The Kensington Hotel

Well, it’s certainly better than sleeping on the street. There’s a comfortable bed and even a hot shower. But the reception is hardly ever staffed, and when someone is there, they don’t speak English. There’s no minibar or even a tiny fridge, and the corridor floor feels like it could give way at any moment. If the choice is between sleeping outside or at this hotel, I’d favour Kensington hotel a bit more.

We left early in the morning after not getting any sleep. The bed was so uncomfortable, and the room and bed smelled awful. The sheets stayed dirty even after we asked for clean ones. At first there were no towels, and the ones we were given didn’t seem clean. I regret not checking the reviews before booking. Never again. (A filthy place, you wouldn’t stay even if it were free!)

The location may be convenient, but our two-night stay with my sister and the children was completely unacceptable. On the first day, the ceiling in the hall outside my room came down. We reported it, but the owners neither picked up nor called us back. There was no concern shown for anyone's safety or comfort, and no apology. The rooms had stained bedding and towels, some had no mirrors, and there were no lamps. Kettles and hairdryers were broken. The bathroom had black mould, a shower that wouldn't drain, and water that swung between scalding and freezing. One person in our group couldn't get into their room for over an hour because the key failed. After a long drive, the manager launched into drawn-out, irrelevant and inappropriate stories instead of giving us a chance to settle in, and made rude remarks to my 16-year-old daughter. When we asked for a refund, we were told, “we don’t do that.” Avoid this hotel.

The location is the one real plus. We could walk to the beach, Westbourne and Bournemouth. We only used the hotel as somewhere to sleep, and during our two nights we ended up laughing about it because otherwise we'd have cried. The ceiling in the hall collapsed, and hours passed before staff showed up. Nobody asked whether anyone was hurt or seemed concerned about safety. I was also locked out of my room for an hour before anyone came to let me in, and the emergency number went unanswered. There was no customer service when we asked for compensation either. We were simply told no, they don't do that. The bathroom had mould, broken tiles, and a shower drain that overflowed. Sheets were stained, the kettle and hairdryer didn't work, and there were no bedside lights. The water was either painfully hot or freezing. The reviews give a pretty clear idea of the place.