I originally was a bit put off by the reviews I saw on this site for the Avalon, but booked a room there anyway (for £42/night, their Internet rate -- as my photos show, I lucked out and got a twin for the price of a single, because no singles were available, and I called the hotel directly), and am extremely happy I did so. The location (Cartwright Gardens) is fantastic, and the room was perfectly serviceable -- small but clean. Breakfast was also very good.

I think the staff has made a real effort recently to update and upgrade the hotel. As long as you realize you're getting a bargain, and know what small hotels/B&Bs in the UK are like, then I have no hesitation in recommending the Avalon to you.

I first stopped at the Avalon when I was just ten years old. It was a very nice comfortable private hotel run by a very nice couple. They cared about their guests and accommodated the traveler whenever possible. I enjoyed the Avalon at least ten times. Through the years (I won't say how many), the hotel has simply stagnated. No changes, no upgrades, no paint, no new wallpaper, no mending, no ... well you get the picture. I no longer stop at the Avalon. They are uncomfortable, shabby (not chic), cold and unaccommodating. Late breakfasts crammed in a tiny cubby in the basement; no holding of cases while the traveler travels (this used to be a major benefit); no one on duty; no heat in the room; window pane missing in the rain and NO ONE ON DUTY. Mr. and Mrs Taylor would turn blue to know that their lovely home is now a hole in the wall -- BY THE WAY -- there are still MANY lovely private hotels on Cartwright Gardens...ones like the Avalon used to be.

The key words about the Avalon are "Spartan", "aged" and "worn-out". This is the absolutely basic accomodation and this fact takes travellers not familiar with London by surprise. The room and the bathroom were tiny and in need of some extra dusting, plaster was peeling, one of the faucets was leaking. Linens were well-worn. There were no things like shampoo. The walls were certainly far from being soundproof, which was a problem, since a public bathroom was next door from your room.
We were asked to pay immediately upon checking in. There was nobody at the front desk in the morning. On Sundays, breakfast is served at 8:30, so you are out of luck if you are an early bird.
The bottom line - this is a students' accommodation for a hefty price ($160/day for a triple room with a bathroom). This discrepancy between the price and amenities may be a general London problem, but the available descriptions of the hotel carefully avoided these details.

We should have left when we walked in the door and the entire first floor smelled strongly of rancid cooking oil, but for some reason we checked in anyway. On the plus side, they did give us a triple for the cost of a double so we had a pretty big room. On the other hand, the room was terribly taken care of, grimy and with plaster coming off. Our window wouldn't close all the way, so we had a lot of noise coming in (not birdsong like the last reviewer as our room looked out on the backcourtyard of another building which seemed full of screaming children much of the time). The shower looked like it would fall apart and had no hot water for one of our three mornings. The toilet had a constant slow leak all over the floor. Our room was situated so the head of our bed was right next to the two hallway bathrooms, so doors slammed next to our heads all night. The staff wasn't rude, but certainly wasn't particularly helpful or caring. The breakfast was decent if you could get past the smell of the kitchen.