The Dolphin Hotel

Checked in at The Dolphin after seeing that most other hotels were booked up already (last minute booking), at £135 for a double I was expecting a little better than what I could find in a Premier Inn.
There was a little confusion at reception as I was not the person paying for the room, he was running late and the receptionist couldn’t understand him. In the end we got it sorted and I went up to the room. I honestly felt a little drunk by the time I reached the 4^th floor (lift not working & only goes to the 3^rd floor), the staircase is very slanted! The room itself was clean and nicely decorated, our view was of a flag pole and the sash windows wouldn’t stay open, we had to prop it open in the end, the AC was a huge old free standing style machine that was very loud and not very efficient.
The bathroom could have been cleaned a little better, the bath had scum lines and lime scale in the base. There wasn’t a hairdryer or fridge, just a kettle and tea sachets. for £135 I would expect just a few more extras in the room.
Room service & check out was very quick.
Bar prices a little high.
Free wifi for as many devices as you like.

I stayed here around March 2008, found the staff fairly unfriendly although, they were very friendly when i left! I did arrive around 11pm so perhaps the night receptionist was lacking in Customer Service Skills.
Bathroom in the room was a bit grubby — few hairs in the sink and bath. There was also a near used toilet roll.
The breakfast was really nice, full english! cant be beaten, overall good hotel, probably get somewhere a bit cheaper but still ok place. The location is just right for exploration of the docks area as well as the city centre (bargate /​walls in particular). West Quay as well.

I look back through my rose-​tinted spectacles to the days when The Dolphin was part of the crumbling Forte Hotel empire, so desperate for business that they admitted the Cricket Team I played for (16 extremely thirsty, testosterone-​fuelled young men) for a week’s stay whilst on Tour in Hampshire. I think that was the beginning of the end for the old Dolphin, but that’s another story.
Dating from 1550, The Dolphin has been extended and rebuilt in parts over the years, and has thus evolved into what it is today an eclectic mix of old and new.
Since Forte disposed of it, The Dolphin has had a number of owners in a relatively short space of time; each has tried to do something new, given up, and moved on. So now we are confronted by interiors that are strange bedfellows: Rococo ceilings look down on a modern cocktail bar; English oak panelling sits next to a stainless steel and glass bar; Victorian cornices sleep with flat screen TV and contemporary art; and Edwardian plumbing joins with Philippe Starck taps and Italian Glass sinks.
The hotel is a little bit tired but it’s clean and tidy. In no way could you mistake the hotel as part of a large corporate chain. It has 65 rooms with a good number of singles, a bistro style restaurant that in particular serves a well-​priced lunch, a cocktail bar, a lounge bar (24hr), function rooms, a hairdressers, a beauty salon, a massage therapy treatment suite, and a very spacious car park.
It also has six ghosts in case you enjoy being haunted.
One of its great advantages is its location in the heart of old Southampton. It is handy for the I.O.W. Ferry and for Ocean Terminals, and both the Central Station and National Express Coach Station are 10 minutes’ walk away.
I saw no ghosts on this visit, but I do recall seeing a Pink Elephant after some post-​match celebrations on cricket tour all those years ago.