Leonardo Royal Hotel London Tower Bridge — Hotel in London

I stayed at Leonardo Royal Hotel Tower Bridge for my mother’s birthday on February 11th, and it’s now April — yet I’ve had no resolution. My emails have been ignored, my account blocked, and when I used a different email to reach out, I received one call where I was asked irrelevant questions about how I booked my stay. I was told I’d get a call back — that never happened.

I held off on writing this review, hoping they would do the right thing and make this right — but clearly that’s not a priority for them.

I planned this trip carefully as a special birthday surprise for my mum — she travelled from Poland to visit me for the first time, and it was meant to be a cherished memory. Instead, it turned into a series of disappointments and humiliations.

The moment we arrived, systems were down. I understand things happen, but there was zero courtesy or communication from staff — not even a basic “we’re sorry for the delay.” Throughout our stay, the attitude from several staff members was dismissive and, at times, downright rude.

Despite prior contact from both myself and my partner (who works in the hospitality industry), where we asked for birthday touches and mentioned it was a special occasion, nothing was acknowledged. We were upgraded to an Executive Room but never told — meaning we missed out on the included lounge access and ended up paying for things that should have been complimentary.

The spa experience was appalling. The jacuzzi was full of foam and a strong chemical smell that irritated our eyes and skin, causing flare-ups and discomfort for both me and my mum. The space was messy, phones were being used despite rules, and there was no sense of order or professionalism.

The worst part? The birthday massage I booked for my mum — the one relaxing thing she was looking forward to — was refused because we were a few minutes late due to lift issues. Staff were rude and offered no empathy. When we finally complained, reception arranged for her to have the massage later that day, but when we went back to the spa, the staff again tried to charge us and refused to acknowledge what reception had promised. My mum ended up in tears on her birthday, humiliated and exhausted from the back-and-forth.

Eventually, the massage was given — but it was not the one I originally booked. And the attitude of the staff throughout this experience was shockingly unprofessional.

The only two people who showed any compassion and care were the ladies from the food and beverage team, who surprised my mum with a dessert and treated us with respect — they were the only part of the hotel that reflected what hospitality should be. was clear that the staff were untrained and didn’t know what they were doing — confirmed to me by members of the food and beverage team, was that a lot of the spa staff were new and hadn’t been properly trained, and that there were similar issues across other parts of the hotel.

After this experience, I looked at other reviews on Google and TikTok, and I was shocked to see how many people had nearly identical issues — especially with the spa. But what’s more upsetting is that many of them received some form of compensation. I’ve received nothing — no call, no email, no apology. And I genuinely believe this feels like discrimination. Why was my experience ignored while others with similar complaints were taken seriously?

This was supposed to be a beautiful moment for me and my mum. Instead, it’s a memory we’re trying to forget.

At the very least, I expect a full refund and some form of gesture to make up for the birthday that was ruined — whether that’s a voucher or a stay at another location. Because this? This was beyond...

It makes me really sad to have to write a negative review. I always try to hold back and not write anything, but I feel really powerless about the situation we found ourselves in, and I don’t want this to happen to anyone else. It honestly makes me very sad.

Imagine you save up for a long time just to be able to afford one trip a year, and after reading all the good reviews on Google etc, you decide to trust the hotel and hand over all the money you’ve worked so hard to save.

You pay quite a high price per night, thinking that at the very least, you’ll be able to rest well in a safe place. Sometimes, if it’s possible, it’s exciting to be able to treat yourself to a small luxury once a year.

We arrived at one room on the second floor, with a view of the Premier Inn and the Roman Catholic Church of the English Martyrs.

Unfortunately, I have a habit of not trusting hotels too much, and I always check for cleanliness, especially because I work with the public and I know that even in the most expensive places, there can be very incompetent staff. I’ve seen colleagues clean toilets with floor mops. But that is why I didn´t also wanted to give a bad review, because I know that there are customers that stains the rooms intentionally to receive money back. There are also bad customers in good hotels... so I didn´t know what to do.

I don’t want to write too much because I feel like none of this will matter anyway, but I really hope the person reading this will take a look at the worst-rated reviews and see that we’re all saying almost the same thing. And please, consider that many of the good reviews might be paid or fake. I’m not saying they are—but I think it is not good to believe everything that looks good just because of online reviews.

In short:

Hair and pubic hair in the bathroom

Like earwax on the bathrobes, with underarm stains and a bad smell

Stains on towels and each one with a different odor

Stains on the walls

Used toilet paper rolls placed on a dirty, wet stand

Dirty lamps and a sofa with stained patches

And more.

We read that they sometimes offer two free drinks for the inconvenience when someone complains at reception, or that some people have had confrontations with staff, so we just left without trying anything. We were too tired and didn’t feel like dealing with anyone. The receptionist looked very tired and sad (not rude with us).

The sad part is that they’ll probably reply with a copy-pasted message saying how sorry they are and to please give them another chance because they’re working on improving. But I don’t understand how a 4-star hotel, in the heart of London, allows something like earwax on a hygiene item even after all the negative reviews that it has since months and months. I don’t even know if that’s reportable. Honestly, if I were the owner, I’d be ashamed to know my staff doesn’t clean the rooms and leaves them in that kind of hygienic condition. But none of this matters because thousands of people will continue booking the hotel, they’ll keep making money, and we’ll be the ones losing ours after saving up for a whole year, just to spend two disappointing days in a place like this.

I’m really sorry for this review. It pains me to write it, but what hurts more is knowing that people like us will keep going...

My recent stay at this hotel had a mix of positives and negatives for our 5th anniversary. While there were some nice aspects, I can't overlook the significant issues that affected our overall experience for a 4 stars hotel, I was expecting better.

Negatives:

The first problem arose right at the beginning when we arrived during a heavy rainstorm. Shockingly, the front door didn't open, and the turnstile was also malfunctioning. We were left stranded in the rain, struggling to get inside. Not an ideal welcome.

To add to our woes, one of the elevators was out of service, causing frustrating wait times of 5 to 10 minutes each time we needed to use it. This situation was particularly inconvenient, especially during busy times.

Our hopes of enjoying a lovely view from the room were dashed when we discovered that the view was rather unappealing. It was certainly not what we expected, given the price we paid for the room.

While the spa seemed promising, it was marred by being excessively crowded. It felt more like a busy public pool rather than a relaxing retreat. Finding a tranquil moment proved to be a challenge.

The bathroom situation was far from satisfactory. The shower was incredibly small, making it uncomfortable to use. Furthermore, the inability to shower in the tub was inconvenient, and it appeared that the shower gel dispenser was empty.

A concerning safety issue occurred during our stay when one of our party stepped on a piece of glass in the bedroom. This highlights the need for better housekeeping and more attention to detail, especially regarding additional carpets at the base of furniture.

Communicating these problems with the hotel staff proved to be quite disheartening. Their response left much to be desired, and we left feeling ignored and frustrated.

Positives:

Despite the negative aspects, I do appreciate the small attention to detail on our 5th-anniversary celebration. The card and the small bottle of wine were a thoughtful gesture.

The hotel itself has a nice appearance and ambiance, with its décor and atmosphere contributing positively to the overall experience.

One redeeming feature of our stay was the breakfast selection. There was a wide variety of choices, and we appreciated the opportunity to try different dishes.

I must acknowledge the efforts of the Duty Manager and the receptionist in the morning. Despite the challenging situations we faced during our stay, they did try to assist us to the best of their abilities. They were responsive and attempted to address some of our concerns, even though not all issues were resolved satisfactorily.

In conclusion, while the hotel has some potential and a few bright spots, the numerous issues we encountered during our stay were significant enough to overshadow the positives. Improvements are urgently needed in various areas, particularly in customer service, maintenance, and amenities. Only then can I consider recommending this...