PubLove @ The Crown, Battersea - Hostel

The city-centre connection was great, and it was easy to get back even late at night. It’s a cheap hostel, and you get what you pay for. My room was quite hot, with no air conditioning. The bathrooms weren’t always clean when we went in late, though they’re cleaned in the morning, so that may explain it.

This was easily the worst hostel I’ve stayed in. The dorms and showers smelled bad, and the place felt poorly maintained. There’s no air conditioning, which I know is standard, but the smell made it worse. The showers barely worked and shared a space with the toilets, so washing up meant dealing with a strong, nasty smell. Rooms were tiny and crammed in, and the hostel was incredibly dirty. Service was awful apart from the two women. A drunk guest threatened to beat me up after I asked him to stop shining his torch in people’s faces. Thankfully I was moved to another room, but the staff member I asked for help, a black guy, gave me serious attitude. He said he had “things to do,” though later I saw him just hanging around listening to music. I know the place is cheap, but it does the bare minimum to make guests comfortable. If you can spend a bit more, I’d stay far away.

I didn’t end up staying at PubLove @ The Crown, Battersea, even though I had a valid booking. On arrival, I was told there were no beds available and refused check-in. The female staff member was rude, unhelpful, and unprofessional. I’d stayed there before without trouble, but this time, after a long day, the staff made things worse instead of helping. Poor communication and attitude led me to make two bookings unnecessarily, costing me money and time. They still tried to charge me despite my not staying. Very disappointing, and I won’t return.

For a few nights, this is a warm, comfortable, and inexpensive place to stay. The beds were clean and comfortable, and the bathrooms had hot water and were clean. Several bus routes run along the road, and the train station for Gatwick Airport is very close.