Native Hyde Park — Hotel in London

Firstly, the photos on the website are totally misleading. The “apartment” is the same size as a normal double room in Travel Inn etc with the addition of a kitchen. No room for sofas etc as shown.

When we arrived there wasn’t anyone on reception. Two people were sat waiting and we asked if they had seen someone. They said he had gone to get something. When he appeared he acknowledged us. So far so good! We checked in and he gave us a card with a mobile telephone number which was to contact reception “via WhatsApp only”. Bearing in mind we were being charged £315 for the night I found this strange. We were later to learn that varying amounts are charged for the rooms. Anywhere between £200-350. He let us know that there wasn’t air conditioning but there was a fan.

One lift wasn’t working and reading TripAdviser reviews this as been broken for at least 3 months. The carpets in the corridor were stained and when we entered the room (208) I was shocked how shoddy it all was. We opened a drawer and the handle came off, sellotape on the bed to hold veneer on, broken bits off the door to the bathroom. All in all the place needs updating. The pillows were so old that the foam had broken into lumps! Bed very uncomfortable. I duly sent a WhatsApp message but didn’t receive a reply. I tried several times again, with no reply. I emailed, texted, rang no one there.

As we were going out and leaving our passports in the room we shut the windows, one of which did not have a window lock. There isn’t a safe in the room either. We went through reception but no one was there again. The front door wide open so anyone could get in. When we came back from dinner again no one there. I range HO but they only work Monday to Friday 9-5!

My partner persuaded me to accept the room for the night and we would try resolve it the following day. We were supposed to be staying 2 nights in a luxury apartment.

In reception the next day was a receptionist! I went through everything with him and told him we didn’t want to stay another night but we wanted our money back as the room was not an advertised and in fact it was misleading. I understand that the Native properties are not a chain but a franchise which explains the difference in experience people are having in other Native properties. Unfortunately the receptionist couldn’t help but he said the Reception Manager was on her way for 10am. He tried to contact her but no reply. Eventually she turned up at 11.30 and I explained everything to her. She apologised and after a fairly lengthy discussion agreed to refund the money for the second night so we could stay elsewhere. As by this time I didn’t trust Native I asked her to email me confirming the refund whilst we went to pack. She said she would catch up on the messages I had sent as well.

Returning to reception with our cases she changed her tune and said she couldn’t find my WhatsApp messages and that without the Operation Manager’s authority she couldn’t refund the money but could offer compensation. Adding if only you had informed us that you were unhappy yesterday! At this point I did raise my voice showing her the WhatsApp messages and pointing out that only 10 minutes previously she had offered a refund. Which we finally got!

This place is a scam. So many people have given good reviews but I can only conclude this depends on room allocation. Don’t be swayed by the photos. This is Travel Lodge rooms that aren’t as clean and fresh and...

Our stay at Native Hyde Park was supposed to be for a short while after we closed down our London apartment and awaited our visas to relocate to South Africa.

There were so many complications even after we submitted the applications, that we ended up staying at Native Hyde Park for almost a year in a studio apartment.

Honestly, if it wasn't for the fantastic staff at this property, I would have gone stir crazy very quickly.

We had chosen to stay at Native, as our apartment had been on the next street, so we were very familiar with the area and my husbands office was walking distance away at Paddington.

We loved this location for our apartment and all the benefits of this location, apply to Native as well - Paddington Station, Hyde Park, Kensington, The V&A Museum, Oxford Street, Natural History Museum, Science Museum are all walking distance from here.

Lancaster Gate on the Central Line is a hop skip & jump away. There are plenty of small restaurants in the area and Queensway is excellent for picking up groceries. Plenty of buses to connect you to all over London, with excellent frequency in this part of town.

Deliveroo, Just Eat & Uber Eats deliver to your apartment.

24 hour concierge means there's always someone around to help and to receive packages.

Housekeeping is once a week, but if you have an emergency, they are happy to help.

We had the lovely apartment on the 1st floor with the humongous balcony (larger than the apartment), but unfortunately due to a company policy, it was kept locked.

I love to cook and feed people, we still managed to do that in that tiny apartment. A reasonable sized fridge (no freezer), double induction hob and an oven. All the basic crockery and pots - they very helpfully provided me with more when I needed them.

Our apartment had a pull out couch and we also ended up having a friend or my sister stay over on some nights over the 11 months. They gladly gave us extra bedding for the pull out bed.

Given the length of time we spent here, everyone of the staff at the reception desk and a large part of the cleaning crew became great friends, almost like family. Their concern was evident - about the state of our visa process, my husband being airlifted from Ethiopia back to London because of a dog bite and lack of rabies vaccine in that country, we've been through so much together.

We shared their happiness too, when someone got a new car, where they went on their weekends off. The staff is just so super friendly and helpful.

I thought I'd written this review last year as soon as we moved to Johanneburg, but realised that I hadn't. The names I remember off the top of my mind are : Jazz, Andrew, Billy, Aniko, Roberta and Catarina.

Thank you so much for being our family...

If you are already a Native and used to the high standard of accommodation usually on offer, you will be sorely disappointed at Native Hyde Park.

We booked a ten night stay and upon arrival at our room, a Premium Studio, we were shocked to find old and tired furniture, a very stained and lopsided lamp, a sunken two seater sofa placed at a 45° degree angle to the television with no space to turn it, minimal hanging space for clothes and one tiny shelf.

I immediately sent off an email expressing my disappointment and to my surprise, I received a response within minutes. And this is where the excellent customer care that Native has us used to, kicked in!

Mirela-Elena provided an apology and agreed that accommodation may not be up to our expectations and informed us that Native Hyde Park will be undergoing refurbishment in the very near future.

I was still reading her email when a knock on our door brought us Olu, who had checked us in, ready with two other room keys for us to choose another Premium Studio, which we did. The furnishings were also old and tired but at least there was a bit more space and no stained lamp. And I had a two shelves!

Plus point is that the bed was fabulous. Excellent mattress and really good quality bed linen. Towels were brilliantly white, soft and fluffy. Not a combination that is often found in hotels.

In conclusion, if you are looking for state of the art accommodation, please do not book Native Hyde Park. However, if you are happy to overlook creaky floors and tired furniture in exchange for superb customer care and housekeeping that deserves a medal, then Native Hyde Park is the place to stay.

Thank you Olu for taking such good care of us throughout our stay and also to your male colleague in reception (I did not take his name) who even helped us move studios on the night of our arrival.

Thank you to the lady from Galicia in your housekeeping team. She performs minor miracles considering what she has to work with. Everything was absolutely spotless!

Finally Mirela-Elena, if you are reading this, thank you for responding as you did. It went a long way to mitigating our initial disappointment. You and your team at Native Hyde Park are a credit to the hospitality industry.

NB: When you refurbish, please consider adding a small gym. Although Hyde Park is close and great for outdoor exercise, an onsite gym would be a fantastic amenity to include.

Best...