The Cumberland, London

I was meditating on a yoga mat in the hotel basement gym, on both knees, with my noise cancelling headphones on and my open bag of gym things beside me. A security person tapped my shoulder and asked me to show a key to prove I was a guest. The gym door needs a key room to enter, and there’s another room key access point on the way to that area. I stopped what I was doing and got out of my zone to hand over the key. She checked it, it worked, obviously, then went on her way. There was also a white guy working out in the gym. I asked if the woman had asked him to show his key, and he said no. I’d have been content to do whatever she needed for security, except that it was just me. If you’re going to racially profile me, don’t make it so obvious. If you treat me that way, you should have asked both of us to prove we were hotel guests. Thank you!

Probably the noisiest hotel room I’ve ever had. It was sandwiched between the service lifts and trucks unloading for the hotel all night. I don’t think I got more than 45 minutes of sleep before being woken up again. From about 4:30 in the morning, delivery staff were shouting and yelling right outside and in the service corridor while unloading. My alarm was set for 8:30, but I was wide awake and packed, waiting for breakfast at 5am. Never again. Room 1055, by the way. If they put you on the first floor, don’t accept it. If you have to stay here, insist on an internal room higher up. Work booked it at a half decent rate. I’ve told them to get a refund and not use this hotel again. Unhelpful and not worth it.

The breakfast had a good range of food, and the staff there were friendly too. Everyone at the hotel made us feel welcome, even though we were only staying briefly. Shops and the tube are handy, and Regent Street is about a 20-minute walk away. We’re looking forward to coming back.

I won’t be returning. I used to stay at The Cumberland with my mother years ago, but the hotel has gone downhill. There wasn’t a restaurant open for dinner, just a tapas bar, where the food was poor and far too expensive. They also add an “optional” service charge that didn’t feel optional. My employer had paid for breakfast and dinner, but staff sent me to the tapas bar and then told me to pay when I’d finished. When I explained dinner was included in my room, they said it wasn’t and treated me as if I were trying to get out of paying. The whole experience was dreadful from the start.