Tophams Hotel Belgravia

The room was one of the best I stayed in on the whole trip, and about twice the size of my colleague’s room at another nearby hotel. The towel warmer was a game changer. Service was excellent too. Check-in was quick, and when my flight was cancelled and I needed to stay later, they arranged a late checkout without any hassle. The location couldn’t have been better for me. There are lots of good pubs and restaurants close by, the Underground is right there, and it’s easy to walk around the neighbourhood or get to tourist spots. London is expensive, especially around here, but what you get for the price felt really reasonable. Highly recommend.

The location is superb, and the building is gorgeous. We also had a really comfortable bed, an unusually good shower and friendly staff. It was a decent stay, and handy for a night at the Apollo Theatre, but it felt closer to three stars than four. I’m not sure I’d return if I found another four-star hotel nearby at a similar price. Breakfast disappointed. There were no hot choices unless you ordered from the menu and paid extra, not even bacon or scrambled eggs, and the breads, cheeses and meats weren’t great. The room temperature was hard to manage, and the window was locked, so we couldn’t get fresh air. That was a letdown for me, as I struggle with sleep for health reasons. The old building may be hard to maintain, but the toilet cistern ran and kept making noise. With the door shut, it wasn’t loud enough to wake us.

We stayed for 11 days and had a good experience overall. The staff were kind and helped us find a bag we’d left after checkout. When we returned for it, one piece was missing; after searching for a while, it turned out to have been moved and stacked with other guests’ luggage. We were hurrying to the airport, so that was stressful. A few facilities could be better. The shower area is cramped, and the showerhead sits so high that the water hits the wall rather than me. After 9 PM the temperature kept switching between hot and cold. The air-conditioning blows right above the pillow, which is uncomfortable, and its sharp noise woke us during the night. If those things were improved, we’d consider staying again.

The bed was fantastic and we slept really well. Staff were excellent, and we appreciated being able to leave our luggage with them. Our room was small and tucked away, which made it hard to get our suitcases down there. We also found it very hot and couldn’t really cool it down, as we weren’t used to the heat.