Russell Hotel in Russell Sq. London
 

Question for anyone who can answer this one. <BR> <BR>Has anyone stayed, heard, saw, know what is expected in the rooms and knows anything good or bad about the Hotel Russell in Rusell Sq., Bloomsbury(sp?) London? <BR> <BR>I'm going in Feb and staying there with my college class. I want to br prepared for this trip since it's my 1st time outside of the usa minus Canada. <BR> <BR>Thank you, <BR>Beatrice

I stayed there for 11 days in Feb97, it's a 3* hotel. Recently there was a thread on rec.travel.europe about this hotel in which I posted positively and some others negatively. But remember we're middle-aged and complain more:)). I booked it thru a travel agent (special rate?) for ~$80USD/night (with 1 free night) and inclusive buffet breakfast. The buffet breakfast was *the* best I've ever had in a hotel, but if it's not included it's expensive. The hotel is ~100yr old and the facade and lobby are really cool:). My room was small but with a large bathroom (tub/shower, sink, toilet, hairdryer?). Some tiles were loose and missing in the bathroom but the rooms were clean. Also in the room was an electric coffee pot with coffee/tea provided each day. The rooms have cable/satellite? TV I recall. I liked the location, the Underground (Picadilly Line) is right behind the hotel and the British Museum is just on the other side of Russell Sq. I believe there is a University nearby so I'm sure there are clubs, restaurants, pubs etc. where other young people hang-out:). The area is very safe except for the yuppies at rush hour:). HTH Regards, Walter <BR>

We were rather disappointed by the hotel since we got a tiny room for two with a very tiny bathroom. On top of that the wall paintings needed intensive refurbishment. <BR>Buffet breakfast was ok but you had to stand in line for a while, since the breakfast room was not very big. <BR>Location is fine (this was the major reason for my choice).

I fully agree with Joelle. We asked for a room with twin beds and got what we asked for but ... the room was so narrow that one of us had to step over the beds to be able to get into it. We found the hotel to be old fashioned, with wallpapers and paintings in dark colours which gave a dirty impression. <BR>Buffet breakfast was nothing special and service was slow (had to wait 15 min. for an egg). <BR>I would NOT recommend this hotel and I am sure that for the price you pay at the Russell you can find better hotels. Try the "Where to stay, where to eat" website: www.theaa.co.uk/Region9/AllHotel.html.

I have stayed at the Hotel Russell for my last 3 trips to London, with the latest being this past June, with my wife & 2 kids, for 4 nights. My other stays have been 9 nights with my wife, & another time for 7 nights with my wife & 1 kid. I would have no problems staying there again. As with a number of Hotels in Europe, they have varing sizes & types of rooms. The first time the room was small, but sufficient & comfortable, with a double bed, tv, phone etc. The triple we had was a very good size - plenty of room, & a large bathroom. When the 4 of us stayed, we had a large triple room, in which we added a roll away bed & there was still plenty of room to move around in, there was an alcove with table & chairs, there was a refrigerator, down a short hallway - within our room, was a large bathroom. Our stays there have always been enjoyable. The service very good & accomodating. We have always been able to discuss price of the room & get a good rate. The Virginia Woolf restaurant has good food & service there is usually good. Don't know about the other hotel restaurant - never ate there. The hotel doesn't have air conditioning, but you can request a fan for the room. Again, they have some good sized & comfortable rooms, but they also have smaller rooms. The location has been great for us. A couple of train stations about 5 blocks up the street. A metro station around the corner(that station is next to a good Italian restaurant & across the street from a small grocey store.) The hotel is right across the street from the stop for the A-2 bus from Heathrow. <BR>There is also another good Italian restaurant about 6 blocks up the street, with an outdoor seating area, with good food & used by the locals. I like the hotel.

Walter has the main points, and I've not been into the hotel. But I am around Russell Square a good deal, hearing public lectures in the colleges. If you'd like notes on cheap eating in the area, on student clubs, or on free public lectures please tell me. <BR> <BR>Welcome to London <BR> <BR>Ben Haines <BR> <BR> <BR>Fodors <BR> <BR>

Hi, I stayed at the Russell about 2yrs ago as part of a larger group. The location was great, they did often run out of items at the breakfast buffet, the concierge staff was not particularly helpful and the hot water coming out of the taps in the bathroom was soooo hot I could actually use it to make a cup of tea! Very safe neighborhood with good access to the underground and buses.

After reading the posts about the Russell's buffet breakfast on this forum and rec.travel.europe awhile back. It seems everyone else thought it was just OK to poor. The time I was there it was excellent, many choices in hot & cold meals, cereals, fruit, juices, breads, pastries, etc. It was in a large dining room and equal to a 5* hotel's breakfast. But it seems that this was the exception, looking back (Feb97) I remember the *majority* of guests were businessmen (conference?), which I thought odd. Perhaps the lavish breakfast buffet was to impress them so that they'd return in the future. Also I now remember that I was given a double room/bed rather than a single, so the room would have been very small for 2 people. Regards, Walter <BR>

Thank you all for the info. <BR> <BR> <BR>Walter...Question where is that thread on Russell at rec.travel.europe all I see is up to Nov 23. I can't go farther back. Is there anyway you could copy and paste the thread into an email and send it to me at [email protected] ? <BR> <BR>Thanks, <BR>Beatrice

Hi Beatrice: Go to www.deja.com/ on the right side below "Quick Search" and the search box click-on "Power Search". Now in the "Enter Keywords" box type-in russell+hotel now go down to the "Forum" box and type-in rec.travel.europe and hit "Search" and that will bring up the past posts about the Russell Hotel. Have A Wonderful Trip! Regards, Walter <BR>

The Russell is indeed in a great location. I've only walked through a few times, having lived in a UL residence hall a few blocks away, but reports from friends who have stayed there have been mixed to good. Go to the Friend at Hand immediately behind the Russell for a great English pub. If you're interested in other nearby sights, restaurants, etc., e-mail me. I lived there for a few years and return as often as possible.

Dear Beatrice, <BR> <BR>My wife and I stayed at the Russell several years ago. I'll summarize my views: <BR> <BR>Location - Good for British Museum. Fair for St. Pauls and Tower. Easy access to tube stop. <BR> <BR>Outside - Imposing. Interesting. Nice park across street. <BR> <BR>Inside - <BR>- Bars/Restauant - OK. Good breakfast -- go early. Impressive Lobby. <BR>- Rooms - Poor. Small and uncomfortable. Beds lumpy, floors squeeky. I could hear the people in the room above as they went about their business. <BR> <BR>Summary: After two days and sleepless nights I asked for a room upgrade/change at my expense. The management was indifferent to my request. Next day we moved to the Hilton on Hyde Park and really enjoyed the rest of our vacation. I would never, ever stay at the Russell again. <BR>

I stayed at the Russell back in the 1980s and made the decision if this was the best I could afford then I wouldn't go back to England. My decision, obviously, since I have been back to England and the continent more than 20 times since, has been to upgrade my choice of hotel. I don't live in a hovel here at home, so why should I stay in one and pay way too much money for the "privilege" when abroad? <BR> <BR>While the location near the tube, the British Museum and a couple of excellent Indian restaurants is a plus that is where my appreciation of the Russell stops. The pokey old fashioned elevators, antiquated 4 foot wide x 10 foot long rooms with two lousy, lumpy mattresses on the three-quarter single beds, inducing sleeplessness (at best) and back injury (at worst), wafer thin pillows, the separate hot and cold water taps, the better to burn yourself with, bathtub designed for lilliputians on slimming diets, and the overall athroom so small and dingy you could develop claustophobia were enough for me for life. I did not go to London to be depressed, and despite telling myself it was only a room and I could hack it for a week, I could not get past the fact that I hated the room every miserable minute I was in it. I finally did what another poster did and got the hell out. Better to feel good and happy where you are than to feel you are in an Edgar Allan Poe short story and the walls are closing in on you! <BR> <BR>Lanny

The thing is, the Russell is fairly typical of english hotels, especial in that area of town. We try to stay at the Tavistock, which is simple and plain, may not include breakfast,but is not as dingy as most, and is fairly modern in most respects, albeit the rooms are tiny. Don't expect Americaan standards in English hotels...they just don't have them. and the standard of service is not what we are used to either. The one we stayed at before we found the Tavisock was manned by a group of Pakistani's who barely spoke english, lost several important phone messages, the room didn't have any drinking glasses, was very noisy, no screens on windows, heating was irregular, toilets leaked, carpet was dirty, bed lumpy and curtains in rags...still, it was fairly typical of what you find in the theater district (Soho) as it is a very old part of town. Since the hotels are usually full, at least during tourist season, there is not much element of competition. try the Tavistock.

To the top for Peggy:). <BR>

Where's Dr. Abate now that we need him? It's obvious this is a hotel that cries for his superb skills in the art of hostelry and hosting.

I had to stay again at this hotel in February and I can confirm the situation has not improved. The place is now under new management and repair works are going on for some floors. This means you have to stand the noise all day long (week-ends included)...

to the top for Jodie <BR>

up for those interested

We have stayed at the Russell several times over the last 20 years, and every time except once, the rooms were large and roomy with huge bathrooms. Only once were we in a smaller room, but it was no smaller than the average American motel room. But some of the rooms needed to be refurburbished, which they are doing now. The desk clerks have always been very friendly and helpful. I think that a lot of times Americans go overseas and are surprised that the Europeans don't seem so obviously easy going and so easy to smile as we are, and sometimes this is interpreted as unfriendliness when it really isn't. We seldom have breakfast at the hotels in Europe, preferring to go out early in the morning and scout out coffee shops, so I really can't speak about the food at the Russell. Except when we DID eat breakfast there, there was always lots and lots of food. I would stay there anytime ..as long as I got a refurbished room. Can't beat the location, either.