The Chelsea Harbour Hotel & Spa London

Joosey at reception was lovely and very friendly, and the place was quiet on Thursday, which made our spa day relaxing. They had a coffee machine and refreshments afterward, which was a nice touch. The spa itself isn't luxurious. There's no jacuzzi, and it's not ideal for couples since only the pool is unisex. We hadn't known the steam room and sauna were separated for men and women. They don't provide slippers or sandals either. The mirrors around the pool clearly hadn't been cleaned in a while, which was disappointing.

The massage was good, and the masseuse, whose name may have been Paolina, was lovely. But children shouting from the pool and builders hammering could be heard through the treatment room walls. It was a 30-degree day and the air-conditioning wasn't on anywhere. On the way to the treatment, we passed unfinished rooms with furniture still unbuilt, and there were few signs showing where to wait. We'd come for spa access and treatment, but first entered through the main hotel entrance by mistake. The receptionist was arguing with the concierge, though he was the only one speaking, and ignored us. A lovely gentleman showed us where to go. Nobody had told us when booking or checking in that building work was going on, and part of the spa was effectively a building site. We were told treatments were on the top floor, but the many entrances left us confused for a while. The changing rooms were grotty. There were tissues on the floor when we arrived, dirty-looking tiles, and a taped-off shower. A cleaner quickly did the toilets after our treatment, but the flickering light hadn't been fixed and there was hard water buildup on the tiles. The shower had no hook, so you had to leave your bag outside where it could be stolen, or bring it in and let it get wet. I later heard a staff member bringing a builder up say these weren't the original changing rooms. The corridor to the treatments was unpainted and dirty. Not a five-star experience. The steam room and sauna are in separate men's and women's changing rooms, so couples can only use the pool together. The pool was okay if you didn't look too closely at the floor. I saw used tissues, rubbish, and a ball of hair, and no staff maintained it during our hour there. The poolside hadn't been mopped. I slipped on it in bare feet and hit my knee on the railing. The builders looked embarrassed and apologized to spa guests as they walked through the changing room, luckily only the men's one. No other staff seemed concerned about the service or lack of upkeep, and nobody apologized. The whole spa day was stressful, not relaxing. I wouldn't use a harbour hotel again. Based on earlier reviews and the hotel's responses here, I doubt staff are too bothered by this review, but I'd encourage guests to stay away. This was a birthday gift, and I feel bad for the people who paid because it was a complete waste of their money. I've seen public pools in better condition. Spa staff should tell guests about building work when they book or check in, or at least apologize. The spa should close until the work is finished. I took photos of the changing room, but couldn't face going back to the pool with my phone to photograph the mess. I also have a video of the flickering light but couldn't upload it.

The food was the highlight: unbelievably good and reasonably priced. I'm not sure why the restaurant has only 3.9/5 on Google Maps, but I'd say it's well worth a visit. Receptionist Aseel handled our arrival and checkout kindly and gave excellent service, and the rest of the staff were friendly and helpful too. We paid about £130 a night for the cheapest room, which is a 41sqm suite. All the rooms are suites or penthouses. Ours had two bathrooms, a sensible layout, strong AC, and pretty much everything you might need for a longer stay. I can't believe how cheap it is for what's offered. The spa and pool are quite good, though they could use more cleaning and extra pool towels. The place may be past its glory days, and you can tell it used to be a top luxury hotel, competing with big names like the Intercontinental or Conrad. I worried it might feel too old or rundown, but they're doing a decent job maintaining it, and the low price makes up for some shortcomings. We'd wanted to try this hidden gem in Chelsea for years and have just come back from one night. We regret not staying longer. It was a fantastic stay, and we can't wait to return in an upgraded suite with a Marina view.

The spa facilities are really dated, and the sofa bed was so uneven that I ended up trying to sleep on the floor. The middle section sat higher than both ends, leaving my body curved with my head and toes sloping down. I tried using two-thirds of the bed in a fetal position, but the slope and metal bars made that impossible. I was in room 113 with my son, while my daughter and wife slept in the main bed. There wasn't anything staff could do at that hour without waking my family, but I wanted to report it then. Please don't knock or call. I contacted the company website in the early hours and got confirmation they'd received my complaint. I also told the receptionist at checkout, and she said the General Manager would be in touch. No one contacted me. The statement below claiming nobody knew about it is completely untrue. Edit, 23:00 on 22/02: MyMillennium replied, “Thank you for contacting us. Your feedback is of utmost importance to us, and we would like to confirm that we have received your feedback. Regards, MyMillennium.”