Travelodge London Vauxhall

The room was so smelly that I had to wear a mask to breathe comfortably, and the ventilation was nonexistent because the windows wouldn’t open. The air conditioner swung between freezing and overheating. This made an already miserable six-day stay even worse. The room was extremely small, the carpet was filthy and smelled like old shoes, and the bathroom needed a deep clean and smelled like public toilets. There was also a constant loud mechanical noise coming from it. Reception staff seemed annoyed by our complaints and weren’t helpful. We offered to pay for an upgrade to a family room, but they refused, saying those rooms were strictly for more than two people. I contacted customer service through the Travelodge website. They took four days to reply, then told us to speak to reception, the very people who hadn’t helped. We were stuck there for the whole trip because they refused a refund or transfer to another hotel. The buffet had very limited options and was poor. Public transport is conveniently close, but the dirt and dismissive service made this a miserable stay. I strongly advise staying elsewhere.

Check-in and checkout were smooth and efficient, and the reception staff were friendly. I was here on business and had room 208. It was clean, nicely presented, and the cleaning standards were good overall. The heating system made some noise, which was a little annoying, but I was tired and fell asleep quickly. Given that it was raining heavily the day I stayed, having a hairdryer in the room would have been helpful. Still, it was a pleasant, comfortable stay.

The location gives you easy access to London without being right in the centre: Vauxhall tube and train stations are literally a two-minute walk away, and buses stop outside. The room was pretty spacious, and despite being on a main road I couldn’t hear the traffic, just an occasional siren. Breakfast was okay, but the service was pretty shocking. Tables weren’t cleared or cleaned promptly, there were no plates or cutlery, and food wasn’t replenished quickly enough, leaving people waiting around.

It was very noisy from the bars and trains, and the room had no ventilation: the window wouldn’t open, there was no bathroom fan, and the air conditioning didn’t work effectively. Water seeped up through the bathroom lino. The food was edible but nothing special. The staff were lovely, friendly, and helpful, especially Exose!