Rafayel on the Left Bank

I asked for a massage and found it really relaxing, so I’d definitely recommend one. The staff were friendly and helped us book and plan our transport. It was cold and rainy in London, but our room was clean and warm, and my wife and I had a restful stay.

The room was large, the beds were comfortable, and we had a lovely river view. The location was very good, and the staff were welcoming, polite, and helpful. There’s a gym, although some machines weren’t working. At 3am, loud singing and music woke me up. It went on for a while, though I did manage to get back to sleep. The shower also dripped on and off overnight. It had brown stains on the walls, and the soap dispenser was hard to use, with brown deposits underneath. The bed cushions and side tables could have been cleaner too. Cleaning could be better generally, and an air freshener in the entrance and corridors might help.

Getting around was difficult, with hardly any decent transport nearby. The hotel also doesn’t provide the free shuttle bus mentioned on booking.com. The gym equipment felt unsafe because the notch on the bikes was loose. I didn’t feel comfortable in my room overlooking an open courtyard, where it seemed people could look in. I’d asked before arriving for a different room and was turned down. When I complained at the end, I was told I should have asked to move. It’s hard to raise concerns with staff who have already declined a request, so they didn’t feel approachable. The rooms are spacious, but the layout and decor are odd. The hall looked like the TV series “Absolutely Fabulous” had thrown up in it. There’s no way I’d call this a five-star hotel. With London prices going up, people seem to accept low standards because the price is “cheaper”, but it still felt like a rip off.

The location made getting around awkward. You can pay a fortune for Ubers, or walk about 20 minutes to the nearest Tube station, unless you take a bus first. At breakfast, the huge lounge made the hotel’s busy occupancy a surprise, since the corridors and lifts were usually quiet. The buffet itself was fresh and good quality. Reception staff were polite enough, though tense, and we overheard other guests complaining about the rating and standards. The bar had no atmosphere, and its bartender was unfriendly. After the spa, my husband and son both felt itchy, which worried me. Our small bedroom looked out onto a large yellow storage building. The lighting was confusing, sockets were inconveniently placed with none by the bed, and the flooring and decor looked tired. There was instant coffee but no machine or biscuits. The decor across the hotel felt cheap, tacky, random, and outdated, so even a technically clean room came across as grubby. Security seemed nearly nonexistent: anyone could enter from the street and reach the lifts, with no key fob restricting floor access. I can’t understand the five-star reviews and question whether they’re authentic. The experience felt misleading and over-promised. This hotel positions itself as five-star but massively underdelivers. It might set fairer expectations if marketed as three-star, and complaints might then be less common. We were asked to email privately instead of posting a public review, but that wouldn’t alert future guests or encourage the refurbishment and honest reclassification it needs. Booking.com and other platforms should make sure ratings match what hotels actually offer. This was disappointing from start to finish.