Cove - Cannon Street, The City — Hotel in London

❌❌[Worst Experience of My UK Trip]❌ On the evening of July 12th (our 4th night out of a 6-day stay), I had an extremely unpleasant and frankly shocking experience with a white, middle-aged male staff member at the front desk named Marios.

We were a group of 3 people. At check-in, we were given 3 small towels and 3 large towels. On this evening, I politely requested an additional 4 small towels and 2 large towels. One of us prefers two small towels instead of one large one — a very minor and reasonable preference.

Marios flatly refused, saying he could give a maximum of only 2 small towels, regardless of the fact that we were three guests. I reminded him that we had been told during check-in to “feel free to ask for more towels if needed.” Instead of simply helping, he became increasingly rigid and confrontational, repeatedly asking me who told me that, what gender they were, and even what they looked like.

His tone was not just skeptical, but pressuring and authoritarian, as if I were doing something wrong by making a basic request. He said he had to report the staff member who gave me that information to his boss — something he felt the need to emphasize directly to me, the guest, in a way that felt deeply inappropriate and accusatory.

The entire conversation was dominated by interruptions. He kept cutting me off mid-sentence, talking over me, and creating an incredibly uncomfortable, pressured dynamic — absolutely unacceptable behavior from someone working at the front desk of a so-called 4-star hotel.

He also repeatedly told me that since the hotel had laundry facilities, I could wash the towels myself. That might make sense in an Airbnb — but not at a 4-star hotel where guests are paying a premium for comfort and service. Nowhere were we told that towel laundering would be our responsibility, nor is that a reasonable policy.

Only after I firmly insisted multiple times did he suddenly change his tone and say, “I never said I wouldn’t give you towels,” and reluctantly handed over 3 small towels and 3 large towels. To this day, I still don’t understand why he wouldn’t simply fulfill my original request of 4 small and 2 large towels in the first place.

Throughout the entire interaction, Marios was unfriendly, stiff, and unapologetic. As a young East Asian woman, I couldn’t help but feel a strong sense of being talked down to and dismissed — if not outright discriminated against, then certainly treated with an undue level of suspicion and disrespect.

This was, without a doubt, the worst experience of my UK trip, and it left a sour taste after what had been an otherwise enjoyable stay. I came to this hotel based on positive reviews and paid a high price with high expectations. I now regret it.

I will be sharing this experience on my blog and other platforms, as I believe future travelers deserve to know how poorly a paying guest can be treated here. Proceed...

We stayed here for 5 days with a vehicle and had to park it north in the Barbican Centre Car Park which is about a 20 min walk. You could take public trans but we decided to walk. If you have a car and have luggage would recommend parking on Bush Ln to walk your luggage to the hotel so you wont have to walk it from where ever you park.

Cons: Glad it was cool enough outside to open the windows it did not seem the like the AC was able to cool the room. No wash cloths towels at all, Had to pick up towels every day from the desk Room refresh is an extra charge No parking If you are driving in the city it will be an nightmare getting in and out. I would take us 2 hours to go 22 miles. Make sure to look over how the shower is. They have a hand nozzle and a rain nozzle we were not a fan of either. On a busy street so with the windows open it was loud but it did not bother us because we were so tired.

Pros: Had enough room for two people no issues with space. It was a studio apartment with a separate bath room and even a desk to sit at with a sofa and counter with oven stove and sink. It is one block away from the Mansion House tube station which can take you just about anywhere. It is even walking distance to the London Bridge and many restaurants if you are wanting to explore just take public trans to get around.

Great place to stay but make sure you check if your AC works especially during the summer times. Also don't have a car here stay somewhere else if you are...

A lot of bad decisions were made in London in the aftermath of the Heathrow power outage on 21 March. Being told that the cancellation window of 1 PM day before arrival was being enforced by the Cove Cannon Street certainly ranks among them. My family and I were on a BA plane towards Heathrow when the decision came at 2 AM GMT to turn back to North America. From in flight wifi, I messaged the hotel immediately, so they would be able to offer our room to any guests who were already in London and now would be unable to travel out on the day of the 21st. Instead I was told that there was no flexibility to this cancellation policy. As Londoners now know, the finger pointing for this Heathrow incident has begun, and who knows who will ultimately have any liability and whether any claims will be able to be made.

I have been traveling professionally and personally for 30 years and this is the first time I have seen a hotel be so rigid in the face of a catastrophic event. I'm quite certain they would have turned around and booked someone into the room and double-dipped on the rate that night. Definitely do not recommend.

Edited after the reply from the hotel - of course I've contacted my travel insurance provider. But actually events such as this are not anticipated because they are neither personal nor considered to be caused by outside conditions. And now that they've replied, other future guests now know that this is a hotel that doesn't make exceptions. Plan...