Chelsea Cloisters — Attraction in London

If you want to know what it feels like to be treated as an inconvenience for simply asking about your room, Chelsea Cloisters is ready to show you. My girlfriend and I arrived before 3:00pm, the official check-in time. At 3:01pm, I approached the front desk and asked, “What happened to my room?” since check-in time had already passed and the room was still not ready.

To my surprise, the front desk manager immediately took offense, questioned my attitude, accused me of being “negative,” and launched into a lecture. He even asked me, “What’s your problem?”—all this simply because I inquired about the status of my room at the expected check-in time.

As a non-native English speaker, I tried my best to communicate clearly and politely. Yet, patience and courtesy seemed in short supply for guests who don’t look or sound local. My girlfriend had already gone upstairs with the room key, while I remained in the lobby. The manager then told me, with obvious sarcasm, that I would now have to wait even longer before I could return to the room. This response felt unnecessary and unprofessional, as if I was being punished just for asking a reasonable question.

When I raised concerns about being treated differently, and mentioned that I felt discriminated against, the manager did not offer any apology or explanation. Instead, the Security Manager was called over. While the Security Manager was polite, the main issue was left unresolved, with no explanation for the delay and no acknowledgment of the inappropriate behavior I experienced at the front desk.

Three days before checking out, I submitted a formal written complaint to hotel management describing these events in detail. Now, after checking out, I still have not received any reply or acknowledgment from the hotel. This lack of follow-up and accountability is disappointing, and it only reinforces my negative impression of Chelsea Cloisters’ approach to guest service.

For clarity, I have included a photo of the front desk staff member involved (taken in the public lobby area) to help future guests identify who they may encounter.

If you expect to be treated with basic professionalism and respect, I would recommend considering other options. My experience here suggests those values are not a priority.

Additional Response to Hotel’s Reply:

I would like to address three major issues with the hotel’s response:

Unfounded Accusation of Aggression The hotel accuses me of being “extremely confrontational and aggressive” without any evidence. This is a serious and defamatory claim. At no point did I behave aggressively; I simply and politely asked, “What happened to my room?” after the official check-in time had passed. Such accusations not only damage my reputation but also distract from the real concerns about staff conduct.

Dismissing Responsibility for the Delayed Check-In The hotel seems to believe it is acceptable for a guest’s room to be unavailable after the official check-in time, with no reasonable explanation or apology. As a paying guest, I have every right to inquire about my room once the promised time has passed. Hospitality should be based on accountability, not shifting blame.

Misrepresenting Facts and Deflecting Attention The Security Manager was only called after I raised concerns about racial discrimination, not because I was escalating the situation or behaving aggressively. The hotel’s response misrepresents the facts and tries to shift attention away from the real issues of unprofessional service and lack of accountability.

I have proof that my written complaint was sent to the hotel’s official email address before check-out, contrary to their claim of not receiving it. I encourage future guests to review all the facts and feedback before making...

As a guest at Chelsea Cloisters, I was truly disappointed by the front desk service and the lack of accountability. My boyfriend and I arrived before the official check-in time. When he politely asked at 3:01pm, “What happened to our room?”—since it was still not ready—the front desk manager became defensive, accused us of having a “negative attitude,” and began to lecture us. He even asked, “What’s your problem?” simply because we wanted to know why our room was delayed.

I went upstairs with the key while my boyfriend stayed in the lobby, only to be told by the manager that he would now have to wait even longer before returning to the room. The manager’s tone was sarcastic and made us feel unwelcome and unfairly singled out.

When we raised concerns about discrimination and poor treatment, there was no apology or real explanation. Instead, the manager called the Security Manager, who listened politely but never resolved the issue. The original problem—the delay and the manager’s inappropriate attitude—remained ignored.

Three days before we checked out, I sent a detailed written complaint to hotel management. Now, a full week after checking out, I still have not received any response or even an acknowledgment from the hotel. This lack of follow-up only reinforced my negative impression.

If you care about professionalism and respect, I would strongly suggest booking another hotel.

Photo attached for reference: This was taken at the front desk during our stay to help future guests recognize the staff member involved in our experience.

Further Response to the Hotel’s Defamatory Comment:

I must emphasize that at no time did we behave in a confrontational, abusive, or intimidating way. We simply asked a reasonable question about our delayed room after the official check-in time had passed. While we may have been disappointed and direct in our inquiry, at no point did our words or actions cross the line into unacceptable or aggressive behavior.

The hotel has offered no evidence whatsoever to support these serious accusations, which amount to public defamation. Their response ignores the real issues of professionalism, delayed service, and lack of accountability.

Furthermore, the Security Manager was only called after we raised concerns about racial discrimination—not because of any escalation or aggressive conduct on our part. The hotel’s reply distorts the facts and attempts to shift attention away from their own responsibilities.

If the hotel wishes to make such claims, I invite them to provide actual evidence. Otherwise, I urge future guests to consider all available facts before...

Initially the booking started out well. Upon arrival we were informed that our room had been upgraded from a studio to a suite.

When getting to the room though, there were many sections of the suite that had paint peeling off walls in big patches and large amounts of mould on roof as well. We didn’t say anything about this to the staff.

On our second day, we were told the room needed maintenance due to damages and had service men in the apartment for 5 hours so we had to leave. When we returned, the service men had used all our towels, leaving them filthy, and they left the bathroom dirty as well.

We cleaned up the bathroom ourselves and went to ask the front desk for more towels as ours were now dirty. The front desk told us we were not entitled to more towels as we hadn’t been there for more than 6 days. It wasn’t until we told them what had happened that they handed over new towels.

On our last day, we went out early in the morning and got stuck out in the city due to the tube/subway and train delays. As such we needed a last minute late check out. We called to ask for one and we were told we couldn’t pay for a late check out over the phone and had to pay for it in person. We tried our best to be back by checkout, but due to the delays and cancellations of public transport, we could not make it back in time. We did call a second time to advise what had happened. We were not met with any understanding, only annoyance and rude service. When we were able to make it back, our power and hot water were turned off despite paying for a late check out fee. This meant there was no heating, we couldn’t shower or charge our phones or anything before leaving.

In addition to all of this, there were maintenance works happening in the room below us our entire stay, so there was constant disruptive noise.

I’m not sure why our room was “upgraded” in the first place if all this was going on. We did not enjoy our stay or the service of your staff.

My partner proposed to me during this trip and that’s what our stay in London was for, which I was unaware of. It would have been nice if the accomodation made the trip better rather than be a constant problem, especially because we travelled all the way from Australia for...