Mercure Londres Kensington 1A Lexham Gardens, London W8 5JJ

"HORROR HOTEL I stayed over 4 weeks ago at the Mercure hotel, located at Lexham Gardens, Kensington. I was booked in for a short stay only as I had a family matter to attend before I head back home for another long journey. I have to be honest and say I'm glad I only stayed one night. I thought I was  being set up at this hotel, like I was on an episode of "MTV's punked" the hotel on the exterior looked great, the interior? Was terrible. Upon checking in I was actually trying to lift up the signs of "mercure" to see if it was a low budget hotel pretending to  be mercure. The female at the receptionist told me "you must leave a 50 pounds deposit" I asked "why is this if I paid for my room already!" Her response was "There are some people who visit who look like they cannot afford the hotel, so for our security we take a deposit and return it to your card in 2 days!" Its been over 4 weeks later, I have recieved no refund after several calls, several emails to Lisa Kearney and head office! At the time I was so shocked, exhausted and tired that I paid  the deposit with no issues. I'm a well kept business man of black origin. I have stayed in Mercure and even many 5 star Hotels all over the world and have never been stereotyped or prejudged  in that manner. More points about the stay: I asked for no room service and returned for my wedding ring to have dissapeared My bed had broken springs, every move was painful, springs digging into my back. The bed was filled with dog hairs The hotel was very dingy, hollow and unclean staff members were outside drinking green tea, having fun and not interested in working or dealing with customer issues, it is highly unprofessional  being at the hotel and the staff members are at the main entrance  having a party! Wheres the professionalism? I tried to talk to two members who shrugged their shoulders and said "write to management " I have never experienced such low level of customer service. Unfortunately for me my experience at your hotel is the worst that I can remember in the years of travelling throughout the UK and abroad. I had my sleep so rudely interrupted, until 6AM and randomly so, by barking dogs and drunken guests, gueys shouting, loud traffic, ventilation and plumbing issue noises. To add insult to injury further the bed in the suite was also one of the worst that I have experienced at any hotel I have stayed in. The springs were extremely uncomfortable and noisy! I couldn't even stretch without the bed making  noise? last but not least the room was cold, unpleasant and hollow. Consistent bumps and banging noises throughout the night ensured I didn't get much sleep, infact not even an hours rest. I have never been charged for "insurance" in that manner, I was only told when I checked in about this extra £50 charge! The receptionist informed me it will be refunded into my account once "the room has been reviewed after I check out". I will be requiring full reimbursement of this charge and I also request a refund/reimbursement for my terrible,  uncomfortable stay. I am still in utter shock by this experience This hotel needs to be revamped, remodernised, updated and refreshed and the policy of dogs being able to sleep in the beds absolutely reviewed. The cleaning standards were most certainly not good enough for this pandemic we have in the world currently, I had to clean the room throughout before attempting to rest. I have Emailed Lisa Kearnley 3 times who is supposed to be the manager and I have been met with no response!"

"The hotel is very tired. Downstairs looks like a 4 star pleasing but when we come out of the lift instantly 2-3 star hotel. The doors and floors were outdated. The room was tiny. I'm not sure why the guest is paying different amounts of deposits. I paid £20. Damage deposit for what..when everything was old out. No electrics by the bed. Just in the wrong places. The walls were poorly stained—hair in my bed and bathroom. No menu. They told me the menu over the phone. The tv had primary channels that couldn't go onto Netflix despite there being a button. The walls are so thin so you can hear someone entire conversation and laughter. This place is a 3-star hotel. The hotel will be closed for some time. Let's hope it can be revamped to its full potential. Right now, I wouldn't stay again."

"Friendly and helpful staff - very accommodating. Standard breakfast included which was positively received. In my opinion, the rooms were rough around the edges and a little tired and weren’t cleaned to my standard of cleanliness. Overall, you get what you pay for."

"We had a two night stay here. We arrived early from Heathrow and hoped for early check in and emailed in advance, but it wasn’t available when we arrived at ~6:30am, but I realise that’s extra early! My partner’s gold membership allows us to early check in from 10am, but we were told to come at 12noon. We were able to leave our bags. There was no shower facilities, which was a shame as we’d come from Australia and felt a bit smelly! We were able to change in some bathrooms though. When we came back to check in, we did get an upgrade from our original booking which is nice, though not sure exactly what to. The reception staff were all very friendly. The bed was very big and comfy and we slept well. In the fridge there was complimentary water which was a nice touch. We were on the 6th floor and it was quiet. The elevator is just large enough for two people and two suitcases. The room was rather compact and it showed some signs of age/wear and tear, particularly the bathroom. The shower is over a bath, and relies on a shower curtain which was white but had an unpleasant stain. The side of the toilet you can see from the shower had a big water stain. One day we were given a hand towel with two holes. When they cleaned our room, they forgot to give us more shampoo, but I managed to catch the cleaner in the corridor. So, whilst it didn’t feel very luxurious, it was functional. I don’t think it’s a four star, but a 3 star hotel. The location of the hotel is good and we walked easily to the tube and quickly got around. We chose not to have breakfast at the hotel (it’s not free as google maps says) and found some cute cafes in the area such as Muffin Man which was very English!"

"Absolutely superb, I can't find a fault at all. The rooms are a tad small but who needs a huge amount of room in a hotel room anyway? Everything is fit perfectly into the room with all the facilities you'd expect of a hotel room with the added bonus of a bath AND shower - something I was very pleased about! The bed is probably the comfiest bed I have ever slept on and the view from our room is brilliant. The staff are excellent, very friendly and very helpful. I cannot recommend it highly enough."