Axiom Park Hotel — Hotel in London

SO Park is misleading public about their location and their facilities. I stayed there for some time working from the room and they do not have any services for 4 star hotel. There is abysmal difference between this place and 5 star hotel. It is really worth paying some extra and stay in place that knows how the hotel should be run and looked after. SO Park is not based in the city centre 5 minutes of driving distance from Harrods as they advertise but south of the river with extremely unreliable public transport links; transport is slow with buses delayed much most of the time or they don't run at all because of the local diversions and roadworks. You have to wait a long time for a black taxi to appear on the road. Some busy days there are no taxis available even through the phone application in the area. The hotel has one small lift for 5 floors including the basement. Lift breaks at most unexpected times and there is no porter or concierge to help with heavy suitcases. Images on their and other websites do not reflect rooms at all and there is a very limited availability of facilities they mention. For example, SO Park don't have individually decorated rooms as they claim to have, no kitchens, only very small kitchenettes consisting of a microwave and sink, cheap looking plastic kettles and toasters, rooms do not have any DVD players as they claim to have, there is bedlinen consisting of blend of cheap cotton and polyester made in Pakistan, not Egyptian cotton as they claim to have, wireless wifi does not work most of the time or is very poor, phone reception on any network is almost non-existent, no internal phone to call room service, you need to come to reception everytime you need something and reception is not always attended by staff, you have to wait for check-in for hours at times because rooms are not always ready contrary to express check-in they claim to have, reception is served by only one receptionist at the time with long queue and closed during the night and there is no one to assist if help is needed, no continental nor any kind of breakfast available as they claim to have, no meeting room as they claim to have, air-ventilation does not work at all because bathroom walls and mirrors stream with water after taking a shower, lights go off sometimes in the middle of the shower, some quests smoke weed in their rooms and the smoke is then everywhere, some questionable characters are staying around and they bring in women in the middle of the night for half an hour service, housekeeping will clean room only once a week because that is the policy of the hotel for the past two years as I was informed, communal areas extremely filthy with thick layer of dust everywhere during the whole national lockdown making me sneeze and caugh when passing through while major building works were ongoing every single day there, government corona virus guidelines not followed at all. Absolutely disgraceful state of affairs. Avoid...

After reading the reviews (after booking) we were dreading our stay, considered faking our own deaths to try and get the money back.

Parking:

We didn't know how to book parking so we called up en route and they told us how to find it and to call when we arrive and they will open the gates. Parking is beneath the hotel behind secure electronic gates that the hotel staff have to operate and costs £15 per night.

Arrival:

Upon arrival we were greeted by staff and allocated a parking space.

Reception staff were helpful, we were asked for £100 cash deposit (which we only knew about from reading reviews so we had already drawn this out) Card deposits can be done too bit obviously aren't returned as quickly as cash.

The Room: We were located on the first floor room 101, directly above the front door and reception and directly opposite a pub/bar The Lost Society.

We could hear the front door open and closing but wasn't a huge issue.

It was clean and looked modern, large TV, only freeview channels though.

We booked an apartment with a kitchenette which included a hob top but our room only had a sink, microwave, kettle, toaster and fridge which wasn't a huge issue but could be for some.

The bathroom was clean and well lit. Lovely large rain fall shower head and normal shower head. On first use the shower temperature could not be adjusted it was like the knob was stuck and it was scalding hot. We informed reception on our way out for the afternoon and when we arrived back it had been sorted.

We had a window!! We had fully working air con.

The Tiny Bin: The bin was tiny especially if using the kitchenette facilities. Picture the classic tiny bathroom pedal bin.

The bed was comfy but creaked a bit.

The only mirror in the apartment was in the bathroom, a full length mirror would have been ideal for in the bedroom area.

The Pub Across the Road: They're not open Monday's or Tuesday's. On Sunday nights they have a Brazillian themed night with a live band and the bar was rammed with people. With the window shut we could still hear the music but it was only really the bass that could be heard. With the TV on we didn't notice it and they close at 0100 anyway.

The Location:

The location was perfect for us, we walked into most places. Harrods area 50 minutes, Natural History Museum 45 minutes or took the Santander Bikes (bike parking area across the road about 200m down from the hotel.)

Tesco Express on the opposite side of the road and approx. 300m down from the hotel.

The Dirty Stairs and Lift: They did need a bit of a hoover/carpet clean but it's not like we slept there.

Departure:

When you check out they send staff to your room to check it over before they return your £100 deposit. The whole deposit thing is all a bit weird but we got our money back no issues.

We...

From reading some of the reviews before i arrived at this hotel on Friday 24th May for two nights to attend the Chelsea Flower Show to say i was a little tentative & worried would be an understatement! However those fears were allayed when i checked in and was assisted with parking the car by Tugal on reception who was a delight to deal with and a credit to the hotel! The rooms are amongst the largest and most well equipped i’ve stayed in during years of stopovers all over London, and was clean! Walls in the room had some marks but to be expected when they’re painted not wallpapered. There was a fridge, microwave, kettle & toaster, and 2 large wardrobes with hangers along with a large flatscreen TV on the wall! Staff were very good & attentive & the room was cleaned both days without asking & fresh towels provided! Bathroom is spacious, clean & has a great shower with plenty of pressure! There were a few marks here and there on the walls & net curtains but to be honest, there is in my own home most of the time so this clearly hasn’t put me off or compelled me to write an horrific review as it has some people!

Parking

The hotel is in the middle of a residential area & shares secure underground parking with some of the residents so only has 4 parking spaces which are on a first come first serve basis. We were directed to the gate & Tugal opened the gate & let us into the rear entrance of the hotel. Charges are £15 per night & on our final day after checking out, we needed to travel into central london to collect something and the hotel graciously allowed us to keep the car at the hotel secured until we returned & drove home at no extra cost! Tube station is a 15 minute walk & the northern line runs into the city from this station! There are shops, takeaways & restaurants close to the hotel but not a huge choice. All in all we had a really comfortable stay, would certainly re book at the hotel and thought the staff were fantastic! Just wanted to add some context & a balanced review about the hotel based on some of the attacks i’ve read on here recently before my trip! It aint the Ritz, and certainly doesn’t charge Ritz prices either so if you book at this hotel please bear this in mind! PS - sorry my wife had one major complaint, can you please put a mirror in the room close to a socket so she can dry her hair in a mirror for our next visit...