voco London - Bloomsbury by IHG

The reception team made things easy, with polite, professional help at check-in and whenever I needed to communicate. Getting around from the location was reasonably convenient too. The room itself felt below what I’d expect from a 4-star hotel: it was small, the furniture looked dated, and there was no bathtub, which disappointed me. With the recent change in management from Accor to IHG, it seems the standards and renovation work haven’t caught up yet. Room and facility upgrades could make a real difference.

Breakfast had a great choice and set us up for the day, and the staff were helpful. We had everything we needed in the room, and the location was great. We stayed two nights and hope to come back, especially once the renovation is done :)

The rooms are very small for what this place costs, and I left disappointed after paying hundreds and hundreds of Pounds. I’ve stayed in much worse hotels, but at this price I expected few, if any, problems. At night the shower only had warm water, not hot. The bathroom mirror lights were out, and although I asked reception twice to fix them, nobody did during my eight-night stay. The sink faucet was loose, just sitting on top of the sink. Housekeeping kept stacking unused hand towels on the rack until there were four, so I had to move them every day. The stairwell looked awful, with repairs painted in mismatched shades and paint covering the trim. The lobby music felt aimed at 15 year-old teenagers, not in the spirit of a quality hotel.

The bed was good, though the mattress was much softer than I like. Everything else in the room was well maintained and nicely equipped, including tea and coffee, a safe, an iron, and free water. When I asked reception to refill the soap dispenser, they took care of it within minutes. The reception and restaurant staff were friendly and very helpful. I’d definitely come back.