Central Park Hotel — Hotel in London

I had the unfortunate experience of staying at the Central Park Hotel, and it was nothing short of a nightmare. From the moment we checked in, we were greeted with a series of issues that ultimately led to an incredibly distressing stay. If I could give this hotel a negative rating, I would.

Upon arrival, we were assigned room 339. Little did we know that this room would become our personal chamber of horrors. Over the course of three excruciating days, my wife and I suffered relentless torment from a bed bug infestation. I counted over 40 bites on our bodies, evidence of the unsanitary conditions within the room.

Fearing for our well-being and unable to tolerate the constant attacks, we reported the bed bug infestation to the reception. Their response, to put it mildly, was inadequate and disheartening. Instead of taking immediate action, we were simply moved to another room on the opposite side of the hotel.

Our hopes of finding respite were shattered when, on the very same day, my wife discovered a bed bug crawling on my body. In the bathroom of the new room, we encountered another adult bed bug. The level of distress and discomfort we experienced is difficult to put into words. Yet, the hotel staff appeared entirely unfazed by our ordeal.

When we approached the hotel management for compensation, they shockingly refused to offer any form of restitution for the trauma we had endured. This, despite the fact that we made the difficult decision to leave the hotel on the fourth day of our stay. The final straw came when we found ourselves unwilling to spend another night in the hotel's rooms, fearing more encounters with bed bugs.

We resorted to sleeping in the lobby area on our last night at the hotel. This should have been a glaring indication of the severity of the situation, but the staff and the management seemed to be turning a blind eye to the issue. To add insult to injury, we spotted yet another bed bug in the lobby's restroom and another one in the dining area.

Our attempts to speak with a manager were met with frustration and disappointment. We were initially told that a manager would be available at 7:30 am, only to be informed later that they would be available at 3 pm. We dutifully arrived at 3 pm as instructed, only to discover that no manager was present to address our concerns. The hotel's utter disregard for our predicament left us feeling utterly helpless.

In the midst of this ordeal, the only compensation offered by the hotel staff was breakfast, which, mind you, we had already paid for throughout our entire stay. This hardly felt like an appropriate gesture considering the trauma and discomfort we had experienced.

In conclusion, I implore anyone considering staying at the Central Park Hotel to avoid it at all costs. Our experience was marred by the presence of bed bugs, a complete lack of responsiveness and empathy from the hotel's staff, and an overall atmosphere of neglect and indifference. This was undoubtedly the worst hotel stay of my life, and I sincerely hope that no one else has to endure the horrors we experienced during our time at this...

2/5 Stars – This hotel falls far below what is advertised on its website and on booking sites. Its only saving grace is its location.

AIR CON / COOLING – None of the rooms on normal floors have air conditioning. Furthermore the windows barely open, so air circulation is TERRIBLE. The temperatures in London were mild when we were there (between 15C and 24C), yet inside the rooms, it was as hot as 25C+ due to the terrible air circulation/ventilation. We had two table fans which made little difference. The hotel staff offered “upgraded” rooms in the BASEMENT with air conditioning (for £50 extra per night!), BUT these rooms have NO WINDOWS and smelled like they were damp. I find it disgraceful that this hotel advertises itself as having A/C. It’s just false advertising. Only a handful of basement rooms have A/C, and they are far from premium.

ROOM SIZE – The rooms are TINY. This is pretty typical for Central London, but again, the hotel greatly oversells itself on their website. Check the room dimensions when booking for 3+ people. The rooms are just manageable for solo travelers and couples. For friends or groups of 3+, it is extremely cramped. Bathrooms are also very tiny but again, manageable if your used to this kind of travel experience.

AMENITIES – This hotel provides the bare minimum amenities needed to attain its 3-star status. It very much feels like everything was done on the cheap. Soap is poor quality, furniture is fine but cheap quality, towels are scratchy and cheap, the TV is a postage stamp, light fixtures are flimpsy.

OVERALL INTERIOR STATE – The hotel interior and common areas are pretty shabby. The walls have a lot of scuff marks. The carpets are pretty worn, and the hallways are dark and depressing. The hotel is in major need of a renovation. It currently retains a 1980s feel, which is not welcoming.

LOCATION – This is the hotel’s best attribute. It is located on the western periphery of Central London. You will probably still want to take a bus or the Tube into town on most days, but it is very manageable, and the surrounding area is lovely.

STAFF – The staff was overall pretty great, given the situation. They tried to make us comfortable and dealt with a lot of complaints from ourselves and other guests about the issues described above. However, they were given very little flexibility to offer discounts/refunds or proper amenities to address issues. We always felt like the hotel was pinching pennies and charging fees for every small convenience, which just isn’t justified for a hotel that markets itself as a premium experience.

I CANNOT recommend this hotel to anyone visiting London expecting a premium experience. I can only recommend it to the budget traveler, traveling alone or willing to put up with inconveniences in exchange for a...

If I could give a zero star, I would. Firstly, the staff at this hotel, with the exception of one young lady, are disinterested in helping their guests. I was actually appalled at the service we received. We stayed there a week ago, in a newly refurbished room. The room was lovely but small, not much room for 2 bags. If you are a larger framed person, you will find it difficult to use the toilet, it’s jammed between the wall and shower screen. Apart from that, it has the usual amenities (no water bottles though), air conditioning. After travelling around the Uk for a week, we stayed again for 2 nights. This time, we got a room that had not been refurbished. It was terrible, badly dated and dilapidated. There is a note on the desk advising that any damage that may occur would be oncharged to the guest, honestly, there was nothing in the room that was worth repairing. The bed was jammed between 2 walls, with no way to get to the other side apart from climbing over. Picture attached. After complaining about this, and the lack of air conditioning, I was told that none of the rooms have air conditioning (the refurbished ones do) and that they were fully booked and couldn’t change us.Eventually, another room was found (!) and we moved there. Astoundingly, the rooms did not have the same amenities as the refurbished rooms, no glasses, just plastic cups, no air conditioning, just a cheap fan, no shampoo, no conditioner, no body lotion. No proper spoons for the tea or coffee. No water. I was told I had to pay for that. Basically, a second class room for the same money. I would NOT recommend this hotel to travellers. I was also told that city maps were not available. I was astounded. I have NEVER been to a hotel that doesn’t provide tourist maps. I got one from another hotel. Hotel staff are not helpful when asked questions, obviously we are visitors to the country, with not much knowledge of the way of the land, so to speak. They couldn’t care less.

I expect that I will receive a standard reply along the lines of ‘we are truly sorry……..’ the same as all other reviews have received. This is just a platitude and a lazy response. It seems that feedback is not taken on board in any meaningful way. If you book this hotel, make sure you get a refurbished room, and don’t expect...