Student Only Dashwood Studios

Getting the booking on booking dot.com was the easiest part. Afterward they emailed asking for proof that my guest and I were students, which was fine, and I sent it. The day before we headed to London, they called to say they didn’t have my guest’s documents and gave me two hours to send them again or they’d cancel the reservation. We resent everything and thought that was settled. I know it’s student accommodation, but nowhere did we see that check-in was only available from 3pm to 5pm. There was no staff around, so we had to call security to get checked in. The room was awful. The bathroom had used toilet paper left in it, limescale everywhere, and a shower that smelled so bad it made me feel sick and couldn’t be used. Somehow there was only hot water, no cold. The kitchen area in the studio wasn’t the dirtiest and was somewhat clean, but the bed looked slept in, with crumpled pillows and no bedding put in order, and there was a broken desk chair. Nothing good to say about this place. Check-out was the only easy part. The first and only staff member we saw during our three-day trip told us to leave the key at the desk and go, without even asking what room we were in. Avoiding this place is the best thing you can do.

The studio layout was quite nice, and I appreciated the staff. There’s a rooftop and lounge area, the laundry never gave me trouble, and Sainsbury’s is nearby. Elephant & Castle park is beautiful. But the garbage room was awful, since it wasn’t cleaned often enough and college students were bad at disposing of their rubbish properly. I stayed five months and the air quality was terrible. Smoke or cooking smells from other people came into my room, and I had to replace my air purifier filter twice. The building needs major work to deal with mold. If you’re put in a room that smells of rust or moldy pipes, be prepared to advocate for yourself. I never noticed the radiator come on in winter, while summer was unbearably hot. When it went above 21C I had to sleep with just a sheet, and above 25C I couldn’t use even that, it was like an oven. It says a lot that the positive Dashwood reviews are from around ten years ago, because conditions have got worse since. I’m rating it one star because some other people got UTIs from the mold problems and poor ventilation.

One of the worst places I’ve stayed in a long time. Staff weren’t there when I arrived, and when I did deal with them, they were rude. The room had a lot wrong with it, including mold, limescale, dirty beds, and somehow hot water with no cold water. The list goes on. Checking out was easy, and that’s the only good thing I can say.

Requests never seem to take long here. The staff are professional, friendly, and quick to help, which makes the building feel welcoming and comfortable. They’re one of its best features.