Sydney House Chelsea

The rooms and cleaning were decent enough, and the staff were really friendly and helpful. The biggest advantage is the location. It's close to buses and the metro, which gets you to the centre in 10-15 minutes, while being away from the artificial tourist crowds.

It's small, as other reviewers have said, but that's no surprise if you've stayed in old European buildings. The rooms were clean and came with good toiletries. We had a great breakfast and pleasant staff, too. The location was handy, within walking distance of lots of restaurants and shops, an underground station and bus stops.

There was no insulation, so you could hear movement anywhere in the building and it was very noisy. The room and bathroom were both tiny. For coffee, the only option was an espresso machine, and it didn't make a very hot drink. Sachets of coffee and milk with boiled water would be a better option.

We paid £339 for the top room at Sydney House Hotel to celebrate my husband's birthday and revisit a stay from six years ago. The experience fell well below acceptable, and the hotel feels tired and in need of substantial updating. Compared with local alternatives, including Airbnbs at about £416 for two nights with complimentary tea, coffee and fully stocked fridges, the value was extremely poor. The terrace generators made a persistent aircraft like noise outside our room throughout the night, waking us four times and seriously disrupting our sleep. When we raised it, a staff member denied knowing about it, but the receptionist later said the hotel had had problems with those generators for a while. There were also health and maintenance concerns. The towel radiator thermostat in the bathroom was broken, making the radiator dangerously hot, and there were visible problems with the ceiling inside the shower cubicle. After our evening meal, we also found there was no beer anywhere in the hotel. The coffees were tiny, not filled to the brim, and cost £4 each. That's far more than at places like Pret or Gail’s, despite noticeably worse quality and portion size, so we don't think the charge was justified. When we brought it up, the staff member was very rude and abrupt. The manager was dismissive and unhelpful as well. We were promised a follow-up call on Thursday morning after we raised our concerns, but by Monday afternoon it still hadn't happened. That lack of response made our disappointment worse.