Gresham Bloomsbury

The room was grimy and sticky, though the bedding and towels were clean and the bed was surprisingly decent. We slept okay, and the water pressure and temperature were good. The location was pretty good too. The daytime receptionist was friendly, but the night receptionist barely spoke English, so we gave up trying to explain that we needed a bulb for the bedroom. The carpet was awful, and I was worried about getting my shoes dirty. The bathroom was tiny and dirty, like a very outdated airplane bathroom. Only one bulb worked, and the curtain was basically fabric hung from a rail in three places. I understand renovating the whole hotel would cost a lot, but properly cleaning the rooms after each guest shouldn't.

The central location and fairly spacious room earned the one star. Everything else was worse than any hostel I've stayed in. There was dust and dirt beside the bed, the old mattress was noisy and uneven, and there weren't enough charging outlets. The carpet was badly stained, and the bathroom looked old and scary. Hot water took ages, and the pressure was extremely weak. There was no fridge, kettle, or basic facilities at all. I arrived around 10 a.m. hoping to leave my luggage, but waited outside and rang the bell repeatedly without an answer. They even charge for luggage storage. This is the worst hotel I've ever stayed in.

The booking problem was the worst part. An Agoda system error charged me twice and created two identical reservations. I contacted Agoda and the hotel right away, but neither would take responsibility or refund me. They kept saying nothing could be done. The hotel gave me one room key at check-in and never gave access to the second room, though I'd paid for it and didn't use it. They still refused to refund that room. Eventually they agreed to change the booking date, but wanted more money even though the new price was almost the same as the original. It felt completely unfair and unprofessional. The room itself was far below expectations, with no fridge, kettle, or basic amenities. The carpet was so stained I wouldn't walk on it barefoot. The bathroom looked old, took a long time to get warm water, and had weak pressure. The bed was noisy and uneven, the floor was dusty, and there weren't enough outlets. I rarely leave a negative review, but this stay was truly disappointing. When I arrived around 10 a.m. to leave my luggage, nobody answered the bell despite a long wait outside. Someone eventually appeared and charged an extra fee to store it, which I found unreasonable for a hotel.

The building is old, and some bathrooms may have issues, including a lack of hot water in some rooms. Still, I was much more moved by the staff's attentiveness. I especially want to thank Abbey, and Baron too. Sorry if I've misspelled the name, Abbey was wonderful, helping elderly guests with luggage and showing real care, and treating tourists with limited English with kindness and respect. Thanks to him, my mornings and returns to the hotel were lovely throughout my 15 days in London. I'm Japanese, and we value omotenashi, or hospitality. The staff here embody it. I was very satisfied with the location and service during my extended stay, and I'd recommend the hotel to Japanese friends. Abbey, thank you for the wonderful memories, and my sincere gratitude.