Fitzrovia by CAPITAL

The location is handy for shopping, but I’d never stay here again. I found the bed bugs the day before leaving, after days of serious itching and spots appearing on my arms, feet and legs. At first I thought it was an allergy, and I’d already left a three-out-of-five review because I hadn’t realized what was biting me. Now I’m disgusted and worried the bugs came home with me. I sent them a video so they’d fumigate before someone else gets hurt. In apartment 10, the pictures make the place look bigger than it is. There’s hardly room for suitcases, and the original bed setup left so little space I couldn’t even fit properly, though I’m not a big person. They moved the bed to make more room, and I didn’t complain again because I thought things were fine. The central office service was average. The cleaner works hard, so the place can look clean, but don’t be fooled, there are bed bugs.

The area is great, but the residence is run down and not very clean. There were drain flies in the kitchen, a bad smell outside its door that seemed like a sewer pipe problem, and mildew in the back bedroom from a leaking back door. There were only two toilet rolls for five people, one trash bag, and no dryer. It was noisy at all hours, with doors slamming and people walking and talking. The shower head was broken, so we used towels to mop up the water. Management wouldn’t replace it without charging extra. It’s too bad they don’t look after the place.

The apartment and location are fine, but I wouldn’t recommend staying here. We chose it partly because it had a lift and we have a baby, but the lift hasn’t worked since we arrived a week ago. Every day we’ve had to carry the child and stroller down five floors. They supposedly fixed it today, but it still doesn’t work. It’s almost impossible to reach anyone when you call, and we’re staying another week. The maintenance and cleaning utensils also fall short of what you’d expect at this price. It’s a shame.

SCAM, STAY AWAY I saw an elderly woman from outside London standing in the freezing cold, unable to get into the building or check in. She’d recently had a hip operation, and there was no reception. Nobody answered the listed phone number either. It looked like she’d been scammed. I tried to find her a room at the nearby Holiday Inn, but it was fully booked. In the end, she had to get back to Victoria station and return to her home town. Disgusting way to treat a vulnerable older person. Keep well clear of this “hotel”.