Travelodge Bethnal Green

The room walls don’t block sound, so if you’re sensitive to noise, this may not suit you. You might need earplugs to sleep. I also couldn’t find a hairdryer in the room and had to ask for one several times. On the plus side, it’s reasonably priced for London and very close to Bethnal Green metro station. Getting there from Stansted Airport is easy too: you can look for Bethnal Green Stop G, or get off at Liverpool Street and take the Central Line to the hotel.

The location is the one real plus: it’s very close to the metro and well connected. The area around the hotel didn’t feel great, though. Late in the evening there were often dodgy people standing and smoking right by the entrance, which made me uncomfortable. The stay itself was average at best. Reception is on the first floor, which was inconvenient, and the room wasn’t very clean, especially the filthy-feeling carpet. There was no cleaning during our stay, and the tea and coffee were never replenished. The shower-gel dispenser kept breaking, and the sink tap was loose and moved around. The room felt poorly maintained.

The location is really handy, just a three-minute walk to the tube, then about ten minutes to Liverpool Street station. But the room smelled bad, the Wi-Fi wasn’t free, and the radiator didn’t work properly. They said they manage it remotely, so even when you set the temperature, they change it overnight. Not the best stay.

The main staff and manager, I think Michelle/Karen, were lovely, and staff were happy to bring us anything extra we needed. One interaction was awkward, though: I went to ask a question one night, and while the person I was speaking with was interrupted by another staff member, she answered for him quite rudely. It made me feel uncomfortable. The hotel is close to the tube, which is great, but it can get noisy at night. We were there over Halloween weekend, opposite student accommodation, so that may have contributed. The bedroom was okay otherwise, though it needed a deeper clean, with stains on the walls and dust in the corners. Three stars, neither the worst nor the best.