The Premier Notting Hill

This was our second stay, and we had another wonderful time. The room was spacious and came with robes, slippers, and a tea and coffee tray. It was made up every day, and the roses on the bed for our wedding anniversary were such a thoughtful surprise. The heating was just right, too. The staff were lovely, welcoming and quick to respond, and the location worked brilliantly for us, with the Tube a six-minute walk away, plus pubs, restaurants and shops around Notting Hill and easy access across London. For the price, we thought it was excellent value if Claridge's is beyond your budget. We hope to return for a third visit later this year and wish the owners all the best. I find some of the negative comments about the hotel unfair. If you want a huge room or to be right beside an Underground station, choose a place that offers that. Complaints about a homeless person nearby or a local cultural festival seem baffling. I run a holiday business myself, so I feel for the owners and know how difficult some guests can be.

Our final moments here really soured the stay. We asked the staff to call a taxi, but were told we should have requested one in advance. Anna, or someone with a similar name, said there was nothing she could do, while the rest of the staff just stood there. We were told to go outside and find one ourselves, despite having four suitcases. We felt very let down and distressed. We'd only been there one night, Thursday to Friday. The room was okay and had a fair amount of space. The toilet was good and even had a bathrobe, though the shower area looked older, and the showerhead kept dripping for hours after being turned off. The carpets were coming loose, making it hard to move our luggage, and needed a thorough vacuum. We found strands of hair in them in both the corridors and our room. At night and early in the morning we could hear noise and TVs from rooms on both sides. When we came back after dinner, the night staff member seemed to be playing a video game with a small console and large headphones. These things hadn't bothered me enough to post about them, and the lady, Anna, had asked us to leave a good review. But being left to sort out our own taxi with all that luggage changed how we felt about the hotel.

For a four-star hotel, our basement single room was shockingly cramped. There was no daylight or room for a chair, and barely any space for guests. The shower was so small that a larger person physically couldn't get in. Most of the room was only passable sideways, since there wasn't enough room to walk normally.

The staff were understanding and friendly when we explained that the bed felt a bit too small. They moved us to a better room free of charge, which sorted the problem out. The hotel was great overall, and the service was excellent.