Hotels

This is in a 'cool', edgy bit of London and that is fine BUT no good for holiday makers and visitors who would wish to be elsewhere. The hotel is fine BUT you need to have a friend with you or be... more

This is in a 'cool', edgy bit of London and that is fine BUT no good for holiday makers and visitors who would wish to be elsewhere. The hotel is fine BUT you need to have a friend with you or be brave or go in and out by taxi. There is a pool, the rooms are fine, there is, unlike far better hotels, no wait at Breakfast. Astonishingly enough, the restaurant is excellent. Almost everything that involves keys, payment, billing has to be checked as it will be wrong. The staff are all young and exclusively foreign but you need to check absolutely everything that they do - and go in and out by taxi if alone. Having said that, Old street underground is a 10 minute stroll and it is not expensive to stay here. Just be warned. Close

We stayed here for one Saturday night as part of a Daily Mail theatre break. The location of the hotel is quite unbelievable, right in the centre of a big council estate, therefore we did not feel... more

We stayed here for one Saturday night as part of a Daily Mail theatre break. The location of the hotel is quite unbelievable, right in the centre of a big council estate, therefore we did not feel comfortable walking from the hotel to the tube so had to get taxis everywhere. The general location of the hotel is not central to anything which was disapointing. On arrival it took us forever to check in (not sure why the receptionist found this task so difficult) and we were given rooms on the 2nd floor. Apart from the marble reception this hotel is very drab and the rooms were no better. We had booked three rooms, all of which were tiny (the bed took up the whole room) with very poor decor, a view of an internal roof, they really are in need of a refurb. We had a couple of encounters with the staff, all really unhelpful, everything you ask is too much trouble for them. We had breakfast included in our rate, the cooked breakfast was very bland, I would have cried if I had paid £15 for it. We didn't have time to use the pool so can't comment on this. This hotel is definitely not a 4* (as we have stayed in far nicer Travelodges). Close

We booked this on a deal with super break, 2 nights bed and breakfast with the first evening meal free! This came in at £240 for the 2 of us, had I booked it the day before it would have been £40... more

We booked this on a deal with super break, 2 nights bed and breakfast with the first evening meal free! This came in at £240 for the 2 of us, had I booked it the day before it would have been £40 cheaper! Still we were wanting to see Lion King and thought the Barbican represented good value. We have stayed at many hotels in London in the past and we weren't too daunted by the distance away from the west end. Plus we were handy for the Lord Mayors parade. I am now making a long story short, suffice to say, do not let the concierge get you a taxi, as he is in cahoots with a 'private hire' company, who apart from being unable to speak good english, charge over inflated prices. Our car was responsible for making us 20 minutes late for the theatre. If you require a taxi, black cabs are available near the entrance to the hotel most hours of the day. They are reliable and honest in the main! Aside from the negative aspects :- location, tired rooms and bathroom. No organisation on check in, many were encouraged to queue jump, which I find enfuriating. The plus was the plentiful good quality food we had for dinner on the first night. It would have cost us in excess of £67 without wine, but was included in 'the deal'. Breakfast could have been better, but was ok! Close

The hotel is a little out of the way, its clean and tidy heres what worried us more than the hotel itself. On arrival we were given our room pass, we opened the door and found the room was occupied... more

The hotel is a little out of the way, its clean and tidy heres what worried us more than the hotel itself. On arrival we were given our room pass, we opened the door and found the room was occupied, no one thankfully was in. There was a hand bag, jewellery, clothes and perfume etc easily accessible around the room. We left the room and went down to reception and told them and they didnt seem to be concerned, obviously we had reservations when we got our room and made sure no valuables were left in the room. We went out around Islington late at night and never felt threatening, there is a small local pub 1 minute up the road and we found it friendly. Its a 10 minute walk to the underground and everything you want to do and see in London is easy enough to get to. Would i go back ? probably not, i would go more central, on to the food, breakfast was buffet style first day no bacon left and second day waited 10 minutes for eggs and tomatos if you enjoy your food its not the place to be, its very bland. Close

First room was so bad we had to be moved just a few things, Stained sheets, wallpaper hanging off, draws broken, window broken, dirty toilet, stained walls, holes in walls, no heating apart from... more

First room was so bad we had to be moved just a few things, Stained sheets, wallpaper hanging off, draws broken, window broken, dirty toilet, stained walls, holes in walls, no heating apart from small radiator, no aircon, bath was rotten lamps falling apart etc.. Room was so bad i asked to be moved after refusing to be upgraded and a lot of fuss finaly moved to second room a few probles with that dirty taps, bath, toilet, lights off, NO FIRE instructions!!!!!!!! electrical test on hairdryer 6 years over due, walls so thin you can hear everything, basicaly a terrible hotel is an old office block converted and not very well stay away please Close