Paddington Park Hotel

The rooms are on the small side, as you'd expect in London, but ours was clean, with a modern bathroom that felt new. The bedding was good, and those firm pillows deserve a mention. They even lent us a power converter for our appliances, which was kind of them. It's a good hotel right in the heart of Paddington, next to Hyde park. We'll definitely come back.

The hotel says my confirmed reservation isn't valid, even though it was made through Booking and confirmed on their end. They blame a "technical issue," but this was a serious security and privacy problem: my personal information was leaked, and scammers used the hotel Booking account and messages to try to get money from me. I'm still getting harassed by them through email and phone because of the hotel's lack of security. They offered no alternative for their own error, and still won't honor the reservation. It's disrespectful to customers and their private information, and then they penalize you for the security failure. I would never recommend staying somewhere that handles people this way.

The hotel cancelled my confirmed booking without notice or explanation two weeks after I made it. The room showed up for sale again at a much higher price. Booking.com never answered when I asked what had happened. The hotel first sent me five words, “I cannot reply to this,” with no name or indication of who was writing. When I asked why, they sent, “I am sorry I cannot respond to this.” Later they said there'd been a technical issue, but I don't believe that. They'd had my booking for two weeks, didn't try to contact or rebook the people who had reservations, and listed the room at the higher rate. I saw another review describing the same problem. There was a separate problem with a scam. After booking through Booking.com, I got a message on its website telling me to confirm through WhatsApp, followed by an email and WhatsApp message. The link showed all my booking details, so at first I entered some information. When it asked for a payment that would supposedly be refunded quickly, I realized it was a SCAM. It came through the hotel's Booking.com account, so it looked real. I contacted both Booking.com and the hotel to warn them, but neither replied. Searching later turned up other reports of the same SCAM. I've learned never to enter details again for a confirmed booking, no matter where the request comes from. I never got to stay, and wouldn't book here. Customer bookings seem to be involved in a serious SCAM, and a room can apparently be cancelled without warning or help, possibly at the last minute. Booking.com also ignored my messages about both the SCAM and the cancelled reservation. Very worrying, uncaring and unprofessional.

The rooms are a little small, but very clean and nicely furnished, and the staff are super friendly. The hotel is perfectly located, and breakfast was amazing. Recommended!