MY QUEST FOR A QUIET ROOM
I have stayed at this hotel twice. The first time I paid and the second time was free. The reason for the, most appreciated, free stay was my first room. I had requested in writing to have a quiet room on a top floor. I was given a ground floor room next to the largest of the areas used by the cleaners and they were banging on my door at 8am while I was still trying to sleep. In fact ‘banging doors’ should be the name of this hotel. I will explain a little bit later.
My second stay was fantastic – except for more banging doors. I was invited for a free stay by the very (very) expert General Manager of the hotel. When I arrived a few months later I noted that the calibre and helpfulness of the staff are now at a very high standard. I was welcomed with ‘we have given you a quiet room on the back and on an upper floor’. Alright! We are getting somewhere now. I had such great experiences with the reception staff that I wrote out my comment card immediately.
My room was well equipped (again), I enjoyed all my free newspapers/magazines from the lobby, used the 1 working ice machine (top floor) and have a world-class breakfast the next morning. During my stay(s) I used the proper steam iron and full ironing board in every room. Nice showers, comfy beds, a good desk, Wi-Fi, TV, all the usual stuff. There is no gym or anything like that here, but there is plenty of great shopping and dinning nearby.
Now the problem. When the doors close in this hotel the are loud. The shut fast with a bang. So guests and maids are all happily banging away in the morning. Both times I stayed I was on a late start and all I was driven to distraction. I am alight sleeper and I carry my own fan to drown out noise. Bang! I could still hear them. Also the rooms are not well laid out in term of electrical outlets. The ones near the bed are specialty ones like a South African style plug so you can not plug in a laptop, iron, or my trusty fan. I had to swivel (roll) my bed against the TV stand on the other side to plug in my fan.
I do feel there is hope however! The General Manager read my comments about banging doors and emailed me that he would have engineers look at the settings of the door closers. I have no doubt he will eventually get this done. I am impressed.
The final verdict?
For $300 a night your hotel should have a gym/pool and a bit more going for it. The hotel is nice, but for that price I can get the leisure facilities I like to have. Great staff here though.
Unique Quality:
* Great Breakfast
* Good tube access
* Massive exhibition center next door
* Wi-Fi
* Located within a very good shopping/dinning area
* 1 Tube stop from Kings Cross/St. Pancreas
Also offers: Bag Storage, Concierge Desk, Laundry, Parking, Pets Allowed, Room Service, Safety Deposit Box, Babysitting Service, 1 restaurant, 1 bar.
