Seraphine Olympia

The location was good and breakfast was nice, but for the price we paid this was disappointing and not worth it. The staff weren’t welcoming. The girl barely looked up from her phone at check-in, and when we needed to take a large ironing board to our room, the man at reception didn’t offer to help, so one of us had to carry it with difficulty. We were first put in a lovely room, then told five minutes later that it wasn’t ours and given another that was much less nice. There were stains on the floor and the room was freezing because the heating didn’t work. Our key stopped working twice. The replacement then took ten minutes every time we tried to get in. There was no bar or drinks service, despite being told there was. The lift to the hotel was extremely slow and you have to push it to go up. Staff didn’t respond when we said thanks or goodbye, and at checkout nobody asked whether we’d had a nice stay. It wouldn’t take much to make guests feel a little welcome.

The staff were so warm and helpful, and I’d happily stay here again. It’s about a five minute walk from High Street Kensington Metro Station. Our room was bright and roomy, and the beds were really comfortable. There was hot water all day and basic toiletries in the bathroom. The linens could have been cleaner, though, and breakfast could use more options.

A colourful, cosy place in a really handy neighbourhood, with bus and Tube stops nearby and lots of places to eat. Breakfast was good too, with pastries, muffins, toast, cereal, yoghurt, juice and a coffee machine. The staff were friendly and the price felt fair for what we got. Our room was clean, but the carpet and ceiling were damaged in spots and a lamp was broken. I’d recommend it for good value.

We paid around £320 for five nights, and the location made it easy to get around, with a Tube station about five minutes away and shops and transport all around. The hotel has a lot of stairs, so keep that in mind. Breakfast was pretty underwhelming, though I get that it’s a small hotel. The room was good for the price and had space to move around and store our bags. The safe was easy to use, there was decent wardrobe space, and the bed was comfortable, though we only had two pillows. Sheets were clean. A few little things were off: the shower door was loose, the shower head had some nozzles missing and sprayed toward the door, and the TV bracket didn’t extend properly. None of that spoiled our stay, and we’d consider coming back.