Zedwell Underground Hotel Tottenham Court Road

The plumbing made odd dog-like noises whenever we used the bathroom. Still, the rooms and hotel we saw were clean and comfortable, and the wall pegs worked well enough for us despite there being no wardrobe. We didn’t hear street noise or other guests. The location is excellent, next to Tottingham Court Rd. Underground station, with all the major lines and city-centre sights within walking distance.

I had a pleasant stay, and the comfortable room is in an excellent location. It felt a bit cramped for two, even with a double bed. The bathroom lighting was dim, and a bigger sink plus some shelves would make it more useful. I’d recommend the place for the comfort and convenience.

After turning down the £450 charge for two nights and showing our confirmation again, the receptionist suddenly managed to put our booking through at the £324 we had already paid. That left me feeling they were trying to charge us more because we arrived late with nowhere else to stay. My friend and I are both 18, and we had booked through Hotels.com. We had its confirmation email and a WhatsApp from the hotel the day before, confirming the reservation. We arrived around 8pm on Saturday and were told the booking had apparently been cancelled. The receptionist said it wasn’t their problem and we’d have to contact Hotels.com ourselves. He was cold and rude while we were visibly upset and worried about being left without a place to sleep. He kept saying there was nothing he could do, and accused us of not understanding when we tried to show that the booking was confirmed. Hotels.com weren’t answering the phone. I checked the booking there at reception and it still showed as confirmed. Even after Hotels.com resent the email, the receptionist stayed argumentative and rude. The room was awful too. It was unbelievably tiny, had no TV, and there was nowhere to put luggage or belongings, so everything stayed on the floor. There was no place for toiletries in the bathroom, and the shower had no door, leaving water across the floor. The toilet flush was incredibly loud, like an aeroplane toilet, and the tap, shower, and toilet each made a horrible high-pitched screech. We could hear the Tube rumbling all night, though we’d thought it stopped running overnight. Buttons were missing from the air conditioning control panel, and another staff member had to adjust it with a pen stuck through the controls. It was a hugely stressful and upsetting experience. Reception’s attitude made it worse, and I really felt we might end up sleeping outside in London. I’d never stay here again or recommend it to anyone.

There was a low train rumble, but it didn’t disturb my sleep. The bigger problem was the damp, stuffy smell as soon as we entered the room. Our towels never dried, and with no wardrobes, the smell seemed to get into our clothes. The room was a satisfactory size, very minimal as expected, and the bed was comfortable. The booking was somehow under the wrong first name, even though the surname matched my information and confirmation. The bathroom door screeched when opened, and using the sink, shower, or toilet brought about ten minutes of high-pitched noise. We could hear the same from neighbouring rooms. The toilet sounded as aggressive as an airplane bathroom, and other rooms could hear it too, so a nighttime trip would wake someone. I might try an individual capsule, but not a cocoon again.