The Henry Hotel Bayswater, Sonder — Hotel in London

Loved the Location, Tolerated the Service - A Mixed Stay at The Henry Hotel Bayswater.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 out of 5)

Date of Stay: June 14th - June 20th, 2025 Room Type: Queen Sized, Double Room Trip Type: Leisure / Visiting London

I recently stayed at The Henry Hotel Bayswater, Sonder by Marriott Bonvoy for six nights during a leisure trip to London. Overall, the experience was mixed, with a truly unbeatable location in contrast with the booking process issues & minimal service I faced.

Booking Experience:

Unfortunately, my experience with the hotel started off on the wrong foot. I wanted to extend my stay with an additional reservation to cover the allocated time frame. However, the process turned out to be far more complicated than it should have been. It took multiple phone calls and considerable back and forth communication to secure a booking. In the end I had to settle for a reservation as opposed to an extended booking, which was frustrating and inconvenient.

Check-in Experience:

Once I arrived, check-in was relatively straightforward thanks to the Sonder App interface, email / in-app chat support and also the on hand staff at the kiosk.

Room Quality:

The room itself was clean, modern and decorated in a stylish minimalist way, typical of the Sonder brand. The bed was comfortable, and the bathroom was functional with a very nice shower. The space itself was tight, but manageable given we were in Central London. The air conditioning and the WI-FI both worked well, with no issues to speak of. Basic amenities were provided like tea bags / tea facilities within the room, toiletries like towels and toilet rolls. However, the only thing I would say is always a plus but Sonder lacked was a refrigerator, as regrettably we stayed at one of the most hottest points of the year (31c), and any drinks that were bought to our rooms couldn’t be cooled.

Facilities:

There is no traditional front desk, but rather a kiosk with two staff members on hand if you need help. There are no restaurants, however there is a breakfast area provided by a third party company that operates within the hotel and is something travellers should be aware of. Everything is handled digitally through the Sonder app or by phone. This works fine if you’re tech-savvy and don’t require face to face assistance, but may not suit everyone.

Location:

This is without question the highlight of the hotel. Located just a short walk from both Bayswater and Queensway Tube Station, with Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens nearby, the hotel offers a plethora of fantastic destinations within Central London. Plenty of shops, restaurants, and transport links are right at your doorstep.

Service and Staff Support:

The Service was average throughout the stay. The reception area does have staff that provide support and guidance, and for which i am entirely grateful. However, one thing that caught me off-guard was the cleaning policy. I wasn’t aware prior to booking that room cleaning was not included in the standard rate. If I wanted my room cleaned during my stay, I would’ve had to pay an extra charge, and the price would vary depending on the level of cleaning required. This meant that I found myself moderately cleaning the room just to keep it presentable.

Additionally, I had to proactively request amenities like extra towels and toiletries, which I didn’t necessarily mind, but it was something I did not expect from my hotel stay and especially at that price point and being part of the Marriott Bonvoy umbrella.

Value for Money:

Given the location, the price felt fair for London. The only thing that impacted my overall value perception was the minimal service and initial booking communication issues.

Overall Verdict:

If location is your top priority and you’re comfortable with a digital hotel-model, this hotel could work well for you. Would I stay again? Besides my overall critique, I...

Exquisitely wonderful! I was visiting London for business and in 2019 I stayed at another competitor hotel 3 doors down the street (The Blakemore). I liked that hotel - but decided to take a chance on The Henry and I’m so glad I did!

What do you get when you mix the convenience & efficiency concept of an AirBnb with a 4+ star hotel in an ideal location with impeccable service and an attentive staff? You get “The Henry,” a thoroughly modern/stylishly sophisticated gem located in the cozy but central Bayswater neighborhood.

Check-in and entry to the front door are all by a numeric code emailed a few days prior to arrival. Honestly at first I was skeptical - was this just a trying to be like Airbnb gimmick? But having spent 4 nights here, I discovered that I had easy access to anything I needed.

There is a 2 person mini reception desk at the front door if you need anything. The young staff at the front were so helpful & very professional: Samuel, Manar, Naomi and I’m sure I’m forgetting some names - knew their roles and ALWAYS went out of their way. Always big smiles. Always authentic. Never rushed.

Need extra towels or toiletries? No problem - and delivered to your room (like a gift) in a brown craft bag! The towels by the way are new and smell so good - not of bleach like most hotels, but of softener. It’s the little things. The bottom line is that the staff is here when you need them, and they disappear when you don’t. It’s really the best of all worlds.

Almost no street noise in this idyllic tree lined area. You are a 5 minute stones throw to the Queensway tube station or Hyde Park. Everything is nearby.

The Henry was apparently completely renovated 4 months ago and it shows! Many hotels do a cosmetic refurbishment but that’s not the case here - everything here from beds/pillows/ bathroom feels new - and not cheaply new, but modern & clean. My small but nicely furnished room was perfect - bed was soft and I LOVED the white marble appointed bathroom with a gorgeous glass door. The massive rain shower overhead used a cool push on/off with instant hot water and perfect temp at the touch of one button! So nice. Wow. I didn’t expect this level of luxury at this price point!

Now let’s talk toilet paper! 99% of hotels typically use the cheapest/thinnest most annoying toilet paper. But the toilet paper here at The Henry is thick & pillow soft! Yeah it’s the little things, but it’s all those little things that make it so pleasant to stay here.

On a final note there’s an amazing coffee shop in the lobby offering healthy fresh squeezed juices & smoothies, well made espresso, pastries and some of the best porridge with fresh fruit for a decadent breakfast!

As you can tell, I LOVED this property! There’s something NEW going on here. New thinking, new concept. Not gimmicks to squeeze extra money from guests - but a real effort at trying to create a luxurious & cozy experience at a competitive price. I stay at many hotels for business - and The Henry brand Sonder knocked it out of the park! If I could give them 10 stars I would do so. I feel like I’ve glimpsed the future here. Not a gigantic hotel chain like Marriott or Hilton sitting around with some execs to create a “cool” hotel by rearranging the deck chairs - but underneath these trendy hotels aren’t giving the customer anything more. The Henry staff actually made me feel like I was a valued guest. I will go out of my way to seek out Sonder wherever I travel. They are on to something magical here and they have earned my respect and gratitude for making me feel...

Do not visit this hotel or any Sonder hotel for that matter. Stayed for two nights for my birthday. All was fine (well average) until we were bitten by bed bugs, my partner actually saw one on him but didn’t tell me until the next day to try and not ruin my birthday! But there was no hiding it when we both had the same bites to compare the next morning! I’ve also noted from previous reviews others were bitten too at this hotel so do be careful if you dare visit here. Be aware tripadvisor can remove reviews that mention bed bugs so that’s probably why there’s not more than a few reviews mentioning them! Anyway we told the hotel and gave them the opportunity to make things right with us (without the need for me to write a review as we are understanding people but here we are given their incompetence). I spoke to someone from Sonder through the booking.com messenger app straight away who asked us to provide pictures etc and said they will refund us as a gesture of goodwill but despite providing evidence of the bites, prescription for treatment and a pharmacy receipt (we were away in France after this trip so couldn’t visit the GP) we still don’t have a full refund (spent £400!) and much to our frustration (we were actually quite calm originally despite it ruining my birthday) they are now refusing and ignoring any contact from me. For a week we both had these bites having to cover them up on our holiday to France! They said they’ve had pest control out after I pushed for it but I very much doubt it as they couldn’t show me any proof of them finding nothing which they said was the case, which tells me they did find them or they didn’t have any pest control company out! Ive asked to escalate my complaint to the manager of the hotel but been ignored. Booking.com tried to speak to them on my behalf but they refused any refund. Tried customer service who just forward it to the hotel and apparently don’t have a complaints procedure. Ended up in an email thread with ‘Veronica’ who calls herself a ‘hospitality supervisor’ who tells me no refund is being given and the matter is closed. She’s super rude and literally has zero customer service skills - no care or attention to what’s happened. Despite me explaining multiple times that I was promised a refund originally, this is being totally ignored and this is what makes me most angry. Don’t suggest a refund if you’re not going to give one! Veronica has ignored my contact requests for the complaints procedure and escalation to the hotel manager. I am thoroughly disgusted at this company and have no option but to now ask my bank to process a chargeback for the full amount. Shame on you Sonder - sort out your cleanliness and the people dealing with unhappy guests as they need...