Stayo Kew Gardens

Our booking at Stayo Kew Gardens was cancelled at 5pm on check-in day, with three guests already waiting to enter the apartment. I wouldn’t recommend this place, especially to anyone under 25. I had repeatedly explained that I had covid and couldn’t attend, and followed their instruction to change the lead guest through booking.com. Then the new lead guest was asked to contact them to confirm their identity. After I eventually got through to someone, they told her very rudely that the booking was cancelled and wouldn’t hear her out. Nobody told me about the cancellation, and I couldn’t reach them afterwards. The arrangements were confusing from the start. I provided contact details for two guarantors over 25 as requested, but Stayo Kew Gardens didn’t contact either of them. When I called to ask why, I was told the guarantor had to email directly, something they hadn’t explained in the earlier emails. By then, they said it was too late. I also called and emailed countless times to organize the stay, but communication was very poor. The reservation executive, Nasra, was rude and dismissive when I tried to explain the problems. She showed no sympathy, even though I was trying to sort everything out while sick with covid.

We walked about 10 minutes to Gunnersby park, which made the location handy for our gig there, and it’s also great for Kew Gardens. My partner and I stayed a couple of days. The rooms were lovely, much better than a hotel by a mile, and easy enough to find on Google Maps. A £250 deposit came up at the last minute, with a long list of reasons the money might be kept. The pre-check-in was also more involved than I expected for a short suite stay, and bookings can be cancelled if you don’t complete it by email or on the Stayo site. There was no A.C or way to control the heating, which was a problem with the weather absolutely boiling outside. Still, we enjoyed the stay, though the booking and deposit side wasn’t the best.

I had a nightmare at Stayo Apartments, with repeated privacy breaches, disruptions, and no accountability. I’d urge potential tenants to think twice. The apartments look stunning, but they seem suited only to short stays for people who don’t work from home or don’t mind constant disturbance. I paid a year’s rent in advance, and after the first intrusion I asked to leave and get a full refund. I knew the agreement was non-refundable, but I felt the privacy breach didn’t excuse Stayo from its obligations. Instead, they kept me there with solutions I considered unsustainable. People who weren’t authorized were repeatedly allowed into my apartment without my consent, leaving me feeling unsafe in my own home. The numbering was chaotic too, so other tenants kept mistaking my apartment for theirs. I sent video evidence to the Chief Executive Development Officer (CEDO), but my emails got no response. This man is the CEO of Narcissism and unprofessional Ian. Stayo’s response was dismissive. They tried to sort my complaints into short-term and long-term issues, which seemed irrelevant to basic tenant rights. The repeated privacy violations and disruptions went beyond what I understood a non-refundable agreement to cover. The name ‘Stayo Kew Gardens’ also gave me the impression I’d wake up surrounded by botany. The location felt misleading: it’s Stayo in Brentford, with Kia motors and storage company billboards as the view.

The apartments were really nice and brand new, with everything equipped. There’s a lovely terrace on the roof, too. Getting into central London by transport was easy, and the location was good.