Cheshire Hotel

The front desk service was excellent, and the location suited my conference. The Internet was adequate too. But the room was small and only clean enough, with damaged light fixtures, a ceiling stain, climate control that didn't seem to work, and too little workspace, among other maintenance issues. The hotel itself felt underwhelming for the price. Unless I'm seriously off about London costs, I can't recommend it to other travelers.

The welcoming staff and clean, comfortable rooms made for an easy stay. It's a no-frills budget hotel right beside the British Museum. There's no breakfast, but with so many nearby cafes, you don't need it. We'd definitely come back, just ask for a room on an upper floor rather than the ground floor.

Being three minutes from Primark was the one upside. The room was in a basement with no window, and reception blamed me, saying I’d booked it, though my booking never said basement. It looked passable at first, but the walls were dirty, paint was cracked, the old duvet and floor looked like there’d been a leak, and the shower was so grimy I didn’t want to go in barefoot. The door sat about 2cm above the floor, so I could hear everyone in the hall and worried someone could slide a hanger underneath and unlock it. I barely slept, then woke at 7am to staff having a loud gossip session. WiFi didn’t work at all. Outside, homeless people were yelling, singing and drinking, which made it hard to sleep too. They charge 5gpd per bag to store luggage, and said any damage or loss, whether in storage or in my room, would be my responsibility. This hotel badly needs renovation.

It’s a short walk, about 5mns, to the underground, which is handy. My room was clean, a decent size and had its own bathroom, but there were no amenities. Leaving luggage after 1pm costs £5/hr.