Opinion of Best Western Paddington Court Hotel
Nov 1st, 2003, 08:37 PM
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Opinion of Best Western Paddington Court Hotel
If you have actually stayed in the Best Western Paddington Court Hotel, please tell me about your experience. How were the rooms?
How is the area around the hotel?
How is the area around the hotel?
Nov 2nd, 2003, 05:22 AM
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In approximately 1.5 weeks, I will post a report on this place, as I've been booked there for a 5 night stay.
In the meantime, check out www.tripadvisor.com for reviews if you haven't already. I'm curious if it's as bad as the reviews state.
In the meantime, check out www.tripadvisor.com for reviews if you haven't already. I'm curious if it's as bad as the reviews state.
Nov 2nd, 2003, 08:06 AM
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I stayed here twice 2 years ago. For the first part of my visit, I was there for 3 nights, then switched to a different hotel for 4 nights, and then back to the Best Western for my last 2 nights. I booked my room thru laterooms.com and was able to book a 4 star hotel for 45 pounds during the middle of the trip for 4 nights, while for the first 3 and last 2 nights I opted for the Best Western. I paid 40 pounds per night for a single, ensuite with breakfast and VAT.
The hotel is a bunch of converted row houses on a side street close to Hyde Park. My first room was a small, single room with single bed, desk, armoir, TV, and bath room. My second room was a twin room with 2 beds, so it was a slightly larger room. The beds in both rooms were firm and comfortable, and the bathrooms were real, separate rooms, not those pre-fab jobs that they drop into the corner of the room. The rooms were clean and I felt safe in the area. There is a small reception area, a "waiting room/lounge", and the breakfast room was downstairs. I remember the breakfast was serve yourself with cereals, breads, fruits, yoghurt, etc. It was not a full english breakfast, but I always had enough coffee and pleanty to eat.
I don't remember any problems---it was about what I expected for a Best Western 3 star hotel. I took the Heathrow Express train into Paddington Station and then walked from there. Paddington was about 4 blocks away, so it's a do-able walk, but I do remember having a hard time finding the street that the hotel was on. I suggest you make sure you have a good map with you. Also I believe the Lancaster Gate Tube stop was closer to the hotel then Paddington Station was.
I'll consider this hotel for my next trip to London. As I said, I paid 40 pounds a night (for a single) and this was a steal at that price; if you're paying more than 55 pounds, I'd do some comparison shopping before committing.
Let me know if you have any additional questions.
The hotel is a bunch of converted row houses on a side street close to Hyde Park. My first room was a small, single room with single bed, desk, armoir, TV, and bath room. My second room was a twin room with 2 beds, so it was a slightly larger room. The beds in both rooms were firm and comfortable, and the bathrooms were real, separate rooms, not those pre-fab jobs that they drop into the corner of the room. The rooms were clean and I felt safe in the area. There is a small reception area, a "waiting room/lounge", and the breakfast room was downstairs. I remember the breakfast was serve yourself with cereals, breads, fruits, yoghurt, etc. It was not a full english breakfast, but I always had enough coffee and pleanty to eat.
I don't remember any problems---it was about what I expected for a Best Western 3 star hotel. I took the Heathrow Express train into Paddington Station and then walked from there. Paddington was about 4 blocks away, so it's a do-able walk, but I do remember having a hard time finding the street that the hotel was on. I suggest you make sure you have a good map with you. Also I believe the Lancaster Gate Tube stop was closer to the hotel then Paddington Station was.
I'll consider this hotel for my next trip to London. As I said, I paid 40 pounds a night (for a single) and this was a steal at that price; if you're paying more than 55 pounds, I'd do some comparison shopping before committing.
Let me know if you have any additional questions.
Nov 2nd, 2003, 08:33 AM
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Stayed two nights last year. It is "what you pay for." Baths were ok, and the beds fair. Very, very used and in need of a redo in my opinion. We upgrated to a suite across the street for an extra 10 pounds and it was very nice, clean and modern. Personnally I would not stay again but it served the purpose. Having stayed at several different places in London over the years, it is much the same within the price range.
Nov 13th, 2003, 11:12 AM
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Just returned from our trip, and thought the BW Paddington Court was okay. I'd probably give it a B minus for an overall grade. We paid around $1000 for three people over 5 nights.
The pictures that I saw don't really misrepresent this hotel, but the rooms are smaller in person than what you're hoping for online. We did not stay on the "Suites" side of the street, but in the main building. There wasn't much space to move around in the rooms, but strangely enough there was lots of drawer space (a dresser at the foot of the beds, plus 3 nightstands with 3 drawers each).
Did have a closet-sized separate bathroom, with a tiny shower. No stall, just a 2'x 2' "enclosure" on the ground with a flimsy shower curtain which invariable wrapped around you while showering. Always ended up with loads of water on the bathroom floor. If they could only make the built-up portion of the shower stall on the floor taller than four inches, the water might not get all over the place.
Another strange practice: we came back from sightseeing one evening, and the shower curtain was AWOL. They left a nice note saying that it was time to clean the shower curtains, so they took every curtain in the hotel and washed them en masse. I know this because some in our group had another room, and they got the same letter. Consequently the floors were drenched the next morning.
Both room and bathroom were clean (perhaps from the above continual drenching?), although the beds (or the floors) sloped a bit, i.e. I had the bed closest to the window and I felt like I was "leaning" to the right all the time (certainly not enough to fall out of bed though!). I compared the beds to those I used to jump on as kids at my grandmother's house. Very springy!
As it's in renovated townhouses,the floors are very creaky, with the manager actually calling up one night to say he had complaints that we were walking around too much at midnight while packing for departure the next morning!! I still have to laugh at this one, because I've never been called on the carpet for walking too much in a hotel, LOL!
Breakfast was strictly continental, although the bread and croissants were good and filling. There was also dry cereal with milk available, as well as orange and apple juice, and coffee. For extra pounds, one could order an "English" breakfast, although I saw no one doing this.
The staff all spoke accented English, and were from various countries in both Western and Eastern Europe. All were nice, but reserved in demeanor. Can't fault them for anything, as they responded to all our requests (in person that is...I never could get anyone from reception to answer the phone, even for wake up calls).
I rather liked leaving the key at the desk, since I didn't have to keep up with it while out sightseeing. There certainly wasn't a Key Policeman at the door if you chose to take it with you, though. It was a further walk to Paddington Station than I thought, and like the above poster, discovered that the Lancaster Gate Station was a bit closer. Alas, old habits die hard, as we usually trekked to Paddington anyway, since there were lots of little shops and groceries that direction.
Not a bad place, but if we hadn't had two separate groups staying in the same place, I would have tried Priceline.com for a better room for that kind of money.
The pictures that I saw don't really misrepresent this hotel, but the rooms are smaller in person than what you're hoping for online. We did not stay on the "Suites" side of the street, but in the main building. There wasn't much space to move around in the rooms, but strangely enough there was lots of drawer space (a dresser at the foot of the beds, plus 3 nightstands with 3 drawers each).
Did have a closet-sized separate bathroom, with a tiny shower. No stall, just a 2'x 2' "enclosure" on the ground with a flimsy shower curtain which invariable wrapped around you while showering. Always ended up with loads of water on the bathroom floor. If they could only make the built-up portion of the shower stall on the floor taller than four inches, the water might not get all over the place.
Another strange practice: we came back from sightseeing one evening, and the shower curtain was AWOL. They left a nice note saying that it was time to clean the shower curtains, so they took every curtain in the hotel and washed them en masse. I know this because some in our group had another room, and they got the same letter. Consequently the floors were drenched the next morning.
Both room and bathroom were clean (perhaps from the above continual drenching?), although the beds (or the floors) sloped a bit, i.e. I had the bed closest to the window and I felt like I was "leaning" to the right all the time (certainly not enough to fall out of bed though!). I compared the beds to those I used to jump on as kids at my grandmother's house. Very springy!
As it's in renovated townhouses,the floors are very creaky, with the manager actually calling up one night to say he had complaints that we were walking around too much at midnight while packing for departure the next morning!! I still have to laugh at this one, because I've never been called on the carpet for walking too much in a hotel, LOL!
Breakfast was strictly continental, although the bread and croissants were good and filling. There was also dry cereal with milk available, as well as orange and apple juice, and coffee. For extra pounds, one could order an "English" breakfast, although I saw no one doing this.
The staff all spoke accented English, and were from various countries in both Western and Eastern Europe. All were nice, but reserved in demeanor. Can't fault them for anything, as they responded to all our requests (in person that is...I never could get anyone from reception to answer the phone, even for wake up calls).
I rather liked leaving the key at the desk, since I didn't have to keep up with it while out sightseeing. There certainly wasn't a Key Policeman at the door if you chose to take it with you, though. It was a further walk to Paddington Station than I thought, and like the above poster, discovered that the Lancaster Gate Station was a bit closer. Alas, old habits die hard, as we usually trekked to Paddington anyway, since there were lots of little shops and groceries that direction.
Not a bad place, but if we hadn't had two separate groups staying in the same place, I would have tried Priceline.com for a better room for that kind of money.
Nov 13th, 2003, 12:27 PM
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I must admit your description turns me off. It sounds too much like the Queens Hotel in Ennis, Ireland where everything was tiny. Those bathrooms sound like a fright.
Contrary to some of the descriptions I have read on Travel Talk, all European hotel rooms are not matchbox size.
The Hotel Carlton Opera in Vienna and the Astoria in Munich are two notable exceptions. I never read much about the Carlton Opera, but it was a moderate sized room, good bathroom, the windows were double, and it was air conditioned.
Our room at the Astoria was actually quite spacious, especially when you compare it to what you describe.
Contrary to some of the descriptions I have read on Travel Talk, all European hotel rooms are not matchbox size.
The Hotel Carlton Opera in Vienna and the Astoria in Munich are two notable exceptions. I never read much about the Carlton Opera, but it was a moderate sized room, good bathroom, the windows were double, and it was air conditioned.
Our room at the Astoria was actually quite spacious, especially when you compare it to what you describe.
