Lancaster Gate Hotel — Hotel in London

I came home yesterday. The last time I stayed here was 3 years ago as it has gone downhill since.|Pros: The staff was very friendly, would quickly call a taxi, would provide extra towels, toilet paper, etc. at the front desk. ||Cons: Upon check in, I learned the hotel was under new management by a German company and they have made changes to match the amenities at all their other hotels, I was told. That sounds OK, but here's what I found different. From a full English breakfast, they paired way down to what they call a "cold breakfast". The only thing hot was hard boiled eggs. Still about £15 if it's not included in your room price. There's no menu. You have to get the buffet or go elsewhere. I was able to buy just a cup of coffee one morning. After the buffet closes, there is no more food that can be purchased until the next morning. There's a bar with liquor but no food or even snacks.||My room was dirty. I found string, balls of hair, etc. on the floor. The sheets had stains on them. I was there for 9 nights. After the second day, I told the front desk I needed someone to come in and vacuum. I didn't get housekeeping every day, but probably 3 times in the 9 days I was there. The bedding was never changed, as evidenced by the stains and the rip in the pillowcase. The floor did not appear to be vacuumed again. The carpeting is old and stained. They need to just remove it and put some kind of vinyl flooring. The mattress is old and I could feel the springs as I slept, which caused me back pain after a few nights. ||The bathroom is dated, which I knew and wouldn't mind generally, but the water pressure was so hard that even with the shower curtain closed, the wind from the water blew water out onto the floor, which I had to mop up after every shower. I found lots of hair stuck in the drain, which I pulled out myself. There are no boxes of tissues in the room. The amenities are very small bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. No bar soap, even to wash your hands. I tried to tell my issues to the housekeeping staff, but the 3 women I encountered spoke not one word of English. They just stared at me. I believe all staff in a hotel should at least speak some of the language of the country they are in.||There was no phone in the room and 3 nights after midnight there was loud noise among other guests in the hallway. The only way to notify the front desk was to get dressed and go out there so I did not do that and just tolerated it.||The AC worked and was 1 split unit. Unfortunately, it blew directly on my bed so I either had to be hot without AC or freezing with cold air blowing on me. Finally someone from the front desk came to adjust it. It was somewhat better, but still either really warm or really cold in the room. Near the end of my stay, I had nasal and throat issues from this.||While I didn't watch much TV, when I tried, the TV was terrible. Hardly any channels were available, there was no guide in the room and the remote did not work properly.||I really enjoyed my stay at the hotel 3 years ago, but I would not stay here again. If you want a cheaply priced hotel and a place relatively near a tube station and Hyde Park, this is your place. If you want decent quality, cleanliness, and a place to get food at various times during the day, stay elsewhere. ||You have to pay upfront when you check in. I thought about asking for a refund and going elsewhere, but as I checked prices of other hotels online, because it was late notice, the prices were triple what I was...

I booked a one-night stay at this hotel with the primary goal of getting a good night’s rest after a long international flight with my parents. A few days prior to my arrival, I emailed the hotel to ask if I could drop off my backpacks before the standard check-in time. Unfortunately, I did not receive a response until after 10 a.m. on the day of check-in, which was unhelpful since plans were already made for the day and dropping off backpacks were not one of them.

Upon arrival, I was warmly greeted by a front desk staff member who assigned me a room in the basement. At the time, I didn’t think it would be an issue, as I simply needed a place to sleep. However, the room proved to be extremely uncomfortable. It was affected by loud train noise, a persistent musty odor, paper-thin walls next to the hotel's public restrooms, and a very cold and damp atmosphere. Despite being exhausted, I could only remain in the room for about an hour before deciding I could not stay there any longer.

I returned to the front desk and explained the situation to another staff member, who was understanding and empathetic. She informed me that she needed to speak with the manager before changing my room. However, when the manager appeared, he asked me to repeat the entire situation, even though it had just been explained to him. I found this interaction dismissive and frustrating, especially given my exhaustion.

He then asked if I had used the bed. When I said yes, he informed me that he could not offer a room change. I explained that I had only discovered the issues after attempting to sleep. He eventually offered me a cancellation room that he had with a condescending tone, as though he was doing me a favor.

This experience was disappointing from start to finish. I expected basic comfort and respectful customer service, neither of which were delivered. I will not be returning to this hotel, and I would advise others to consider alternative accommodations. Guests deserve to be treated with professionalism and courtesy, especially when concerns are raised respectfully and...

The worst hotel I've ever stayed in--and I spent 26 years in the Army with temporary duty in some pretty horrible places. The water was turned off for 2 hours every day. The room was almost as small as the bathroom which was tiny. The plumbing is older than the hotel. Almost impossible to get WARM water out of any faucet in the place. You either get scalded or freezing. When the water was working, turning on the sink would send water flying all over the bathroom. The thermostat was a joke--the room was either too hot or too cold with air blowing right on the head of the bed with no adjustment available. The hair dryer hose was completely shredded. You could turn it on and air went everywhere except where it was supposed to go. No drinking glasses, no drinking water provided, no washcloths, an ironing board but no iron, no electrical outlets near the beds, no USB ports for charging anything, an antique TV too small to see, a window with a view of water tanks, air compressors, blue plastic, and construction equipment, and overall, the most depressing hotel room I've ever seen. The furniture in the lobby was cracked, faded, and in disrepair; there are no railings on the steps leading up to the hotel; and some of the staff exhibited the attitude that they were the guests and YOU were interfering with them. All for the bargain price of $200 a night. The only decent thing about this place was the restaurant. The place isn't convenient to any decent restaurants so we ate dinner there. The food was very good and the dinner staff was also very good. The provided morning breakfast staff person manning the "gate" was extremely rude, again, acting as if she were doing us a favor, and the dining room was packed with 100 unruly, loud, and obnoxious Spanish students with no adult supervision,, so we grabbed a few pieces of fruit and got out of there. The place is a dump. Avoid it...