St. James' Court, A Taj Hotel, London — Hotel in London

We had a HORRENDOUS 4-night stay in June. Do not be fooled by the hotel’s good reputation or rating - find another hotel! IT WAS TERRIBLE. PROBLEMS INCLUDE:

We had two rooms reserved - a suite for my wife and I, and a room with twin beds for our teenagers. In spite of two calls to the hotel in advance of the trip to confirm that the kids room had twin beds, the kids’ room had a single king bed which could not be split into two beds. After a significant fuss, 30 minute wait and a call from our travel agent to their contact at the hotel, the hotel agreed to move the kids to another room. (ROOM CHANGE #1 – for those keeping score at home.)

The new kids' room did not have working air conditioning (BROKEN A/C #1.) We were there during the mid-June HEAT WAVE, so air conditioning was a MUST-HAVE. The manager (Rajat) said this was the last room with two twin beds and said they would provide a portable air conditioner for the room. (The portable A/C ultimately did not work and the kids slept with the window open to try to cool the room.) The manager also agreed that the next day when we went out for our tour of London, they would pack all of the kids’ belongings and move them to another room with twin beds and working air conditioning.

The hotel did not move the kids to a room with twin beds and working A/C as promised the night before. The finally did so after I had an upset/angry exchange with the night manager in the lobby. (ROOM CHANGE #2.)

(Minor issue) We informed the front desk that the couch in our suite was badly stained – as it looked like something had died on it – and the hotel said they would clean it or replace it. They did neither (but as we had working A/C we simply put bathrobes over the couch to sit on it).

(Minor issue) The hotel breakfast was fine, but they were very understaffed. We would sometimes ask for some generic item (coffee, soy milk, ketchup, etc.) and it would frequently take 10+ minutes.)

After my wife and I had our suite cleaned by housekeeping, our A/C was broken. (BROKEN A/C #2.)

The hotel engineer was incompetent and first said the A/C was working but finally admitted it was not. When I told him it stopped working when/after housekeeping cleaned the room, he said (this is verbatim) “then you should call housekeeping and ask them what they did.” I told him that I was not going to call housekeeping because (a) even if they knew what they did (unlikely) they would not know how to fix it and (b) it was actually his job (not housekeeping’s job) to determine the problem and fix it. I reminded him that he was the engineer and that the housekeepers were not engineers. He said he could not fix it. So we had to change rooms. (ROOM CHANGE #3.)

The night manager showed me another suite that was nice (like ours - with no stained couch!) but the bathroom was tiny. We would have taken it as we were desperate for A/C but (wait for it...) the A/C was broken! (BROKEN A/C #3.) The manager said it was the last suite and if we did not take it we would have to take a smaller/normal room. I angrily told him it was crazy that they did not have working A/C and he had to find us another suite with A/C - which he did after about 30 minutes. So at midnight on our 3rd night, my wife and I packed all of our belongings and moved to another suite in another building (the residences).

The power in our kids' room mysteriously went out our last night (as one of them was in the shower in the suddenly pitch dark bathroom at the time). The hotel was not sure why it happened, but they eventually got the power back on (likely using a different engineer than the incompetent one who had suggested I call housekeeping to fix our suite’s broken A/C). They told the kids not to use one particular light switch in their room. (So while it was nearly cause for yet another room change, they were able to stay in that room.)

The hotel is failing and in need of serious upgrades and repairs. STAY...

I just went to visit someone in their lounge are. The way i was being treated . Leave me - but the people who stayed there, they were also treated so poorly as far as I could see😆. As soon as I entered . Countless times. The staff came asking to the relative. “Which room you are in “. I was having a normal conversation as I went to visit my relatives and their young daughter. I just had to give her some gifts and meet them as they INVITED me. And come back. My relatives asked me if I want something. They made me sit in the area. It was an open area. Not a proper closed space as well. 1- the staff asked my relative which room you are in? The relative replied and instructed the staff. She is here just for visiting, anything extra we would like to pay. We kept it clear. i asked for a cup of Tea. They Brought a glass - a water glass and poured tea in it and presented to me. Despite of such clear instruction that we would lile to pay the extra charges Different staff were just hovering around us and around our table. Asking my relative which room you are in.

2- my didi she offered me a dosa(an Indian dish) almost 3 times there itself they came back again and again and asked which room you are in. How embarrassing.😆🤌🏼 for themselves. Plus she is adding - “I am another staff, did you see anyone from this uniform, asking you the same question” “no right”, “we just want to make sure which room you are in” (smiling faces, polite way indeed) but honestly. “Nobody from this uniform”😆🤌🏼 is that a reason? The staff should be able to communicate within themselves, and not disturb between talks of the guests. Thats basic professionalism. it’s embarassing we had to instruct them 20 times atleast. 3- the family friends of my relatives, they were having their breakfast, they just left the table for a while, and the staff cleared the table, in a jiffy- in blink of an eye. I felt bad for them. Honestly.

I kept quiet thinking for the security purpose of high end celebrities over there. Understandable.

Why the family friends being treated that way- couldn’t understand.

But the way to get my information ( the odd man out person) was so humiliating.

Its not about the interrogation. Its about the way of asking. They had to ask multiple times for confirming something regarding me, so no clear communication. Infact Pathetic.

I dont think Late honorable Shri Ratan Tata sir would have liked such discreet and informal behaviour of staff towards someone who entered their place . And guys I am a 4 feet 11 inches petite woman. If they were so much security concerned. They would have stopped me at the entrance a little formal security check and interrogation would have been okay. I would have understood . That was more professional .

But this constant 25 times asking which room which room was so unprofessional and embarrassing. I had this preset image of THE TAJ in my mind. I really feel nothing now about it. Nothing so special. Sorry . The reason I wrote this review is . It was hurtful.

I am an ordinary person. I am a Nurse.

People dream of visiting such place. For me not in India but fate gave me a chance to visit it in London.

I am lucky enough to witness their this service at their doorstep. Future Time saved, Energy saved.

This Taj is not for me. This place has a forever bad image in my mind...

Very disappointing . We stayed at A Taj Hotel London for six nights , September 2025 . Arrived at the hotel just before 7 am and the hotel has a 3 pm check -in,. We notified A Taj Hotel , Sunny Talaulecar, Reservation Agent , Advance Reservations, in advance, of our flight schedule and requested early check in. We were told when we arrived, the room we booked was not available . The only option for early check -in was upgrading the room for an additional 120 pounds per day or a junior suite at 552 pounds per day . It was over 7 hours before we could check in to a room at 2:15 , 45 minutes before normal check in, but not the room we booked . We were told the room we booked was still unavailable. The room provided had a bathroom with rust where the shower glass and tub meet, the tub facade was in disrepair and the tub stopper did not work. The iron railing on the balcony was rusted and broken glass was disbursed on the balcony floor. Demolition was taking place outside our window and the sound was deafening with heavy material from a nearby demolition being thrown into a metal dumpster. When we asked the reception about the room we were given vs the room we booked , we were told the room we were provided is an executive king. A Taj Hotel London reception talks in circles with no real answers or solution.

The next day after arrival, one of two elevators broke down . With only one elevator and 7 floors it was time consuming just to get on and off. The elevator remained broken during the remainder of our stay. The 2nd day after our arrival, the reception desk was reimagined, downsized with caution tape beside the elevators and the front entrance was closed with a new footpath and alternate entrance/exit to the hotel . A large facade was being installed at the main entrance pardoning the mess as the hotel is remodeling its meeting and event rooms. There was no mention of construction when we booked the room. Hotels should be required to disclose any construction as it can be very disruptive, unsettling and negatively impact the guests stay and/or experience. We spent as little time as possible at the hotel. A Taj Hotel London sends kind and welcoming emails prior to one's visit , but once on site it is a total mess and much difference from what one would anticipate.

My work is design and events and I have worked in and stayed in hotels all over the world. This was the worst experience ever encountered . The hotel should have been transparent about the construction and their hardline policy on check in . Many international travelers arrive early in the morning because of flight schedules and have slept little or none on the plane. A TAJ Hotel London has a nice presence online along with welcoming correspondence, unfortunately once onsite it is a very different and unpleasant experience . London has many good hotel choices . A Taj Hotel London is not...