South Park

We were left trying to sort out cold showers for most of the night, and even by 10am both showers were still cold. It took another 40 minutes of explaining the whole problem before we could use a room with hot water. When we first reported the internet not working in room 305, staff weren’t helpful and just told us to go downstairs, where it worked. That room was tiny and hot, with no windows or internet. After the cold water issue, someone came about 20 minutes later and confirmed it was cold. He casually offered either a twin room or use of a single room’s shower, assuring us that would be hot. We chose the latter, but the water in room 310 was cold as well. We called reception again and explained everything, but the man there didn’t seem to know how to help. This was by far the worst hotel stay I’ve ever had.

For £100 a night, I expected much better. The room felt like a grubby bedsit, and I’d say it was worth about £10. The shower was covered in mould, the toilet kept breaking, the windows were filthy, and the maintenance was extremely poor. The internet never worked, the TV never got a signal, and the room was never cleaned or given fresh towels. Carpets were really dirty too. There’s a shared kitchen, but people don’t clean up after themselves, and staff were rarely at the desk when help was needed. The staff could hardly speak English. There was constant noise from the bus stop right outside and people coming and going to the Indian restaurant in the building. About 30 men from the construction site above spat outside the bedroom from around 5am and made loads of noise. With families staying there, kids were screaming all the time, so forget getting sleep if you’re travelling for business. During refurbishment, drilling started at 7am on a Saturday, so no chance of a lie-in. Parking is off-site on someone’s road, and you just have to hope you don’t get a ticket. I’d have preferred a prison cell.

The shower got so hot that I was burned several times, and when I complained, they ignored me. They never cleaned the room either. The kitchen is downstairs, which makes preparing food difficult if you have kids.

I stayed for four weeks and had a great time. My room was spacious, with a newly renovated bathroom, and everything was very clean. It’s a handy location, close to Croydon city, with a bus stop right outside. The staff were really friendly and helpful. I’d recommend this hotel and look forward to coming back.