Comfortable
by TripAdvisor Member bluewraeth
This hotel is perfect if you are not looking to get killed on the exchange rates as other hotels in London can be expensive for those of us paying in USD.
The room was comfortable, albeit severely dated. On first day the bathroom doorknob came right off...more hysterical then aggravating. Remember European hotel standards differ from American.
PROS:
- Easy access to S. Kensington Tube, on Piccadilly line with stops through most of touristy central london, very little transfers unless going north or south. Straightshot from Heathrow (Piccadilly Line)
- Explore, the streets around hotel are loaded with restaurants, grocers, and pubs. Harrods and HighStreet-Kensington are less then 20 minute walk as well as Hyde Park and Museums
- Bed was comfortable, was able to check in early (noon), quiet, staff was nice and pleasant.
- One internet kiosk for checking email and surfing web (free). There was also another network cable (RJ-45) for connecting a laptop and we were able to link to a wireless network, but unsure this is offered from hotel or were piggy backing off of someone else's signal.
CONS:
- Dated. The room needs renovation.
- I agree with the latest reviews, the water pressure is good, but temp control is non existent. Once you find the temp you want, that temp would cycle to scolding hot and then back to the temp you selected, almost on a 90 second rotation. Made showering challenging and interesting. Especially if you forget after a night of drinking.
- When the staff cleans the room, the towels were not changed they just folded the same towels and hung them up for you. Not necessarily nice if you are there longer then a long weekend.
- While most of the staff is pleasant, one bloke was not, and you will know him as soon as you see him and talk to him. He would rather be anywhere else then talking to you or working.
Summary:
You get what you pay for. It was nice and cozy for a budget hotel. But if you are in London to visit and holiday, you are really only using your room to sleep and clean up in. For that this hotel is perfect for budget travellers.
I would recommend.
Staff attentive ; room needed updating; bonkers shower
by TripAdvisor Member weekendtripper
I have to say that the staff were helpful and on the three occasions we had to ring reception, our request was dealt with courteously and promptly. What a shame the rooms are a bit of a let down. We paid £215 for a triple room for 2 nights which I appreciate is not a huge amount for London but given that it is supposedly four star, I expected a bit more. Everyone is right about the shower - I have a burnt bum to prove it! Also, ours was so stiff we couldnt turn it off and just had to leave it until the maid came. There was gaffer tape around the shower head which had a bit missing so part of the spray seemed to spit right in your eye! It all looks like it could do with a deep clean. There is no mini bar which was a surprise and the only plugs are behind the TV and under the desk which is a bit odd given there is a kettle in the room. Speaking of the kettle. it had something flaking off the element which looked ropey. Our room overlooked the street which was a bit noisy with people visiting the takeaway late at night. It is in a great location though - the tube is literally one minutes walk away. Theres a shop there that sells doughnuts as big as doorstops! We didnt have the breakfast so I cant tell you about that. I appreciate London hotels are pricey so I wont say this one is shocking but it doesnt deserve 4 stars. If youre going as a couple, stay at the Sherlock Holmes hotel on Baker Street (bakerloo line) instead which is divine and is about £95 per room per night through expedia although the hotel does specials on its website. The only reason we didnt stay there this time is there were three of us and the SH dont do triples. If theres a few of you and youre not overly fussy, the GK might be fine.
Not 4 Stars through quality of rooms.
by A TripAdvisor Member
I actually live in cambridge about an hour north of London. So I suppose I could be considered a semi tourist, visiting for the weekend over the easter break.
The first thing I must say is as soon as I walked in to the room I did not think that it was a 4 star hotel. The shower was extremely temperamental (going from hot to cold without warning), the wallpaper was peeling off the wall and the window frame had rotted away leaving a hole which had been quickly and poorly painted over. The noise from outside was terrible, although it is London so I guess I should let it off for that.
This said, I did not spend alot of time in the hotel which was probably for the best really. It is in a great position which is definitely the best thing going for it.
Look around before deciding on this hotel.
good location for tube service
by TripAdvisor Member poch300
We were in London 3/12-22/05 and stayed at this hotel for the first 3 nights of our stay. The hotel is within a short block of the South Kensington tube station so the location is very good for getting around London. We landed at Gatwick and took the express to Victoria train station and then hopped on the tube to South Kensington station. From there we walked across the street and there the hotel was. The hotel lobby and hallways were very nicely decorated (at least the first 2 floors we saw were) and until you got into the rooms you thought you were in a very nice smaller hotel. We arrived about noon and were able to leave our bags in a little room until we could actually check in a little later. The hotel staff we dealt with were extremely nice and helpful so we had no complaints there. There is free internet access in the little tv room off the reception area that was great to have. This was most definitely not a 4 star by US standards, more like a fancy low priced hotel chain. We were in room 201 to begin with, it was very small (like a childs small bedroom) and old looking, the bathroom was big compared to the size of the bedroom but also very old. At first I did not think the toilet had much pressure but then realized you had to pump the handle to flush it more than once in a roll. The tub was good sized but the water ran hot and cold so you had to watch it as it was running. There was about 1-2 feet on each side of the bed to the wall, there was probably about 3 feet to the door and then this narrow little hallway to a desk where you could plug in your hairdryer and have a mirror to look in as your dried your hair. The plug in the bathroom for my hairdryer would not work, but the main problem with this room was the door lock did not work so you could not lock the door when you went out. If you were in the room you could use the chain but you had no lock if you went out. We notified the front desk right away and they were very nice about coming up to fix it, and promised to not leave it unlocked so we went to dinner. When we returned it was locked but the minute we unlocked it it wouldn't lock again. We called them again and there was nothing they could do that night so we had to lock it with the chain only. We did tell them we could not stay in a room that did not lock and wanted to be moved the next day. They did move us with no problem to another room and gave us a free European breakfast for our 3 mornings we were staying. When we went out the next morning we packed up and left our stuff again in the little room downstairs while they found us a new room that 2nd day. We were moved to room 205 which was a lot bigger room (both rooms were on their 2nd floor, our 3rd floor in US) and a lot bigger bath room. Both the new room and bathroom were more modern and a lot bigger than the first one. We most definitly liked room 205 better than 201 and if given a choice would always chose this one over first. We paid $120 per night (---) which was really to high for what we got especially the first room (more like $60-$75 room), the 2nd I would rate at $80-$90 range. I would not pay for the breakfast considering the pound is worth $2.00 in US. I heard someone say the breakfast was 10 pounds (or $20 US) which was way too much for what they offered, go to McDonalds and have an egg mcmuffin, it's cheaper) but if it's in your room cost then it was a great deal. Where our two rooms were located we did not hear any noise from the outside so noise was not a problem for us. If you don't have alot of money to spend this was a good hotel to stay in, it was clean, the help was very nice and helpful, the breakfast was good (if included in your room cost otherwise too expensive), we felt safe there, the location was very good both to the tube and walking around. We would stay here again if we were going on a budget but if I go again I am not going on a budget so I will stay in a little bit more upscale hotel but our experience was not bad at all with this hotel and I would not have a probelm recommending it to someone but would tell them the above info. I read the reviews on this website of this hotel so was not expecting a 4 star hotel by any means but was a little curious about what we would find. The hotel was fine.
inferior room with the booking through Hotels.com
by A TripAdvisor Member
Because of the booking through Hotels, we were assigned an inferior room facing Harrington Avenue. The Confidential Bar across the street from the hotel was so noisy on Friday nights until 4 am, we hardly had any sleep that night. I asked to see a more quiet room, was shown couple nicer rooms on the quiet side of the hotel. I decided not to move since the clerk asked that we pay an extra 50 pounds per night for the change.
it's a dump
by TripAdvisor Member dashooz6868
Even considering that the rates are very competitive for a London hotel, I still would call this hotel a dump, and not worth the money. It's really too bad because it originally must have had the amenity to call it a 4 star hotel. It is so poorly kept, and seeing how they try to keep the lobby and hallways impressive, you wonder whether they are trying to con you. The lace curtains had holes in it, the door knob in the bathroom came off whenever I tried to open it, and the shower head was grimy. The cab driver told me that the hotel changed names three times in the past few years which should tell you something, and the receptionist who was actually courteous and helpful told me that the hotel had recently been sold to a Spanish company. Let's hope the new owners try to do something about it, since the current owners apparently have no such intention. Don't stay here.
Forum Posts
London for Christmas
by usafinn
My husband, myself and our 11 year old daughter will be spending Christmas 2006 in London.
I am looking for a charming hotel that would be decorated for the holidays--something with old world charm. 3 Star is what we're looking for, close to the underground.
We don't need anything fancy or where the hotel takes care of every single need--just a nice homey place with great holiday atmosphere.
Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance--
Anne
RE: London for Christmas
by Izzy01
Hi
Everywhere will be selling at higher rates because its Christmas. I would advise to book in advance, otherwise you will be paying the rack rate. I would imagine all the hotels will have a great atmosphere. The holiday Inn Has a few hotels near to the underground. Also if you wanted to get an idea, you can google "Hotels in london" or go onto websites like lastminute.com, where they would show all hotels on a map so you can take your pick!
I hope this is ok
RE: London for Christmas
by Berri200
Hello Anne
London is actually not too busy over the Christmas period, it is however very busy just before (Christmas Shoppers) and just after on the lead up to New Year when is jam packed.
There are loads of traditional hotels in London that should suit your needs, the only problem with these hotels is that as they are in some cases a few hundred years old (well the original buildings are) so they tend to be quite small and I know that Americans in particular have a problem with the size of our rooms over here. So as long as you are ok with this then you should have no problem finding a nice hotel.
I would suggest you take a look at the Grosvenor Kensington, this is a lovely hotel where they once filmed a Sherlock Holmes episode & I also used to work at this one.
Also take a look at the following as they maybe what you are looking for:
The Gainsborough
The Commodore
The Washington Mayfair
Hope that helps...
RE: RE: London for Christmas
by JulesH
It's not a 3 star, but the Hotel Russell in Russell Square is a really beautiful old style purpose built 4 star hotel. It was actually the very first purpose built hotel in London. Always very nicely decorated both inside and out at Christmas.
