Fitzrovia by Capital

I found what had been biting me the day before I left. By then I had itchy spots all over my arms, feet and legs, and I was disgusted and worried the bugs had followed me home. I’d even left a previous review rating the place three out of five because I hadn’t discovered them yet. I have a video and sent it to them so they can fumigate before someone else gets hurt. The bed bugs were in apartment 10. The place may look clean because the cleaner works hard, but don’t be fooled. I’d reacted badly and had no idea it was bugs at first. The apartment also seemed much bigger in the pictures than in reality. There was nowhere to keep our suitcases, and the initial furniture setup left so little space I couldn’t even fit in, though I’m not a big person. They moved the bed around, which made more room, and I thought things were fine. The central office service was average. The location is good for shopping, but the bites aren’t worth it. I’d never stay again.

It’s a great area, but the residence is run down and not very clean. We heard doors slamming and people walking and talking at all hours. The shower head was broken, so we used towels to mop up the water. Management wouldn’t replace it without an extra charge. There were drain flies coming into the kitchen, and outside the kitchen door it smelled bad, as if there might be a sewer pipe problem. The back bedroom had mildew where the back door leaked. For five people, they gave us just two rolls of toilet paper and one trash bag, and there’s no dryer. It’s a shame they don’t take better care of the place.

The apartment and location are fine, but the lift has been unusable throughout our stay, which is a big problem when you have a baby and stroller. We arrived a week ago, and every day we’ve had to carry them down five floors. They said it was fixed today, but of course it still doesn’t work. It’s also almost impossible to reach anyone by phone, and we have another week here. We booked partly because the apartments were supposed to have a lift. For accommodation at this price, the maintenance and cleaning utensils aren’t up to standard either. We won’t recommend it. Such a shame.

I came across an elderly woman from outside London who’d just had hip surgery. She was stranded outside in the freezing cold, unable to get into the building, with no reception desk to check in at. The phone number listed for the place went unanswered too. It looked like she’d been scammed. I tried finding her a room at the nearby Holiday Inn, but it was fully booked, so she had to make her way back to Victoria station to get home. Disgusting way to treat a vulnerable older person. Steer clear of this “hotel”.