Imperial Hotel London

I would not recommend this hotel. Staff not friendly, no air conditioning or iron, breakfast dreadful, no tissues, flannels, decent towels or shampoos in the rooms. We wanted some note paper ( as this is also not provided ) and were told to come and get it ourselves. No info was given to us on arrival and there is none in the rooms. Very, very noisy.
The good things are free internet and location. Try somewhere else, this ugly hotel could be improved upon.

My friend and I stayed at this hotel for 2 nights in Mid August 2007 before catching our Contiki Tour.

All was okay at check in. One thing that was a little sketchy was that the keys are on huge key chains so, they want you to leave your key at the hotel every time you leave. Having worked at many hotels in San Diego, CA, I felt a little unsafe having a key that you had to drop off at the front desk every time you left the building. So, like everyone else, before going out on the town, we left our key with the front desk.

Our first night went well but the second was a nightmare! Upon returning to our hotel at 2am, we went to the front desk to pick up our key from the night shift person. The night shift person was not there. So, we reached over the counter and picked up our key. We went up to our room and opened the door to find THE NIGHT SHIFT PERSON GOING THROUGH OUR PERSONAL STUFF WITH MY WALLET IN HIS HANDS!!! We were completely confused and caught off guard. After we realized that he was the night shift person and not some random guest at the hotel. We kept him in the room and made sure he had not taken anything. When we asked him what he was doing he responded "I got a report that there were drugs in the bags in room 708(our room)." This statement was totally bogus and made no sense to me because in the states it is illegal to go to someone’s room and go through their things without having a warrant and police escort.

In the morning when checking out, we asked to speak to the manager. My thoughts were "this guy is going to get fired...the manager is going to be so thankful that we told him what happened…etc. But, when the "Manager" came out and we told him our story he said, "The night shift employee already reported this to me. He had to check your bags for security purposes." I was SHOCKED!! The night shift person and the manager were both the same nationality, probably related, and in on this kind of scheme together!!!

We stayed at the Imperial Hotel for 4 nights and found it excellent.
We checked in in minutes and our cases were took to our room which we found light, clean and roomy( though this is a triple room). The carpet was new and the furnishings were good The bathroom was a bit on the small side but the hottest water I have ever had in any hotel. The toilet is seperate and clean.
The breakfast was good, usual bacon, eggs, sausages beans, Fruit, juice and jams. Tea or coffee served at the table by pleasent enough staff.
The hotel foyer is very nice as is the lounge area and a connecting door opens to the souvenier shop next door, also sells bus passes, drinks and newspapers.
The day and night bar also very good, sells an excelent beefburger and chips and a pretty cool pint.
I cant find anything negative to say about this hotel I wish I was back.

Directions: This hotel is in the bloomsberry area not 10 mins away from the british museum and a bit longer walk to oxford street also.

This hotel represents a tradeoff between lower prices & less quality on the one hand, and very good location, on the other. Cheaper means around 70-80 pounds/single, less quality means everything in the room is small and old-fashioned, and the bathroom barely functions. However, as long as you're only tired you can always have a good sleep, and a very hot shover in the morning.

Unique Quality: located in Russel Square, Within walking distance from the British Museum and the shopping district.

The Imperial Hotel is very well located, close to all amentities, shops, tube, buses, restaurants and is also close to tourist attractions like the British Museum and Covent Garden. The hotel staff were always very helpful and friendly. Room was a bit small but from what I've heard this is normal for London. Our room was on the street side with a magnificent view over the Russell Square Gardens and the busy city streets.

Just like any other middle-tier hotel in London. Old facilities, clean but not flashy. Average british food.
The sole advantage of this hotel is its location, since it's very close to interest points...

Unique Quality: Location

I've stayed at the Imperial Hotel on a couple of occasions, and have found it to be an acceptable accomodation. It is not posh but handy to getting about in the city. I like the area, have always found it a great place to start out walks from. The room rate included a continental breakfast which was all I really like in the morning. When you book a single room, it was very compact and definitely a single room! It was a shock for me after North American hotels which are all big standard rooms - same for double or single! This was a single bed.

Unique Quality: Just around the corner from Russell Square Tube station which connects you directly to Heathrowe with no changes. You just have to get your suitcase(s) down to the tube! It is or was right by an Airbus stop, if you prefer to take an outdoors route. Just be prepared to have lots of time in case of heavy traffic.
There is a casino but I've never checked it out, not sure what it costs to get in or any details.

The Imperial Hotel is described by Contiki as a Superior Class Hotel.

This does not bode well for London Hotels if this is towards the higher of the standards.

Alas the rooms are ok and so are the amenities.

And one must remember. Its a place to sleep.