I stayed here for two nights because of its relatively low rates and proximity to Paddington, to get me into Heathrow quickly. I write his review bearing in mind the cost and quality of other hotels in London.

Sussex Gardens is located about a 5-minute walk from Paddington Station and is easy to find. The guy at reception was very friendly and dealt with check-in smoothly. Note you have to pay the bill upon check-in.

I was on a high floor and there is no lift, which is common in these period buildings. Note that the stairs are narrow and steep. Again this is common with buildings of this type. I had a single room and it was tiny. Apart from the single bed there was not much space for anything else except for a small desk, with a 14 inch TV with freeview channes, a tiny slot in shower/toilet/sink cubicle and a small wardrobe. The room however was clean and quiet. The bed, in which I slept vey well, was comfy, and sheets replaced every day. The ensuite cubicle really is tiny but at least the room has one. In London, for this price, showers and toilets are normally shared. The shower is so small about a third of my body protruded out past the shower curtain, and I am not fat! The toilet is almost adjacent to the shower as is the sink. However, though the water pressure is a little low, it all worked and there is constant hot water. There is one (1) small towel and you get two tiny bars of soap and a tumbler. The tumbler was dirty with toothpaste on the bottom.

The TV though small had most Freeview channels which was good. There was a rather large fly and wasp that I killed in the room but only because the window was wide open when I got into the room.

Breakfast is quite nice. Again, much better than the usual fare one would get in hotels in this category. In the basement there's a cosy and decent sized dining room with an adjacent kitchen with a couple of friendly and welcoming female cooks. You can help youself to cereas, juices and fresh coffee. Plus a whole rack of toast each and an Ebglish breakfast (which comprised two fried eggs, two bacon, about 20 beans and a tinned tomato). It was filling, tasted good and was served up by the ladies with a smile.

Check-out is simply a case of leaving your key card on reception. No fuss whatsoever (there are no mini-bars, restaurants etc at this type of hotel).

From Paddington Station you can easily get into the West End (Bakerloo Line) or other places in London. Hyde Park is not far away at all.

In summary, though the rooms are small and basic, everything works, the place is clean, comfortable and the service is friendly. For that reason I recommend this place for those on a budget.

This is a small hotel in a good location - close to Paddington station and short walk to city centre. Our room was small but very clean and there was adequate storage for a short break. The bathroom was tiny but again, spotlessly clean, and the shower was always hot. Good English breakfast, and friendly, helpful staff. Only criticism is having to climb steep stairs, but overall good value for money, and would definitely stay there again.

This hotel is the worst I have ever stayed in. I am writing to complain big time about this hotel. We had a terrible experience in this hole of a hotel. The beds were miserably uncomfortable, the pillows were like rocks and when someone came into the neighboring rooms, it sounded like they were entering ours. On top of all that, the manager was the most miserable, rude, nasty, inhospitable person I have ever come across in the hospitality industry. He turned it into the inhospitality industry. When I inquired about charges for local phone calls, not only didn't he give me a straight answer, he hung up on me! Unbelievable. Whatever you do, don't stay at this hotel and warn your friends.

Arrived in this quaint hotel June 2006 for 3 day stay. We found the staff most accommodating and friendly. The manager very easy to chat to and get information about London.
The Hotel was in a great location for access to the underground and Hyde Park and there are a number of tourist attractions within a reasonable walking distance of this Hotel. (Lords, Kensington Palace, Hyde Park, Mayfair and Parklane and Sherlock Holmes Museum to name a few)

The beds were comfortable and the breakfast was more than adequate. We spent most of our time walking and catching trains and buses during the day on this trip so we just wanted a nice clean and affordable place to set down at night.
I would recommend this place to anyone else.

I guess anybody can have at least one bad tale to tell but this certainly was one of the better hotels we stayed in during our european vacation.