Cosy Philbeach Gardens Gem

I liked the digital check-in and door access, but I probably wouldn’t come back. If your room faces the railway tracks or flight path, expect little sleep: the typical Victorian windows don’t block noise. The doors are loud too, and light comes in from outside, so you can hear your neighbors. Aside from that, it was alright, though the dirt around the windows could use more attention.

For the price, this was a great short-stay base in London. My ground-floor single room was clean and good value, with a coffee machine, kettle, microwave, iron, fan, heating and fridge. There was still daylight and enough privacy when needed, with little street noise. It’s an old building, so you sometimes hear other guests, but it wasn’t intrusive. The remote access for both the building and room worked well. The team were very responsive on WhatsApp and even tried to arrange early check-in, though my long-haul transit plans meant I couldn’t give much notice. Instead, I left my bags at the sister property five minutes down the street. They also got me more coffee quickly, which really helped with the jet lag 🥲.

I’ve stayed at Bob Ws many times, and the quality and cleanliness used to be reliably decent for the price. Lately, though, I’ve noticed some London locations slipping, with dodgy electrics, missing things like coat hangers, and decor looking more tired. A little more attention to detail would make a big difference and help restore my confidence in the company and the experience. I hope they can turn it around.

The area is nice, with a Tesco around the corner, and Earl Court station is close by. There are two Bob W locations on this street, one on each side, so check the address carefully 👀. Getting into the room through the online system was easy. The floors were dirty, the bathroom was unusually cold, and you could hear people using the toilet or washing their hands. The pillow was pretty bad too. Still, I’d recommend it.