Aspen Apartments

You mainly pay for the location. We stayed in a creepy suite on the lower level, where the windows opened wide enough for someone to come straight in if you didn't lock them. The shower kept switching between hot and cold, and the water pressure dropped whenever other people were using water. The Wi-Fi was terrible and wouldn't work in the bedroom. There was even a mystery bottle of soap on the shower floor, which made the place feel creepier.

My mom and I were moved to a different room after I asked reception for help, and the person there was very nice about finding one for us. That made our second night pleasant and left me with a good impression of the reception. The first room, on the top floor, was tiny, with a roof taking up almost a third of the space. My mother's calf hit the bed frame several times, and the water was cold. I think the hotel manager should update the rooms and equipment.

The staff were helpful, and the toiletries were decent, though the coconut wash had been mixed with the red one. Our bedrooms were clean and free of bedbugs, but the kitchen was a different story: the kettle was filthy and the dishwasher didn't work, so we couldn't go ahead with our plans to cook dinner. We spent six nights in one of the apartment suites at this rejuvenated hotel. The lift didn't work at all during our visit, and my elderly family found the stairs to the apartments too creaky. It's near Paddington station, so I suppose the price is fairly reasonable.

The location was good, about a five-minute walk to Paddington station and close to Hyde Park. The full kitchen might also be useful for some guests. But I will never book this hotel again, especially at this price. It was the filthiest hotel I've ever stayed in, despite having visited 21 countries, including India and Lebanon. The furniture was very old, the windows were broken, and the outside noise was so bad that I had to sleep with earplugs. I asked reception three times about the windows and was ignored. The beds were awful too. There was almost no service. The male receptionist, who looks Middle Eastern, wouldn't even lift his head when someone came into the lobby, and guests weren't greeted. The younger women at reception were a little kinder. Room service came daily, but they didn't replace the tea or coffee, there were no hand towels, and no shampoo or conditioner. There was one colored liquid in the bathroom for hands, body, and hair.