Is this the only hotel that charges £8 [per person]to use the swimming pool! There is one front manager who is quite arrogant and is incapable of making any real decision but prefer to let customer 'sweat it out' yes, it was a double booking and he was going to charge my account twice. unbelievable! Avoid this hotel you won't regret it.

When a mistake was made with our booking due to an error by their staff they initially told us that the problem would be dealt with, then told us they didn't have a room for us. They became offended when we (understandable) got upset at their inconsistency. AVOID THIS HOTEL. Their appalling customer service made what should have been a plesant trip into a nightmare.

On arrival we were allocated a tiny room that in m opion would be consodered small if classed as single.Paying for an upgrade to what we were told was 'The best in the House'we were moved to a room without space to move around the double bed. Returning to thr room at 11pm the fridge was making a noise like a car alarm.After two telephone calls to the front desk and two visits the fridge was finally removed at midnight. At breaklfast the food was cold yet the glasses for the fruit juice were almost too hot to touch.Verbal and written complaint to the desk got no response.Aletter to the on our return home did not receive a reply.This is the first hotel I have stayed in where I have been charged a fee to use the swimming pool.London does not deserve to have a tourist trade if this is an example of way visitors are treated.The note gives only a brief overview of the lack of care we experienced on our long weekend at this hotel.

* Room was incredibly small and not exactly clean * the carpet was stained with what looked like coffee * the bathroom floors and walls had "hair" on from the moment we entered the room * sink was totally inadequate, it was as small as airplane's sinks * room was a smoking room but I didn't expect it to smell so bad (stale smoke smell when we moved in) * towels small and worn out * TV only had national channels, no satellite. I would expect sat news chanels at least * various magazines left in the room, clearly second hand, they were stained with coffee rings and some pages stuck together (thankfully from the coffee rings) * service at the restaurant was a total joke, we were left in the dining room without any waiter or staff for at least 30 minutes. Food was ordinary and overpriced * breakfast wasn't included within the rate, fair enough, but charging nearly £40 for two english breakfasts (especially when it's not buffet and there's no chance of having a second helping) is ridiculous * gym was adequate and so was the swimming pool and sauna, however the jacuzzi did not work * concierge not exactly helpful * reception not helpful

I slept 3 nights there. The room was really tiny and was not clean. The heating was not functioning, so I have been freezing all night. The staff did not care about the problem. We asked to change for another room and we had to pay 20 or 30 pounds more for what they called a "superior" room... This one was bigger and the heating was functioning, at least. The breakfast was disguting. I will not stay again in this hotel.

My partner, myself and 2 friends of us attended your NYE James Bond Ball on Sunday 31st December 2006. I have to say that we are very dissapointed with the organisation and the hotel. When we checked in at around 2.30pm we have been informed that the spa would be open til 9.30pm on the same day. We checked into our room, what was obviously not a double room, nor a non smoking as we booked it. I worked for over 10 years in different 4 and 5 star hotels in Europe and I can say I know what a single or double room looks like. Anyway, when we called reception we asked for another room, the lady apologzied to us but told us that this is a standard double room and they are fully booked so they are not able to move us. We then asked for second set of towels and blanket, because it was only provided for 1 person, she promise us to deliver it to the room, but it never arrived. Needless to say that I hadn't had much sleep. We went out to get something to eat and came back to use the spa, only to find it closed at 4pm! My friends were in the same situation with the room size and also only one set of blanket and towels. The second set never arrived! At around 20.30 we were on our way to the party, we try to get it in but we were told we have to get our tickets first from the reception!!???? Why haven't they been handed out at check in? We had to queue for about 20 min., then we had to queue again for security checks(fair enough!). By the time we made our way to the complimentary chamapagne reception it was just after 9pm! Another big queue! Why not have 2 champagne receptions and prepare everything in advance? We never received our complimentary champagne, as there were not enough glasses nor champagne, unless we wanted to wait for another 30 min. So we went to one of the many bars just to find out that the lady was on her own at the bar and it took another 10 min to get our drinks. She also was not able to give us our correct change as the till was not working/open??? By the time we were able to enjoy the party it was almost after 10pm. We have never seen any canapes, only empty trays passing us! But then they gave us the choice of a finger buffet for £10, what was overpriced for not very appetizing food! Each of the bars were only occupied by 1 ore 2 person of staff.What is not enough for this kind of party, most of your staff could not understand english very well and were certainly not trained very well. The only good thing i can say about that evening where the people trying to have some fun and the DJ's music! Breakfast next morning was as bad as the evening, another queue..... The poor lady who escorted the people to their tables was on her own to sign in and escort!! Why not have a second person who can sign or escort?? We were really looking forward to this night, but we were just being dissapointed by this poor service and organisation.

2.30 in the morning, and there's another guest standing in my wife's room! Panicky phone call to reception. Lightning response, it must be said. His keycard wrongly programmed - with wrong room number! She won't be staying there again in a hurry. Awful breakfast (fine if you like frozen croissants) and abismally trained young staff. Earlier this year given a smoking room despite printed reservation. No hot water in the entire wing, although all the staff seem to know this. Again, pathetic response from overwhelmingly undertrained employee, along the lines of "it's no problem, like it's no problem, I'll send you a bottle of wine, no problem like", needless to say it never arrived. Avoid.

We specifically asked for a non smoking room, got to the hotel early and the room wasn't ready. When we returned from the theatre, our room had be reallocated to someone else and we had the grottiest, smelliest room in the hotel. It reeked of old smoke and the bathroom door would not open properly. Needless to say they couldnt move us but why give our room away in the first place. Won't be going back there. No non-smoking areas to sit either

The hotel was close to High Street Kensington, but it was not a very convenient station. We don't have many Circle Line services, so we had to wait at least for 15 minutes every time we took a train. Our first impression of the hotel was that the it was a big hotel, not clean, and that the staff were very young. I felt that there were some staff who were not trained well enough to serve in the polite way we usually expect from hotel clerks. Nobody came out to carry our luggage. We were given two card keys, but they often didn't work. The room was OK, but very tiny. One good thing was that it had a fridge, though it often made strange beep sounds that annoyed us at midnight. The beds moved very easily probably for easy cleaning. One of the beds had a big hollow at the centre and was very uncomfortable. I had a backache at the end of my stay. One of the biggest reasons we chose this hotel was that it offers internet access service in every room. Though the hotel had not answered my question via e-mail whether they had "fast" internet access service or not, we finally decided to stay there because one staff wrote to me saying that the voucher for 24-hour access was available for 15 pounds. We thought it quite reasonable, and actually bought one. We used the internet for an hour on the first night (which turned out to be very very slow!!!), didn't use it on the next day, and tried to use it again on the following day. What we found then was that the voucher was already expired. I asked the reception and was informed for the first time that we have to use the internet continuouslly for 24 hours!!! Nobody had told us about that, so I complained to some of the hotel staff that they must offer us more information about the voucher (which just says, "24 hours") beforehand. But they didn't accept my complaint. One black guy even told me that the fault was mine because the voucher clearly said, "24 hours." But who would take it literally? Who would use the internet for 24 hours continuously? He also said that the internet service is offered in the same style at every hotel and every internet cafe in the UK, which is obviously a lie. The way this guy talked to me was so rude that I even forgot for a moment that I was talking with a hotel clerk. Finally I was compelled to give up and leave the reception. But still unable to consent to the black guy's explanations, I went to the reception again. This time I was advised to visit there again on the following day and talk to another staff who might solve the problem. It turned out then for the first time that when I bought the voucher the staff at the reception forgot to give me necessary information about the voucher. The voucher had already caused some misunderstandings among customers, so the staff had usually explained that the voucher is for a continous use. I wonder what would have happened if I hadn't returned to the reception. On the following morning I went to the reception, talked to a lady staff, who understood my situation and gave me a new 24-hour voucher. To tell the truth, we had only one more day to stay, and didn't need one at all. We weren't satisfied with the hotel from the beginning, but this event made us decide to change it. We chose Country Inn, which is quite close to Cloucester Road. This station is more convenient than High Street Kensington. It is located very close to Sainsbury's which is open 24 hours. The staff at the reception is a well experienced gentleman, and young staff help you carry your stuff. It offers wireless internet access service in every room, and you don't need to use the internet continuously. What was disappoinging was that you can't log in to Gmail possibly because of firewall. When I told the reception about that, a man came to solve the problem. Though the problem wasn't solved, I felt a very sincere attitude of the hotel. What's more, this hotel is much cheaper than Kensington Close Hotel. I will never choose Kensington Close again. You will waste your money!

Simply one of the best stays i have had for along time in London... Well done to all the staff at the Kensington Close 10/10