I stayed on business with 5 colleagues. On arrival, we were told that the hotel would not accept a company cheque for payment, despite having agreed to over the phone. This meant one of my colleagues had to pay for 6 rooms on his credit card - not a great start.
Another colleague had to change rooms, as the room she was allocated had been used and not cleaned.
My room was nice, large and very clean with a choice of soft or firm pillows. There was a sofa bed in my room too, which was good for relaxing on. It had a view over the BP petrol station forecourt, which meant I had to keep the curtains closed or else motorists filling up could peer directly into my room. As it was early evening when I arrived though, this was not a big problem.
The problem happened when I realised that the plug sockets were all on the wall opposite the bed. I have sleep apnoea, which means that I have to use a CPAP machine whilst sleeping to ensure I don't stop breathing. I need to plug this in close to the bed, so I phoned down to reception to ask for an extension lead. I was told by the polite gent who answered the phone that he thought there were no extension leads available, but he would check and phone me back. He phoned back and said he had been told that the extension leads were locked in an office which the maintenance manager alone has access to, and so he couldn't get one for me until the next morning. I explained why I needed it, and that it was medical equipment that was necessary. I then spoke to the manager, who suggested I go to the nearby B&Q and purchase one cheaply, and said that if I had special needs I should have said in advance. For one thing, how was I to know the layout of the room in advance - lots of hotels have sockets near the beds - and to be honest an extension lead is not a special need, it's a very common item! I suggested that the hotel pop to B&Q and buy one, as they were so cheap. I also questioned why there was a room in the hotel which was not accessible 24/7 - hardly health and safety conscious, what if there was a fire in there?
Eventually an extension lead (albeit an industrial one on a wheel and stand!) turned up and I was told that I was the first person ever to request it, and it was a bizarre request, but they had sorted it. I was grateful for them sorting it, but I was made to feel as though I was causing a big problem for them.
The lighting in the rooms is not great, it is all lit by desk lamps and a bit dim for doing your make-up by. The bed was comfy and warm. The heating works but is a bit noisy, and windows are sealed shut and you are told to use the air-con rather than open them.
Breakfast was fine, a continental with scrambled eggs and sausages. Good selection of jams and spreads for toast and a vending machine for coffee.
Overall, if I hadn't required the extension lead, and had been travelling alone, I may have marked the hotel higher. However, 3 out of 6 of us had problems of different kinds, and it is definitely not worth the £179 advertised rate per room. I have stayed in much nicer, and exclusive, hotels in Central London for less than this.
- Holiday Inn Express London
- Holiday Inn London
- London Holiday Inn
