London Marriott Hotel Maida Vale

I arrived at 11:30 AM with my two-and-a-half-year-old twin boys. A female staff member said the rooms wouldn't be ready until 3:00 PM, which I understood, so I left our bags and asked if we could have a street-view room because the toddlers love watching buses. She clearly said it wouldn't be a problem and that one would be reserved. When I came back at 10:00 PM for the key, a male receptionist said there were no street-view rooms available. If the request couldn't be guaranteed because of poor communication, they should have said so that morning. Worse, he raised his voice and scolded me for not making the request online instead of apologizing for what his colleague had promised. How can a well-known hotel group go back on its word after a shift change, then blame and shout at a guest? It showed no professionalism or empathy for a family with small children. I'm extremely disappointed and appalled by the service. I'll NEVER stay here again, and strongly advise others to avoid this hotel.

The neighbourhood was okay, if not the best, and it was a nice stay overall. Kilburn station is about a five-minute walk away, with trains into central London. The lobby was pleasant, and the staff were helpful and nice.

The neighbourhood has a cosmopolitan feel, though this is in Kilburn, next to Maida Vale, and Kilburn is a lot less chic. My room was quiet and comfortable, and the modern bathroom was great. The air conditioning never worked properly despite two maintenance visits. I'm not usually keen on AC anyway, so I took the duvet out of its cover and slept under the cover, which was okay. The Bannatynes gym next door was surprisingly small and poorly equipped. It's fine, but I expected more from a hotel using an outside gym. Staff were friendly and efficient, just not proactive. Nobody checked whether the AC had been fixed, for example. This is the only Marriott where I've struggled to get foam pillows. They're in my profile, but none were in the room. One eventually turned up, the only one available, and it was a sad, flattened thing.

We'd just arrived from the US when a woman brought a small bag of chocolates to our door to welcome us. Earlier, there was cheesecake, a little bottle of Prosecco and a birthday card for me waiting on the table. The room is large, with a king size bed, and everything looks clean and fresh. There are two cans of water in the refrigerator, a safe and plenty of space to unpack. So far, so good.