gg

The rants and raves on this hotel go from 1.2 to 5. The comments range from awful to fabulous. Which is true?

Lynn

I'll let you know in December. I'm booked there for six nights. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I read the rants and raves too!

kam

Part of the problem might be that there are two hotels: The London Elizabeth and the Elizabeth Hotel. London Elizabeth is near Hyde Park and I've always felt good about recommending it. Friends have stayed and say it a mark above others in that area. The Elizabeth Hotel is near Chelsea and consistently gets poor marks. Hope this help.

gg

Thanks Lynn, I will look forward to hearing from you when you return. I wonder if the room quality depends on the type of room booked. We will be staying in a twin delux.<BR>Kam, some of the negative reviews were definitely about the London Elizabeth and not the Elizabeth.

keith

I too have wondered about the huge difference of opinion at this hotel.<BR>When I called there 800# last year they seemed real friendly and even told me to check out Fodors for reviews.I did notice that in Fodors London 2003 it is not listed anymore.<BR>They always have a great rate in the winter when they offer the rooms at the same rate in dollars as they go for in pounds.<BR>I will look forward to the 1st hand reviews from people on this forum.

ga

gg<BR>I think what Kam is referring to is that some people get the 2 hotels mixed up and that is why the mixed reviews.<BR>

Lynn

Just back yesterday from 6 nights at the London Elizabeth Hotel and, as promised, here is my opinion on this hotel. I have been in London three times before this trip, and have stayed in a variety of hotel types. The rate I was quoted (92 pounds) was for a twin room. When we checked in, we were told that we had been upgraded. Our room was #226, which looked charming, but turned out to be pretty inconvenient because of the bathroom situation. The bedroom has high ceilings, and is a little &quot;frayed&quot; looking (especially the carpet), but was typically English so we were happy with it. You walk up a short flight of stairs from the bedroom part to a landing, and from the landing there are two doors - one leading to a fairly large closet and the other to another staircase (down) to the bathroom. The bathroom was pretty cold and was obviously damp (peeling ceiling above the tub and above the window). The problem for us was that there was no mirror in the bedroom part, and the other mirror (other than the one in the bathroom), was in the hallway outside of the closet and bathroom. The lighting was bad in that location, and, of course, inconvenient in that everytime the other person comes out of the bathroom, the person trying to use the mirror in the hall (fixing hair, putting on makeup) has to move out of the way. Also, the light for the bathroom turns on outside the bathroom door and also turns on the hall light which shines on the bedroom. In other words, if someone gets up during the night to use the bathroom and turns on the light (pretty much a necessity), the hall light comes on as well and shines on the person remaining in bed.<BR><BR>In any event, we soon saw the next morning when trying to get ready for the day, that we needed to find another room - we didn't think we would be speaking to each other after a day or two. The people at the desk were very nice and offered us room #444. This one was much better and we were basically happy throughout our stay. <BR><BR>I think that there is probably a wide variety of types of rooms in this hotel - the decor in the two rooms that we had was very different (we liked the #444 better because it was lighter and brighter, the furniture was different, etc. This may account for the variations in the recommendations made about staying here.<BR><BR>Staff were very nice and helpful. Breakfast was ok - a continental type breakfast was included in our rate. A cooked breakfast was 4 pounds additional. Bar area was small, but cozy.<BR><BR>Tiny lift - would hold two people or one person plus luggage. Never had to wait long for the lift, however. <BR><BR>During our last evening there (December 16), a holiday party was held there for the hotel staff and they invited all hotel guests to attend. From our conversations with some of the staff, it appears that this hotel has many &quot;fans&quot; who won't stay anywhere else.<BR><BR>Hotel is very conveniently located - 5 to 7 minute walk from Paddington Station, hotel right next to Hyde Park and just steps from Lancaster Gate Underground (central line). Lots of good restaurants in the area.<BR><BR>Would be happy to answer any questions. Hope this is helpful to those who are trying to determine whether to stay at this hotel.

Nick

Lynn has summed it up well. My wife used to live in the area and checked out all the hotels for a stay there two years ago. Put my review on the rants and raves but summing up We were really happy - stayed at Greville Janner suite and saw another normal room whihc was very good. But breakfast was total crap. Bar was cosy and incredibly cheap prices (less than pub) for room service.<BR>But if you have a room overlooking the main road (with major pedestrian crossing outside) it would simply be awful. As older hotel, double glazing would be less effective and with the buses slowing right down for a stop outside the hotel, the fumes and braking noises woudl be very unpleasant. Unfortunately as a general rule, British plumbing is not exactly great and some of the complaints focus on this item, which you would find a lot of British homes suffer from.

Nick

Lynn has summed it up well. My wife used to live in the area and checked out all the hotels for a stay there two years ago. Put my review on the rants and raves but summing up We were really happy - stayed at Greville Janner suite and saw another normal room whihc was very good. But breakfast was total crap. Bar was cosy and incredibly cheap prices (less than pub) for room service.<BR>But if you have a room overlooking the main road (with major pedestrian crossing outside) it would simply be awful. As older hotel, double glazing would be less effective and with the buses slowing right down for a stop outside the hotel, the fumes and braking noises would be very unpleasant. Another thing, unfortunately as a general rule, British plumbing is not exactly great and some of the complaints focus on this item, which you would find a lot of British homes suffer from.

cl

I'm not surprised by Lynn's comments. I'm not trying to slam London hotels but each time I've visited London, I've never stayed at a hotel I was satisfied with. I've stayed at moderate and expensive hotels and find that paying more doesn't mean you get a better type of room. In comparison, I've visited Paris many times and have not been disappointed with the hotel choices there as much as in London. A couple Parisian hotel rooms were very tiny but that's about it.

gg

Lynn,<BR>Thanks for the honest review. I have found similar rates at Berners Hotel and Thistles Royal Houseguard Hotel. I think I will switch.