Cg Kensington

The room was clean and the staff were generally friendly. It was small, and the bed a little uncomfortable, but I thought that was fair for the price. The check-in problem, though, made this a very negative stay and left me feeling misled. Google reviews show several similar complaints, so this seems to be a recurring issue, yet Booking.com doesn't reflect it adequately. I've never encountered such an inflexible, poorly communicated policy, especially in a major international city like London. I strongly advise evening arrivals to be very careful booking this hotel. My flight was due to land at 20:05. During booking, I selected check-in between 21:00 and 22:00. The next day, the hotel said reception was open only from 15:00 to 21:00, so I couldn't check in at my chosen time. I tried to sort it out reasonably, asking about an earlier check-in, leaving the key in a lockbox, or paying extra for a staff member to stay briefly. They rejected every option outright. They also said arriving after 21:00 could count as a no-show and potentially cancel my whole four-night booking, even though the hotel and Booking.com had accepted my arrival time during booking. Their only offered solution was to check in the next day. I had to pay for alternative accommodation for the first night and lost the cost of that night entirely. When I asked for a refund for the unusable night or to cancel, the hotel refused, citing the non-refundable rate, even though their own operating limits made the room inaccessible. The reception hours are technically mentioned, but buried at the very bottom of the property information page and easy to miss. Booking.com also lets guests select a time outside those hours without any warning, restriction or validation, creating the impression that late check-in is accepted. I raised this with Booking.com and got no meaningful response or support, which was extremely disappointing given its role in arranging the booking and providing accurate information. The hotel and Booking.com made the booking with that arrival time, but the hotel wouldn't make any accommodation for it or take responsibility. I recommend being especially cautious if arriving in the evening.

Our train was delayed, and they wouldn't try to work with us at all. The message was basically to find another hotel, with no effort to find a solution. We were ripped off and treated in a hostile, customer-unfriendly way. Management should find another line of work.

We'd stayed at CG Kensington three times before, but this was our last visit. We came for our wedding anniversary and enjoy visiting London. They first put us on the 5th floor, then the receptionist kindly moved us to the 4th, which I appreciated. The trouble started when we entered the room. It was about the size of a large cupboard, and the bed was worn on one side and tilted toward the bathroom. It seemed suited to one person rather than a couple. My wife slept on the comfortable, unused side, while I was on the uncomfortable, worn side. The window had no safety latch despite being on the 4th floor, which felt very unsafe. There is no air conditioning in the building, so don't stay here during a heatwave. The unit in our room had a bright green power button flashing all night, impossible to escape in such a tiny space. The bathroom mirror kept flashing and then stopped working altogether. While we used the shower, hot water poured out from underneath it with shocking pressure, and the rainfall head had stopped working. We reported everything to the receptionist around 4pm, and he came to take pictures. We went out for dinner around 6pm and asked what was happening. He said he'd emailed maintenance, but nobody had replied because we'd reported it so late, though check-in was at 3pm. He said he couldn't move us and we'd have to put up with it. In the morning, I took photos and videos, and we checked out around 10:30am. The same receptionist said nobody had contacted him during our stay. When we asked about a refund, he told us to contact the company we booked through because they'd taken payment. That company said the receptionist could have issued a refund that day. We contacted both the company and CG Kensington several times, but the hotel ignored us for about two weeks. We had to chase again, and then CG Kensington told the booking company the issues had been resolved during our stay and refused the refund. I wish we'd left the room and gone elsewhere. I attached a photo of the water pouring from the bottom of the shower, which they apparently said was fixed during our visit. Avoid this place at any cost. It doesn't feel like a hotel, more like a slapped-together Airbnb, and the building needs upkeep and maintenance. They seem uninterested in helping with problems while the money keeps coming in, and good luck getting a refund you're entitled to.

The location is hard to beat for the price, right by the train, and Aaron was welcoming and really nice. The bed felt a little odd, maybe some kind of gel foam, but otherwise it was a fantastic stay for me. I'd come back.