Balham Lodge — Hotel in London

My daughter and I stayed in room 1, immediately opposite the reception desk, on a Saturday night. First impressions were good; the room was large and airy, and appeared comfortable. Thigs took a turn for the worse when it came to actually sleeping though. The large gap under the door meant we could hear ever movement in the hallway, and no doubt vice versa. The curtain didn’t close properly, and the placement of the street light was such that the light shone directly on to the (somewhat lumpy) pillow on the main bed. We were then woken at around 6.30/7am by the sound of people walking through the main door. Any chance we may have had of getting back to sleep was then scuppered by the constant thudding on the floor above. I was later told this was the child of a guest, running across the floor. Breakfast was, at best, poor. Cheap sausages, insipid microwaved bacon, and water scrambled eggs. The first thing we did upon checking out, was go for breakfast elsewhere. I raised my complaints with the encumbent consierge, who did not apologise, but made excises about light pollution and inconsiderate guests, rather than acknowledge the faulty curtain, poorly hung door and lack of sound insulation. He advised that I would need to speak to a manager, but none was available until the Wednesday. I left my contact information and asked for a call when they returned. Wednesday came and went, with no phone call. Thursday I called and spoke to Paul Gusinu, one of the directors, and laid out the complaint as above. He responded by asking what I wanted him to do about it. He did not make any apology for the poor experience, nor did he offer any remedy. He told me that “these sorts of things happen in any hotel”; I sentiment I strongly disagreed with, and told him that I would appreciate some sort of refund. At that point he said it was “not possible to offer refunds every time a guest threw their toys out of the pram”! I ended the call at that point, very upset and in total disbelief at how the conversation had gone. I am not one for complaining, and certainly not publically. I could have dealt with all of the issues in themselves, but I am so disgusted at the way the complaint was handled that I felt compelled to write this, my first ever...

I stayed at Balham Lodge for an overnight stay while I attended a gig. I have to say, this is an unexpected little gem. It is the best budget accommodation I've found in London so far, although there are a few minor improvements that could be made (more of this later). |Balham itself is a leafy suburb with quite a small town feel about it. As someone who isn't a fan of the big city, it was a lovely area. There is a park just a few yards down the road, with a cafe serving food, drinks and ice cream. Quite a delightful place.|Now, the guest house itself. |I had very little contact with the staff but the lady I collected my key from was very smiley and friendly.|I was in room 18, which is right on the top floor, so a bit of a climb. However, I was delightfully surprised when I went in to find a room that is pleasantly decorated (another reviewer has posted photos on here). The room was clean except a wee had been left in the toilet, which is not the best on a hot day as it was when I arrived. Other than that, my only other minor niggles were that, it would be useful to have a card in the room with instructions on how to operate the TV and with wifi password etc. There were two remote controls and it took me a while to actually work out how to get the TV on. The room could do with a small bedside table. I actually used the chair that was in the room. |Do not book this room if you are a larger person. The space where the toilet is, is very tight and difficult to manoevre. This is a single room and the bed is a small single. The quilt is small, even for a single bed and as other people have mentioned, the pillow really needs binning and replacing. The filling seems to have broken down so much as to be virtually non-existent.|Having said all that, I would definitely stay here again. It's ideal for an overnight stay and a...

I was so hopeful when I arrived, the outside and reception areas were clean and pleasant; the location was perfect for visiting my son, who lives in Balham. Then I was told I was on the 4th floor and had to struggle up with luggage - no help offered even when I explained I had a back issue. The room seemed clean at first - but there were a lot of suspicious looking stains on paint work and dirt/dust around bed frame. The obvious areas were clean and the bathroom was spotless but it felt grubby around the edges. Unfortunately the room was like an oven and the sash window would not open; however there was a fan thank God. After a day’s travelling I was disappointed there was no hot water for a shower and the TV worked but there was no sound, I really wanted to watch the football so that was annoying. The pillows were dreadful! In the end I had to roll up a sweatshirt and try to sleep on that. The thing that really stole my comfort was this weird cupboard right by my head on the bed, it could be opened into the room and was a huge spooky boiler room place; like something from Nightmare on Elm Street! I couldn’t sleep a wink! Worst stay I have ever had - mostly due to my own stupid imagination I am sure. Just as I was about to nod off I would imagine it opening behind me… and startle awake, heart thumping! When I am with my husband I will most likely give the hotel a second chance - it’s so perfectly located for us - and if I’d not been on my own it perhaps wouldn’t have scared me. But I will take...