Numa London Bloomsbury

If you just want somewhere reasonably priced to sleep, this place may be fine. It's in a good location, the rooms are clean, and it's next to Gail’s cafe, where guests get 40% off coffee, croissants and similar things. You check in and enter electronically, and there is no reception. For towels or other supplies, you have to get them yourself from a cupboard. If there's an emergency, you call a number in Germany. But this is a self-service facility with rooms, not a hotel experience. There is no service, and rooms aren't cleaned. Go elsewhere if you want a hotel.

I've stayed at Numa several times without trouble, which made this visit all the more disappointing. When I got into my room late in the evening, it was 28°C and the climate controls wouldn't let me lower the temperature. The window only opened a few centimeters while hot air kept blowing in, making the room unbearable. By 11pm I couldn't sleep, so I contacted customer service on WhatsApp, apparently the only way to reach them. Replies were extremely slow, and the only suggestion was to open the window, which didn't help. After more than two hours with no useful assistance, I had to book another hotel to get some sleep. The next morning they offered a 20% discount on a future stay but refused to refund the night I couldn't use. That's completely unacceptable: I paid for a room I couldn't stay in because of conditions outside my control, and got no help when I needed it. Customer service was essentially nonexistent. I'd strongly caution others, since if something goes wrong outside regular hours, timely, effective help isn't something you should expect.

The location is fantastic, and the bakery next door is excellent. I went every day, enjoyed everything and got a discount for staying at Numa. Tea and coffee in the room were great, and the free Wi-Fi was useful. There were several problems, though. The shower had red mold on the tiles, which wiped off easily, and there was no water pressure. Flushing the toilet left no water for washing my hands. The inside door handle fell off; I was told to wedge it on to get out the next morning, which was difficult with the thick carpet and the handle coming loose. It still hadn't been fixed when I returned that evening and complained again. The fridge was broken, and the room was colder than it.

A few minutes from the British Museum, the location is perfect. The bedroom was cosy and quiet, and the lockers were a great help after checkout. They were very responsive on WhatsApp. I'd definitely recommend it!