St Martins Lane London, a Morgans Originals hotel

The location suited my visit, but that was the only real highlight. This didn’t feel like a true five-star experience. Check-in was impersonal, even though I’m an All Diamond member. I had to remind staff about my upgrade entitlement, and still wasn’t offered one. They also forgot to tell me basic things like breakfast hours. My room was comfortable and reasonably spacious, but the furniture was chipped and damaged, and the bathroom needs refurbishing. There was visible mould in the shower. The candles, laundry bags and other accessories around the room all had large price tags, making it feel like a tacky shop display rather than a bedroom. I’ve never seen that in a five-star hotel. Breakfast was included, but the buffet was limited and exactly the same throughout my five-day stay. I paid an extra £10 to order from the à la carte menu and got an absurd avocado toast topped with one poached egg, which was almost laughable. Very disappointing, and nowhere near the standard I’d expect.

The staff were super friendly, and we had a lot of complimentary extras through our Chase booking. Breakfast service was robust, too. The rooms were clean and well appointed, and surprisingly quiet despite being right in the middle of everything. Very convenient location.

The staff were kind and lovely, and the location is fantastic. Those were the bright spots in a hotel that felt old, oddly furnished and extremely noisy. For all seven nights, I heard heavy banging from the room above, sometimes past 2 AM. It sounded like furniture being moved or heavy things dropping, and the walls were so thin I could hear someone peeing upstairs. When I called one night, staff said there were regular rooms above me, no bar or restaurant, and they’d look into it. I never heard back, the noise carried on, and I couldn’t switch rooms. Getting checked in was a hassle too. My room wasn’t ready until 30 minutes after the 3 PM check-in time, and several other guests were waiting and complaining in the lobby. After I asked the front desk a few times, they said my room was finally ready and that I’d been upgraded to a larger one. I appreciated the gesture, but suspect I was only “upgraded” because my booked room wasn’t ready. I ended up on the first floor. The “garden” patio I chose based on the online pictures looked nothing like them. The room itself was badly lit. The options were two harsh fluorescent white sconces, like in a prison, or neon pink, purple or blue lighting behind the bed. There were no normal settings. The cheap plastic Ikea end tables barely held my laptop, and the bathroom tap water smelled of mildew. I did like the free bottled water, robes and slippers, and the cleaning staff kept the room very tidy. But those extras don’t make up for the problems or justify a rate of nearly $600 for the weekend. I’ve stayed in other five-star London hotels, and the difference is night and day. I wouldn’t return; this sadly isn’t a five-star hotel, and overbooking seems to be an issue.

We stayed from Saturday 6th December to Monday 8th for a couple of theatre shows. St Martins is ideally placed for the theatres and Covent Garden. I’ve recently had ankle surgery and am using a wheelchair and crutches, and the staff were excellent with me. The hotel is lovely, and the staff are too. Breakfast really impressed us, both for its extensive choice and for the staff’s organisation and professionalism. We’ll certainly come back in the New Year.