Just a few minutes walk from Padington main line and underground stations, with plenty of bus routes in the area as well - location is excellent. Check in handled speedily and efficiently: on advising that I had to leave early in the morning there were apologies given for the fact that it would be before the continental breakfast was available. Room on ground floor, with small entrance lobby to the room with toilet and washbasin off. Room a bit on the small side but adequate: bed, table, chair, TV all provided, together with another washbasin and shower in one corner. Tea and coffee facilities available, plus - a bonus - extra pillows and blankets provided if necessary, something some larger hotels no longer seem to be able to supply! Periodic rumblings underneath from underground trains: if you were a light sleeper this would be disturbing, but it did not stop me getting off to sleep.

We chose this hotel because it is close to the Subway and bus route plus we were able to park our rental car. We chose this hotel because it has a swimming pool for my boys plus it has a small kitchen, The dining room is great for evening meals.

I stayed in this uninspiring abode for two nights, and discovered that things exist on the small side at the Dolphin Hotel on Norfolk Square. Upon checking in, I was greeted with a thin smile and little else. My single room was adequate but compact - the wall insulation is definitely miniscule - it felt like I'd actually annexed the noise from the people in the next door room into my own. No double glazing, with the result that the small amount of noise from the (not particularly loud) Norfolk Square outside actually did become intrusive - mainly with revellers up late being rowdy on the way home, reversing delivery vehicles early AM and so on. There was a group of loud and obnoxious students in the hotel - who slammed doors and came in late - waking me up a lot. In fairness this guest noise is not the hotel's fault - but I mention this as from a budget place like this you want cleanliness and a half-decent night's sleep. With the external and internal noise across the two nights, overall I have to say that it came up lacking on both fronts. And I had ear plugs in, and had also taken a sleeping tablet! Within the room the fixtures and fittings seemed to be clinging on for dear life, possibly held in place by a combination of shoddy workmanship and potential behind-the-scenes grime (there was a dank smell in the room). The kettle didn't work and room service didn't clean the room very well (bed wasn't made well, cups weren't cleaned). Also each night the towels became smaller - and thinner. I suspect if I'd stayed there a third night, I'd have ended up with a bath towel the size (and thickness) of a mouse's handkerchief. The shower was lacklustre and demonstrated real attitude - refusing to be tamed by any amount of temperature moderation or directional pointing, so it was either too hot or too cold, and altogether too weak. Breakfast here is a dour and cheerless affair - buffet-style in the basement, attended by grim-faced and seemingly oppressed staff providing cold toast with the texture of pyrofoam and a service set-up that even in the 1980's would have seemed a few decades past its prime. On check-out the staff didn't seem to care less about my departure, and the sentiment was mutual - for my next trip I will stay elsewhere at this price and I recommend you do too.

At nearly sixty quid, I thought my room in this hotel was something of a bargain. It's very central, which is what I wanted as I wanted to hang out in central London for the duration of my two day stay in the city. It's in a pleasant and reasonably quiet square in a busy area, so one can get an undisturbed night's sleep while just a short walk away there are plenty of cafes, pubs, restaurants, etc. A big plus: the tube station is very nearby. Another big plus: Paddington station, where there's the Heathrow Express, is very nearby. The room I had was small and the en-suit bathroom was ridiculously small, but I was able to sleep very well in the room, rest in it during the day, and shower despite the small size of the shower unit. My room had a balcony overlooking the square, which was very nice. I can't comment on the breakfast, since I didn't have it: I'm one for going to a local cafe for an English breakfast. The staff were friendly and helpful enough. Another big plus: I had access to a safe deposit box at the reception, which was a great relief for me as I hate carrying my body belt with passport and what not in around town. Two words which came to mind soon after I'd gone up to my room after checking in: quaint and funky.