a lot of building work going on in the public areas, but this is hoped to be finished soon and the final result looks as though it is going to be amazing. The owner was very friendly and proud of his hotel, rightly so. I would definitely go back, especially once the building work is finished.
- Patrick (10/5): - Amazing food and comfortable beds
- Verified traveler (6/5): Not what I expected - There was a lot of building work being carried out, and the bar and reception was closed. The shower had very low water pressure, too.
- Ann (4/5): - After travelling 260 miles it was very disappointing to find that the entrance to car park was blocked off due to construction work. We had difficulty navigating the one way system and pedestrian walkways etc to find an alternative entrance at the rear of the hotel. Also the main reception door was locked so we had to carry our luggage round the exterior of the property to enter by a make shift front entrance where decorators were working. There was no breakfast available and no bar do to the refurbishments being carried out. Won't be returning to this hotel again as it was definitely not good value for the price paid.
- Chip (6/5): - Centrally located and check-in service. However the rooms and public areas leading to the rooms could benefit from a fresh coat of paint.
- Samantha (10/5): Fantastic Hospitality - Fantastic hospitality! Gez and Rosie made me feel like I was family in my hometown. The meals were lovingly prepared from scratch and locally sourced beef! They were absolutely delicious! My room was a large corner suite with a newly renovated bathroom…quiet, comfortable and stocked with tea, coffee, milk and lovely biscuits. The gin selection is fantastic along with great wines at the very warm and friendly bar…staff and family were always on hand to take great care of you. I would highly recommend a weekend stay if you’re passing through town as a solo traveler. Then what’s more is the history of Thomas Paine himself…if you don’t know about Thetford’s famous son…then take a trip to the Thomas Paine Hotel for walk through history on inspirational American Independence. Will definitely be back for a visit!
- Olabisi (10/5): - The hotel interesting historical place and the staff were well informed to share its history. The stay was pleasant, the room very clean and the service was great. Will recommend this particular hotel for comfort and peaceful stay
- Lisa (6/5): - Lovely historical building, however I feel the resident information books need updating or a temporary notice in them to advise, there is no cooked breakfast and meal times don’t follow what is shown in the information. I finished working at 7pm and was looking forward to ordering room service which was shown to finish at 10pm only to be told that the kitchen was closed at 6pm. As I was there for business a cooked breakfast and evening meal would have been nice considering what I paid for the room. On a plus, the staff were friendly.
- Verified traveler (4/5): Hotel wasn't open until someone turned up! - Started with great communication about check in as there was no-one on the reception, in which when i arrived the hotel looked closed. No lights on, no doors open, to which i had to wait for somebody to arrive to check me and another party in. Literally the hotel was closed. This wasn't stated in the booking apart from the restaurant not being open, which is fine. I dont normally give reviews but this was just an odd experience. After the nice enough chap booked us in, after turning on some lights he left, leaving what i assume no staff in the hotel. The stay other than that was ok, bit dated but comfy enough.
- D C A (10/5): Arrive as guests, leave as friends - Close to the bar there is a sign saying that you arrive as guests and leave as friends. Exactly our experience. Rooms were lovely for the price, room comfort was really good. You can judge a lot by whether a room has quality biscuits or not, if at all. Food in the evening was lovely and the wine was quality. Staff and the owning family are friendly and welcoming. Very pleased and will stay again.
- Laura (10/5): Would stay again - Good sized room and bathroom. Lovely comfortable bed and quality linen. Tea, coffee and milk were replenished each day. Food in the restaurant was delicious. Large gin range at the bar. Knowledgeable staff. We really enjoyed our stay. Friendly and relaxed.
- Pamela (8/5): - Interesting old building in a good location. The only staff member we met was extremely friendly and helpful. We were given a room upgrade so we had lots of space - enormous room and bathroom. Wifi signal was awful. Due to COVID there was no proper breakfast and the restaurant was closed on the days we stayed.
- Rob (10/5): - Warm welcome from staff. Working away from Home so the hospitality was well received.
- Verified traveler (8/5): Room slight let down but food & hosts were lovely - We booked a 1-night stay at the Thomas Paine Hotel to round off the end of our week-long UK trip. We had been staying in a shepherd's hut prior so we booked the "luxury" room as, what we thought, would be a treat. The hotel has recently undergone some renovations but unfortunately the fresh paint didn't make up for the lack of luxury. The room was more basic than luxury, including a dirty tv remote that didn't work properly and no extra frills you might expect. The picture of the "luxury double" on the website was much larger than the room we were in. This led us to think that we might be in the wrong room as, after already paying via hotels.com, we received an email saying that we had not paid and needed to pay when we arrived - at a cost £20 less. As it has been difficult for hotels due to covid, we didn't question the cost difference but we'd say the "luxury" room was more worth the lower price. All of the staff, including Gez's family, were helpful and we enjoyed a lovely meal prepared by Gez's wife. It's a shame that the room was a let down because it's otherwise a nice hotel with a lot of character in the restaurant/ bar and the family running it.
- Carol (10/5): - Excellent service absolutely lovely family run hotel lovely people nothing is too much trouble
- Verified traveler (8/5): - Just starting up again after covid and in process of redecorating. Room was fine.
- Wallwork (6/5): Very Basic Hotel at Not So Basic Price - Lady who checked me in was lovely and polite. I booked the stay on the same day and was then contacted by the hotel to insist I call a mobile number 1 hour before arrival to ensure someone was there. I told them I would be arriving around 10pm and it was as though I said I was arriving at 3am! Hotel is tired and the shower in my room (room 1) was pathetic and it took me 25mins to get wet.
- Ian (10/5): - Great stay enjoyed a lot
- Nigel (2/5): - Bar, restaurant shut and no warning. No breakfast available. Contrary to website. Was not able to check in when i wanted.
- Andrew (10/5): Brilliant Hotel - Very friendly staff and a very comfortable stay along with great food and drink.
- Dawn (10/5): Great service. - We really enjoyed our stay and the personal service was outstanding,we were happy with the comfort and cleanliness of our room.
- Amie (10/5): Thank you! - I had a great stay, I highly recommend the restaurant. The food was incredible and the service was second to none. A big thank you to Nelson for being so welcoming.
- Richard (8/5): - Nice building near centre of town, excellent food, helpful (much reduced) staff doing their best in the current difficult circumstances.
- veli (10/5): - there is so helpfuly servis and verry nice rooms and clean i am veryy happy about stay there
- Verified traveler (8/5): One night stay - It was an overnight stay, over Xmas period so Hotel facilities I.e bar and restaurant were closed. Young chap on reception very helpful. We let ourselves out of the fire exit in the morning and left the key on hall table. It served its purpose but wouldn’t have been very happy if staying longer as no breakfast or anything available.
- Verified traveler (10/5): - I liked the friendliness of the staff and service. Also the people in the bar where friendly. Its close to town centre just a little walk. The food was lovely.
- Daniel (8/5): Business 1 night stay - Excellent food. Friendly staff. The whole hotel is dated and could do with modernising which would attract more guests in my opinion. Enjoyed my stay
- Verified traveler (8/5): - Very quiet and had to find staff to check-in and out. Room was lovely, very comfortable bed. Shower could do with a refit but bathroom was otherwise clean.
- Tina (8/5): Friendly, pleasant place to stay - We spent 2 nights over a very hot weekend, we were in room 7 the Ronald Reagan Room, all the rooms are named after American Presidents. It was a huge room with nice furniture, a comfy bed and a nice seating area, the sofa wasn’t the most comfortable however it was a nice addition and although the temperature outside was high the room itself was fine, we didn’t need to use the fan provided. There is no hairdryer in the room I discovered afterwards you just need to ask, a bit annoying if I’m honest it would be far more convenient if it was already in the room. The owners and staff were lovely and very helpful, the bar and dining area was really nice but we didn’t eat at the hotel so can’t comment on the quality of the food, our room rate didn’t include breakfast but it looked like a typical Continental breakfast with cold meat etc. It’s an easy walk into town with several eating options. Our room was very clean but I felt the grouting in the bathroom and the ‘plug’ area of the shower could have done with a bit more attention as both had a mould issue. There’s parking at the hotel but you must enter your car reg into the machine by the bar otherwise you will receive a fine but we were told this when checking in. All in all we had a very lovely stay and would definitely recommend it and use again if we are ever in the area.
- Paul (2/5): Worst hotel ever - Worst hotel I stayed in. We booked a family room for 2 adults and 2 kids. We paid £200 for room only, breakfast not included! We been promised a double and 2 singles. We arrived late on Saturday night and found a broken single bed so we had to share our bed with the kids. The toilet were old and made funny noises all night and had an old dirty carpet in the bathroom. The curtains didn’t block the light in the morning so non of us had any sleep. I asked to speak to the manager/owner but no one got back to me.
- Verified traveler (2/5): - The hotel was tired and needed updating. Our room had a large wet area on the carpet from a leek in the roof. We asked to change rooms and where told there was none available and that the previous guest had probably spilt water on the floor ( the foor was so wet water squelched up between my toes). Also there was obvious water damage to the ceiling above the wet patch. The curtains where hanging off the rails. It was a hot night so we took the quilt cover off the quilt to just cover ourselves with the quilt cover. The quilt underneath was very stained. Probably the worst thing about the room was the smell. I asked the manager to go and check the room when we were leaving as i needed confirmatin at that point that the room really did smell terrible. The manager had to agree but stated she was unable to give a discount and that the owner would ring me to discuse money off the room. Unsurprisingly i have not recieved a call. I would strongly advise peopl not to book this hotel . The owners seem to be unconcerned about their guests and only intrested in taking their money. Lasty the breakfast was a poor selection. No cooked breakfast on offer. It was meant to be a continental breakfast . The choice was cereal, toast, croissant or a roll with processed cheese slices or ham. Very poor.
- Verified traveler (6/5): - It was in a good location and we had a big room and most of the staff were friendly and tried very hard. The property is a bit tired and the attention to detail was lacking.
- Verified traveler (10/5): - Great staff very welcoming. The room was lovely and clean as we as spacious. Very comfortable bed.
- Verified traveler (10/5): - Large elegant bedroom. Good size bathroom. Friendly staff.
- Verified traveler (10/5): - Great location and i liked reading the history boards about Thomas Paine
- Wayne (10/5): Great atmosphere - Amazing place to stay , great friendly staff . As well as great freshly prepared food. I look forward to my next visit .
- Verified traveler (2/5): - I stayed and was basically charged twice for my stay! Booked via online payed and was then charged for my room again that morning! I presumed that my card wouldn’t be debited! So I payed cash when I questioned the double charge I was told that the hotel had no record! Disappointed with the dishonesty
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