Inhabit Queen’s Gardens

We picked this hotel for our last night in London so we’d be close to Paddington Station. It was beautiful, and the staff were really friendly. The room was clean and comfortable, and being able to check in early and check out late helped a lot. We were there during the heat wave. The other place on our trip didn’t have air conditioning and was quite hot, so sleeping with icy cold air conditioning on our final night was such a joy!

Housekeeping was good, and there were no critters, so that earns an extra star. The rest of the stay was frustrating. I arrived on three hours of sleep and had to argue at the front desk because I expected a queen, while their system showed a double. Marriott’s listing said queen. Irritating, but I could live with that. The listing called the room ground floor, but it was actually lower level, with no view and barely a window, just enough for the legally required egress. They said they couldn’t move me during my four-night holiday weekend stay. I’d booked well in advance, and wondered how many other people were also staying four nights. They seemed somewhat sorry and woke me on the first evening with two bags of vinegar chips, two orange juices and a £9 bottle of red wine. Nearly $1000 USD for a concrete view, juice and wine like you’d bring to a college housewarming. Beautiful. I’m sure a higher room would have made things better, but it is what it is.

The rooms at Inhabit are on the small side, but clean, modern, well kept and worth the price for central London. The staff were so nice and helpful. They set up our babycott, brought us a dog bed and upgraded our room. Rehana and Mohit especially went the extra mile and made us feel at home during our three days there. Thank you!

The neighbourhood is lovely for a walk, but I wouldn’t stay at this hotel again. We paid more than £1,000 for three nights in a “super roomy” room with a king-size bed, as shown in the picture. We’re regular Marriott Bonvoy customers, and the website described Inhabit as a boutique hotel in Bayswater, an area we like. We know Queen’s Gardens well because we’ve always stayed at The Caesar on the same street. This time we tried Inhabit instead. Never again. At arrival, we were assigned a basement room on the LG floor, or Lower Ground. It was dark, with a small frosted window that gave no view outside, and felt claustrophobic. It was a sunny day in London, but we’d never have known from inside. We went straight to reception to ask to change rooms. After several attempts, we finally got one on the 3rd floor, with a street-facing window. Thanks to the staff, especially Daniel for trying and Rohit for showing us several rooms. But the new room was very small, with a queen-size bed, nowhere to put our things, and no wardrobe. The safe was under the bed, which was awkward. We got no refund for the downgrade and ended up with a standard room just to get daylight, despite paying for a much higher category. The rooms look nothing like the website pictures. Breakfast was another problem. These are facts that can be checked, not just impressions. It’s run by an outside company inside the building, and they won’t charge it to the room. That was complicated, but we had booked a rate with breakfast included anyway. There are only five set dishes, sweet or savoury, and no buffet. You can’t simply have bread with cheese and ham, then coffee and a croissant, unless you pay extra. Orange juice costs extra at breakfast, as does espresso. I asked for a little more bread and was charged for that too. Absolutely shameful. The receipt is in the picture. The location is wonderful for walking around the neighbourhood, but that’s the only good thing about staying here.