The Bow Hotel

The room was clean, nicely decorated, and the perfect location! Check in and check out was super easy and we loved our stay at the Bow Hotel.

We really enjoyed our stay at The Bow. It was affordable, extremely clean and right in the heart of Portsmouth. Seriously, ditch your car -- you can walk everywhere from this location. It is a contactless hotel which worked for us. We had no trouble using the app and following the instructions to get into our room. There's a self-serve coffee machine in the lobby and a pantry with some snacks. Overall, it was perfect for us and we had an awesome time.

They should change the name of this quote hotel to quote The Gaslighter. Cause that’s what it is. A gaslit experience. Pardon my poor punctuation as Trip Advisor doesn't like quotation marks. Very deceptive marketing. If you are under 35 and have no interest in service, this is the place for you. If you are over 35 or aren’t tech-savvy, find another place. I’ll start with the pro’s as there are a few but the con’s are many. Pro’s: Location – it is a wonderful location. Right in the heart of the Portsmouth waterfront restaurant/theatre (district?). Having never been here I don’t know what this area is called. Oddly they don’t mention that Seacoast Rep Theatre is on the street level below the “hotel”. Sounds like a great marketing team-up idea there but … alas. Room - …cause that’s all it is. A tiny room that is very stylishly decorated. We are in room 1. King bed (very comfy!) that fills the place … almost completely. There’s a small table and two chairs (unnecessary) and a chest of drawers but, for two travelers with large suitcases, you either have to fully unpack or take turns getting out your suitcase and finding what you need and then putting it back in the corner so you have room to move around. If you like a cold room (we do) you’ll love this place as the AC is central and you have no control over it and they had it set to freezing in August. They do have a modern TV so you can log into your favorite streamers. Bathroom – Is as advertised. A very nice shower and comfy toilet. Nice plumbing. Quiet – Yes very. Though other reviews had issues. I guess we got lucky. Parking - $35 a night (that you find out about at the last minute) and right across a quiet street. (Bow Street) In your text instructions you are told you need to get the parking permit from your room and place it on your dash. There was no permit and I texted this and was told I didn’t need one. Lobby – A nice seating area with some games to play and pleasing decoration. Very stylish. Con’s: This is a quote hotel for younger tech-savvy folks. If you are looking for service, this is not the place for you. The room – We have a King room. You’ll need to be dexterous to get in on the side near the window. Young and limber. There is a multi-plug outlet on one side of the bed but no other outlets in the room available for anything. There is not much of a view but that’s not why we chose this place. Service - This is, and this is their description once we were here … not mine, a hotel with quote Invisible Service. They aren’t kidding. There is no one here to help. Your only way of getting anything handled is by text or a phone call. However, the phone calls don’t always get anyone and when it does, they seem rather put out that you have bothered them with silly questions. You are then instructed via text to download an app in order to get into your room. This didn’t work. Luckily we ran into another couple who had already been through this hassle and they pointed us to a smal

Beautiful room and bathroom. The shower and bed were luxurious and we loved that it was quiet and tucked away. An easy check in/out. Will definitely book this again over a large chain hotel.

They should change the name of this “hotel” to “The Gaslighter”. Cause that’s what it is. A gaslit experience. Very deceptive marketing. If you are under 35 and have no interest in service, this is the place for you. If you are over 35 or aren’t tech-savvy, find another place. I’ll start with the pro’s as there are a few but the con’s are many. Pro’s: Location – it is a wonderful location. Right in the heart of the Portsmouth waterfront restaurant/theatre (district?). Having never been here I don’t know what this area is called. Oddly they don’t mention that Seacoast Rep Theatre is on the street level below the “hotel”. Sounds like a great marketing team-up idea there but … alas. Room - …cause that’s all it is. A tiny room that is very stylishly decorated. We are in room 1. King bed (very comfy!) that fills the place … almost completely. There’s a small table and two chairs (unnecessary) and a chest of drawers but, for two travelers with large suitcases, you either have to fully unpack or take turns getting out your suitcase and finding what you need and then putting it back in the corner so you have room to move around. If you like a cold room (we do) you’ll love this place as the AC is central and you have no control over it and they had it set to freezing in August. They do have a modern TV so you can log into your favorite streamers. Bathroom – Is as advertised. A very nice shower and comfy toilet. Nice plumbing. Quiet – Yes very. Though other reviews had issues. I guess we got lucky. Parking - $35 a night (that you find out about at the last minute) and right across a quiet street. (Bow Street) In your text instructions you are told you need to get the parking permit from your room and place it on your dash. There was no permit and I texted this and was told I didn’t need one. Lobby – A nice seating area with some games to play and pleasing decoration. Very stylish. Con’s: This is a “hotel” for younger tech-savvy folks. If you are looking for service, this is not the place for you. The room – We have a King room. You’ll need to be dexterous to get in on the side near the window. Young and limber. There is a multi-plug outlet on one side of the bed but no other outlets in the room available for anything. There is not much of a view but that’s not why we chose this place. Service - This is, and this is their description once we were here … not mine, a hotel with “Invisible Service”. They aren’t kidding. There is no one here to help. Your only way of getting anything handled is by text or a phone call. However, the phone calls don’t always get anyone and when it does, they seem rather put out that you have bothered them with silly questions. Example text - Hi ______, thank you for choosing The Bow for your upcoming Portsmouth trip! We want to make sure your stay is everything you're looking for. Our 10 room boutique hotel is contactless meaning you'll receive check-in instructions (via email and text) at 4 pm the day prior to arrival

The Bow is a great place to stay. Clean, quiet, and great location. I’ve stayed at their sister hotel a few years ago. Would go back to either hotel.