Best Western White House

Massimo at the front desk was especially helpful and accommodating. I was there for work, and after long days on the road I really appreciated the comfortable bed. The location was ideal too. It ticked all the boxes, and I’d highly recommend it.

For getting from Luton Airport, I suggest taking the train to St Albans City, walking about 15 minutes to St Albans Abbey, then catching a train to Watford Junction. Route planning apps don’t usually show that option. We stayed for a weekend and found the place quirky but clean, with a modernised room and some older touches. The shower has separate hot and cold controls, so you have to balance them yourself. There’s no air-conditioning, though in mid-January the radiator worked very well, and its manual valve was easy to set. A loud, constant background noise stopped around 10am, but it didn’t disturb us. I stayed with a friend and we had a great time.

Breakfast had a good range of choices, and the evening menu is limited to pizza or curry. The food isn’t made on site, but the pizza was hot and tasty. The staff were very happy to help, and it’s an easy walk into town, with the Warner Bros studios about 10 minutes away. Parking is limited, though there’s a multistorey car park around the corner where you can stay all night for £4 if you register your car at the hotel. The place is a bit old and tired in places, but clean and tidy. No complaints, and I’d stay again.

I barely slept. The room was far too hot, but opening the window meant even more road noise, and outside there were loud people throughout the night. A large car wash is right out front, and its machinery may have been running all night too. Traffic sounded like a racetrack, with emergency vehicles passing and sirens going off many times. My teenagers were on the opposite side of the hotel and had just as bad a night. We came because it’s close to the Harry Potter Studio tour, but I’m now so tired I’m not looking forward to it. There wasn’t much noise from inside the hotel. It looks very tired, though reasonably clean for the price. Reception staff were nice enough, and we got the last parking spot, but spaces are very limited. Avoid at all costs.