The Marker Hotel

The location is great for central London, and the hotel and room were clean and well maintained. The water was hot, and the WiFi worked well. But the room amenities were below average. The mattress was very old and squeaky, which made sleeping after an international flight difficult. The 24” TV would be fine from two feet away, but it was 12’ from the bed. In winter, the owners control the heat. At check-in at 2 pm, the front desk said it wouldn’t come on until 7 pm and told me not to worry because it stayed on all night. On the first night, it shut off at midnight. A draft from the broken window quickly made the radiator’s lack of heat obvious. The desk is supposedly staffed 24 hours, but my call at 12:45 am went unanswered. I eventually went upstairs and found an attendant who said he couldn’t fix the heat. The owners turned it on at 5 pm on day two, but by day three it was back to 7 pm. For 18 lbs, you can buy a space heater at Robert Dyas if you stay here. There’s continental breakfast, but you need to schedule a time because the breakfast area can’t fit all 17 rooms at once. The hotel allows you to store cases before the 2 pm check-in. I’d spend a few more dollars and stay elsewhere. Some Amazon Shopping for portable heaters and bigger televisions could help. I also wonder why so many Google reviews have 1 star while Expedia shows 9 and 10 stars.

We had an easy check-in and could leave our bags before the official time. The location is good, and our three-person room was clean, with a nice little bathroom and shower. It was very small, though, and on the third floor with no lift and lots of stairs. The night was hot, about 26 degrees, and the air-conditioning was broken. There was a fan, but the windows only opened around three inches, so the small room felt stifling. Breakfast was okay, with continental and full English options, but nothing brilliant.

The location is the only thing I liked. The air conditioning was a major reason I chose this hotel in the high temperatures, but it wasn’t working, and staff clearly knew about the problem. When I raised it and considered moving elsewhere, I was told, “You are free to leave, but there will be no refund.” The receptionist first said the hotel was full, then offered another room with the same issue. A small fan eventually arrived, but it did nothing to ease the heat overnight. We also had to haul heavy luggage up six flights of stairs because there’s no elevator and nobody offered help. Bag storage was disorganized and felt insecure, with no labels or tracking. Breakfast was poor quality and not well stocked. The hotel’s communication was misleading, the infrastructure poor, and guest comfort seemed to get little attention. I was glad I had documented everything and reported it to the booking platform, which proved essential in resolving the situation. I don’t recommend staying here.

It’s easy to get around London from here, with shopping nearby and several train stations close by. The rooms are nice and a good size, though our shower area felt a little small. Someone cleaned the room every day, and the staff were all really sweet. They’ll keep your suitcases before check-in or after check-out if you ask. Breakfast was amazing, with hot vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. I’d highly recommend the hotel.