Lord Jim Hotel Earls Court

The mattresses were uncomfortable, so we'd only come back if they were replaced. The room itself was adequate, and the renovated bathroom was lovely and clean. The location is excellent, just off the main road in Earls Court with the Tube station around the corner, making it easy to get downtown without the crowds. There are several nice pubs, two small grocery stores and a laundromat nearby. The price was reasonable, and the front desk staff helped with directions and called a taxi. Penywern Road has plenty of similar places to stay, and Lord Jim seemed middle of the range.

The room was reasonably clean, though the decor could use an update. Everything worked except the shower drain, which emptied very slowly. We were greeted by a really friendly, helpful receptionist, and checking out the next day was easy. They let us leave our luggage in the reception office while we went to see the town before our flight a few hours later. Earl's Court station is about a two-minute walk away.

We had come to London for Wimbledon and were exhausted after getting up so early. Our booking gave 9.30 as the check-in time, but the room wasn't ready when we arrived. The receptionist called the cleaners, who couldn't say when it would be ready. The makeshift reception had no privacy, so we were asked to say our private details aloud in front of other guests. My partner left his number so staff could call us, but the call came around 40 minutes later. We officially checked in at 10.15, 45 minutes late, which upset us. There was no clear hotel sign because of the building work, and a staff member had to come out and point us to the entrance door. We were still expected to check out at 3.30, so I asked whether the cost could be reduced given the late check-in was the hotel's fault. They said management would deal with it, but we were charged in full and no one from management discussed it with us. I emailed afterwards and was told we wouldn't get anything back.

We didn't sleep at all in room 106. It was beside the noisy elevator, and the walls were so thin we could hear a man snoring next door as if he were lying right beside us. The room was barely wider than the bed, leaving almost nowhere to move or open a suitcase except on the bed. The mattress was old and uncomfortable, and the bed was hard as a rock. We complained in the morning and moved to another room on the Second Floor. That one seemed like the sort of room behind all the good recommendations and was okay for sleeping. We checked out early the next day and changed hotels.