I have recently spent two nights at the Ramada Ealing hotel in West London. While it could in no way be described as a luxury retreat, it is perfectly adequate for the needs of most travellers, particularly those on short stays which I imagine is who they mainly cater for. Unfortunately I can't comment on value for money as my stay was (thankfully) paid for by a third party!

The hotel is located at Ealing Common, about 5 minutes walk from the tube station and close to the very busy North Circular road, although I wasn't disturbed by traffic noise even with the window open all night. Ealing Common tube is on the district line and its very easy to connect to all the major tube lines and get anywhere you need. I'd say its about 20 minutes into central London which isn't ideal during the crowded rush hour but in the middle of the day or the late evening the journey is a breeze. The hotel is located in Zone 3.

Check in was quick and easy, and the room key is a credit card style one. You need to swipe it quickly in and out of the mechanism on the door to unlock your room. It took me a couple of goes to get the hang of it but its easy enough, I was a bit tired!

The rooms are basic but perfectly adequate. The beds are reasonable comfortable, there is air-conditioning which was a life saver during my stay as it was bordering on a heatwave. The TV has a decent selection of freeview channels as well as an on-demand movie service which I thought was fairly reasonable at £6.99 for a recent blockbuster. The TV was a flat screen which made a nice change from the old fuzzy CRT boxes you often get in hotels. The other facilities were pretty standard, a cheap hairdryer, a trouser press, a tea and coffee tray and for some reason, 2 phones within about 3 feet of each other.

The bathroom was a similar feel to the bedroom, good enough but nothing to get excited about. The sink area was spacious and clean, the towels were freshly washed although a bit scratchy, some fabric conditioner wouldn't have gone amiss! The bath was a bit too small to really enjoy a bath in it and the water pressure in the shower was a bit low which made it hard to get all the conditioner out of my hair. The water temperature was consistent and easy to adjust though.

Breakfast was included in my stay, and was served between 7 and 9.30am on weekdays, later on weekends. It was a very familiar buffet setup with the traditional English options of sausages, bacon, eggs etc. along with cereals, fruit and some more european cooked meat and cheese choices. I don't usually think much of hotel breakfasts so I was pleasantly surprised by how nice everything was. It was a great way to start a busy day.

There are five floors, and two lifts. The lifts aren't terribly roomy and probably only fit about 4 or 5 people in, or only 2 or 3 if they have luggage. The lifts get quite busy around breakfast time and you might end up watching a few pass you by already full before you get on one, so if you're able to it might be easier to take the stairs.

The reception area was always clean, there was plenty of seating and a bar which opens in the evenings, the reception area toilets were clean and spacious. The reception staff were friendly, but not overly or irritatingly so, and competent which is the most important thing! Checking out was just as easy as checking in.