Cramped for two weeks! (Holiday Inn Kensington South Hotel London)

Member Name: anglophile

Product:	Holiday Inn Kensington South Hotel London
Date:	08/07/09 (12 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: reasonably clean, location near good tube station, nice neighbourhood

Disadvantages: delays, small rooms, expensive internet, overworked housekeeping staff

I stayed at this Holiday Inn a couple months ago with my mother when she came to visit me. Immediately we had problems checking in, our room was not ready even though it was after 2pm's check-in time. We returned after the time they told us and our room was still not ready. I've seen from other review websites, since then, that this is a common problem.

When we finally got upstairs, we found that the room was FAR too small for the two of us. I get that it was a central London hotel, but I have seen better for the same price. Our suitcases did not fit, we did not fit, it was awful.

It was chosen for location and it seems as though that was its only standout quality. It was also specifically chosen because the website said that it had a fridge, and trying to be frugal, we really wanted this feature to avoid eating out. Turns out this fridge was just the minibar, that if touched, would randomly charge things to your account.

There is wireless internet access, but it cost an arm and a leg. 15 pounds a night. This made things complicated as we had absolutely had to access the internet from my computer.

Hotel is right off Cromwell Road (museums down the street) and Gloucester Road (EXTREMELY close to tube station). A wealth of restaurants. And a large Sainsbury's supermarket down Cromwell Road and a Tesco Express right across from the tube station on Gloucester Road.

If you're looking for help finding things to do or booking anything, the concierge was surprisingly helpful and personable, which did cheer us up as we were quite distressed about the hotel by this point.

Important to note: Although the address is Cromwell Road, the entrance is actually on Courtfield Road which you can find by turning right out of the Gloucester Road tube station and turning right again almost immediately.

Summary: although this hotel is not dire, it is not the greatest hotel either