Radisson RED London Greenwich The O2

I picked this hotel for work convenience despite the £200 per night price, but after this stay I won't come back to the area hotel. The restaurant had very little choice, so I went to eat in Greenwich, just a short bus ride away. At check-in, the reception staff seemed surprised I was arriving. I was given a key for a supposed superior room on the 3rd floor, but the next morning I found out it was actually a cheaper basic room. They then moved me to a quieter superior room on the 7th floor. Before getting to the first room, I'd already found dirty laundry and a vacuum cleaner stored in the stair lobby by the lift. Both rooms had maintenance problems. The window wouldn't shut fully, so there was noise; the shower door looked ready to fall off; the sink tap and shower fitting were loose; and the shelf under the basin was slanted and unstable. The location also disappointed me at first. The road is lined with industrial warehouses and ramshackle houses, with quite a bit of litter around.

The hotel is an easy 10-minute walk from the O2 Arena, and that alone made our £80 room worthwhile. We were lucky to find a free on-street space about 50m away, which beat paying £22 a night. The bed was comfortable, the hotel wasn't too noisy, and the room had fresh decor and thoughtful design, including USB plugs, mirrors, good lighting, and some nice amenities. The pillows were very soft, though, so if you don't like sleeping flat, maybe bring your own. We wouldn't pay £250, which is what rooms are going for now. At £80 it felt like a real bargain, though the room wasn't fully clean. There was sugar, I hope, across the floor, and it clearly hadn't been vacuumed. Around £80-150 seems about right for the location. Parking at the hotel was ridiculous. Bins blocked spaces, and I'm not sure the spaces are really big enough for large cars as the website says. One space was almost entirely blocked by a lamppost. The street parking area didn't seem great either, with cars left for a long time and lots of dust and debris. The receptionist had no idea whether parking down the street was ticketed and insisted there was space outside the hotel. When we pointed out the rubbish in the way, including mountains of bin bags and someone's front porch, she didn't seem concerned or able to offer another option or reassure us about parking nearby. The rubbish and bins were a strange contrast with the cool dog and smart lobby inside. Clearing it up would make the place worth a bit more. The sky lounge host didn't know the bus route and seemed a little standoffish at first, though she was polite by the end and smiled. There's no alcohol in the sky bar, just shish and Asian cuisine. Apparently there's a shuttle bus, service 180, but we didn't need it.

The rooms had some odd choices in decor and equipment, but they were comfortable enough for a couple of nights. Staff were friendly, and the restaurant and breakfast were fine. There's not much around to wake you up either. The location works okay if you're attending a business event at the O2, though I probably wouldn't stay again.

We stayed for James Arthur and our 6th Valentine's together, and walked into a decorated room with a warm welcome. The hotel is about a 15-minute walk from the O2, which worked well for us. We really enjoyed our stay and would recommend it to anyone. Parking isn't great, but we were lucky enough to get a spot. Thank you.