Holiday Inn London - Kensington High St

The location is excellent, just off Kensington High Street and close to Kensington Palace. Rates are very good for this area, and the common spaces are clean and well kept, with plenty of facilities. Staff are friendly and helpful, and check-in rarely involves much of a wait. It's a very large hotel and I always have a good stay, though, as with many Holiday Inns, the rooms feel a little tired. Some plug sockets don't have USB charging ports, which is an essential convenience nowadays.

The hotel is in the heart of kennsington, so a little outside central London, but lists in offer nearby. The pool and well equipped gym are great, and the breakfast is really good quality. My premium room was spacious enough. The hall.ways look a bit dated and have a slightlyusty smell, but it wasn't too bad. Staff were so friendly and helpful. At breakfast, though, they kept hovering to clear plates as soon as people finished. Some might like that, but I felt they could ease off a little. Mostly they were just efficient and friendly. I'd absolutely come back.

The room had openable windows, which I appreciated since so many hotels have fixed ones now. Our twin room was a bit cramped, though, and one bed ended up against the wall sockets and light switches, leaving them behind the pillow. There was a slightly odd smell beside my bed. The bathroom was small but clean and stocked well, with nice thick white towels. Breakfast had a great selection, and the ground floor bar was comfortable and spacious. The stay felt clean and comfortable overall. The location is very close to High Street Kensington, though the choice of pubs, shops and restaurants disappointed me a little. Maybe my expectations were too high.

After an overnight flight, being offered an early check-in at no extra cost was especially kind and helpful. The staff were friendly and professional throughout, and the hotel was clean with very comfortable beds. Breakfast had plenty of choices, and there's also a swimming pool. It's a large hotel with around 700 rooms, and some are really small, so bear that in mind when picking a room category. The location is great, in a lovely, safe neighborhood near Kensington Palace and several embassies. It's about a five-minute walk to the Underground and around 20 minutes by metro to central London. I had a very pleasant stay at Holiday Inn Kensington.