This hotel was very conveniently located; within walking distance of Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, The Eye, Buckingham Palace, and a host of other venues. Plenty of shopping, dining, and theater options in the area. Simply put, the location was fantastic and we couldn't have asked for better.
On the down side, the property itself seemed "rundown" and in desperate need of maintenance. This was painfully obvious in the stairwells, with cobwebs in corners, cracks in the wall, frayed carpets, and accumulated dirt at the side of each step.
The room was quite large with comfortable bed and chairs. However, as seems to be the case in other European hotels, the bathtub was narrow with a convoluted method for controlling water flow between the two shower heads and the tub faucet (I was doused with an extremely cold burst of water when I first tried it). Once one knew how it worked, it was quite simple. But figuring it out was not; instructions should have been provided.
For the most part the staff was not friendly, and the clerk who checked us in was even a bit rude. For all of its pomp, I would rate this as a very overpriced, disappointing stay... I definitely expected more.
