Warning: do not book the London Crown Hotel adjancent to Paddington Station. It is a fleabag and firetrap, the staff is surly, the accomodations tiny. Rooms are dingy and unkempt. Front doors are locked at night and as this is only exist and desk clerk is asleep in another room, in case of fire results might be dire. Cannot understand why London fire dept. allows this. I booked thorugh Hotels.com and they gave it a three star rating. I let Hotels.com know I would never book another hotel through them.

Sorry you had a bad experience - but it is very common for 1 and 2 star London hotels and B&Bs to have locked front doors at night for security reasons. And some are even locked during the day. Residents will be issued keys when they check in -- and the doors will always open from the inside.

(interesting that this is your first ever post)

Am not sure why janis is highlighting ther fact that this is your first post, or how she even knew that (like is anyone counting????) but thanks for this information. Too bad you didn't notify the fire department about this.

Janis, you are full of bull. No keys were given and the door would not open from the inside. This place is a firetrap. who makes you an expert and what difference does it make if it is my first post or not. Thanks Singletail, I am going to notify the London fire department and take other means to notify people about this doghouse. Once again Janis, I wish you could be locked in this crappy hotel for a week or so. I put my dog in a kennel while I was gone and the kennel was much nicer.

First take a DEEP breath. You lived.

Now, I would calmly write hotels.com and request a refund clearly explaining why the room is not a 3 star.

Personally, having stayed in that area once I saw that a lot of the hotels were just a little to "shabby" for my taste, but they fill a need.

How much did Hotels.com charge you for this adventure?

The reason this thread sounds fishy is that EVERY hotel/hostel/residence hall in London (that sleeps 6 or more people) must have a fire safety certificate issued by the London Fire Brigade - and require doors to open from the inside.

(BTW - if you are ever curious about someone's posting history simply click on their name. The reason I mentioned this was johncgoolrick's first ever post - now 2nd ever - was it just seems odd that someone who had never logged on or posted decides to do so just to slam a hotel.)

Sometimes a first-time poster may not be a troll just because the comments are highly negative.

i AM WRITING THE LONDON FIRE BRIGADE TO TELL THEM THAT IF A FIRE BROKE OUT AFTER THE DOORS WERE LOCKED AT LONDON CROWN, UNLESS THE CLERK ASLEEP IN A NEARBY ROOM UNLOCKED THE DOOR, THERE WOULD BE NO WAY OUT. i HAVE STAYED IN SOME VERY NICE INEXPENSIVE LONDON HOTELS IN THE PAST. I WANTED TO BE NEAR PADDINGTON STATION AND HOTELS.COM GAVE LONDON CROWN A THREE STAR RATING AND CALLED IT A BARGAIN RATE. I HAVE COMPLAINED TO HOTELS.COM AND THEY HAVE OFFERED ME A MEASLY $50 "HOTEL DOLLARS" ON MY NEXT RESERVATION WITH THEM WHICH WOULD BE A NO REFUND RESERVATION. I NEVER INTEND TO BOOK ANYTHING WITH HOTELS.COM AGAIN AND WOULD ADVISE READERS OF THIS NOT TO DO SO. I WILL FROM NOW ON STICK WITH EXPEDIA OR ORBITZ.

AS FOR YOU JANIS, I DID NOT EVEN KNOW ABOUT THIS SITE UNTIL SOMEONE TOLD ME ABOUTIT AFTER I TOLD THEM OF MY TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE. HAVE YOU EVER VISITED THE LONDON CROWN? i DOUBT IT.

Well based on Trip Advisor reports this hotel does appear to be a disaster - although naturally I can;t comment on any fire hazard. Did you check Trip ADvisor before booking? (Always a good idea to get a little perspective vs the always rosy info on the booking sites.)

I did not check the TripAdvisor because I was not aware of it. All my past experiences with London hotels had been pleasant. I have stayed often at the Victory Services Club which is conveniently located near Marble Arch and whose staff is very pleasant. Its room are far from luxious, but adequate. I have e mailed London Fire Brigade about dangerous practices at London Crown and am also mailing them. I am very happy now to know about Trip Advisory, although they have not yet posted my comments o n this hotel.

John, comments that you write on tripadvisor.com takes a few days to be posted.

The 2 star hotel we used in London you had to be buzzed in through an intercom at any hour of the day. During the day the door could be opened from the inside, but I have to confess I never checked to see if this was the case during the nighttime hours.

There have been fire disasters even in places where the establishment was supposedly inspected ( I think it was the MGM Grand in --Las Vegas? Los Angeles? which had a disaster some years ago). This seems to indicate that being aware of escape routes is always a good idea, even in upscale hotels.

Sue....being buzzed in by the day is fine...however, it is something else when the only exits are locked at night and cannot be opened unless you wake up a guy sleeping in his clothes in a room adjacent to the frontdesk.....what good does it do to plan a fire exit if the only exit is going to be located. Are you supposed to jump out of the windows. You do not seem very bright.

OK, please calm down..! Sometimes we all have bad, even horrible, experiences but at this rate the thing that's going to kill you will be a stroke - and not a fire in a dodgy London hotel!

Thank you for letting people know - that is what this site is for, after all - but do please relax a bit.. Think of your experience as being part of life's rich tapestry...and just don't go there again.

John

I was seeking points of agreement with your post. Part of planning a route of escape would of course take into consideration such matters as to whether the door can be opened or whether managerial assistance would be readily available.

As to your perception of my intelligence, this really has no bearing on designing an effective solution to the problem you have raised. If you truly consider fire a problem worth discussing, I suggest you stick to the point and avoid indulging yourself by making personal remarks that will succeed only in getting the thread pulled.

sorry, Sue and Tallulah, I don't like to be ripped off I am appalled that all the major travel websites, Hotels.com,
Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz give this hotel a three star rating. When I asked Expedia about it, they said in effect they give whatever ratings they get from some service. I am contacting traveleditors of such major Americanpapers as N.Y. Times and Washington Post suggesting a story on phony rating system. Sorry Sue, did not mean to insult you but if there is only one way out of a hotel that is a firetrap (see Travel Advisor for other comments on this hotel) then people should expect exit doors to be unlocked or capable of being opened from the inside.

As a result of my sorry experience at the London Crown hotel, I am contemplating a class action suit against Hotels.com. This agency told me that they did not do the ratings (London Crown, incredibly, had a three star rating when it does not deserve even one). Yet Hotels.com is running TV commercials showing their people inspecting rooms, swimming pools, etc. If you have had a bad experience withHotels.com and would like to join the suit at no cost to you, give me your name and mailing address. You might be able to recoup the cost of your entire trip (and for everyone who went on it) including air fare, hotel room, etc. [email protected]

You think?

Sorry, John, my only experience with Hotels.com was fine. The New Frontier in Las Vegas was exactly as advertised.

Has the London Fire Brigade closed the Crown yet? I note that Tripadvisor.com has yet to post your report -- odd, they normally do it within 48 hours.

Trip Advisor refused to use my comments. They probably own that rathole, the Crown in London. Anyway glad Hotels.com treated you okay. I would never book with them again.