The service lift was out of order the entire time we were there (7 days) and there is only one other lift which is so small only three people can fit in. The food in the dining room was absolutely awful ($63 for 2 people). The fruit was watery and gross. The toast was ok.. for that much money it's ridiculous. I would not recommend spending your money here at all read more

Point of View = 30's American Tourist We came to London as part of our first leg of our vacation and stayed at this property for 3 nights / 4 days. Here is a quick summary: Pros': 1.) Really Strong Air Conditioning This was great as we arrived at the hottest day on record 40C / 104 F 2.) Good Location Useful bus stop right outside the hotel, walking distance to British National Museum, and short walk to Holborn Underground Station for other locations 3.) Friendly Staff 4.) Delicious Breakfast See pics for the delicious London Breakfast Con's 1.) Room is super small This is again for American standards. It take some time to get use to but I found it its actually decently sized compared to my stay in Paris 2.) Bathroom Tub/Shower Water blocker is small You have to be really careful when you take a shower or water will splash everywhere. I looked it up at the end and found out this is common in a lot of establishments to have this "half" glass plane that blocks some of the water 3.) Sink is super low At 5' 11", the sink was situated around my knees. It required me to bend over significantly to do anything such as brushing my teeth or washing my face. 4.) Toilet / Toilet Paper Hard to Reach You literally have to bend your elbow and arm in a weird way to reach the toilet paper. Maybe it's due to the small design but did not enjoy this at all. 5.) No sound proofing You can easily hear the cars outside on the street and people in their rooms. You will get use to it after a while but just a forewarning. Overall I think I enjoyed my stay despite the con's. Once you get use to the small nature of European hotel rooms and the differences between American hotel rooms / European hotel rooms, you will be fine. read more

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We had a great stay at The Kingsley. We were on holiday for a week and I did some research before booking the right hotel. Hotel was clean, humbly elegant, and met all my expectations. The food was pretty good too. The hotel is in a great location - walking distance to the British Museum, and if you REALLY like walking, you can walk to the River Thames, London Eye, Tate Modern, Hyde Park, Chinatown, etc. Also the hotel is very close to the Underground - the Holborn station and Tottenham Court Rd station. Lots of souvenir shops, cafes, bars, and restaurants nearby. I would recommend this hotel if you plan on seeing the sights in London. The only thing I was upset about was that the cleaning staff threw away my good soap that I brought to London from New York because I hate hotel soap. Also, they didn't clean our room one day. Not sure if they forgot or whatever but we're pretty sure we had the door tag on the right side. Side note: I spent every night in the hotel watching either Law & Order: SVU or Triple D and it was great. read more

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'Nuther good one! And a reason why hotel ratings need some qualification: the Hoblorn Thistle is not a glitzy place, "just" a good, clean, comfortable city hotel of the best kind. Not "down-town" five-star, but if you value friendly and helpful staff, clean rooms and beds, a decent restaurant (even above the average British hotel breakfast, which is saying a lot!) - well, a five-star of the comfortable older hotel kind. Just steps from the British Museum (and the Museum Pub... ). Reading some Yelp review of another old British hotel, I was struck by the complaint from an American that it was old (well, yeah) and a little crazy in its layout. This latter is because so many of these hotels have been added onto over the last hundred years, and if they ramble, I think it's the rambling of a friendly old person with many stories to tell. My bathroom was clearly an add-on and a bit awkward, but it goes with the fun of the old places. Give me the old places with a bit of character every day - you can keep the glitzy I'm-too-busy-to-relax places. I'll be back, for sure. Hint: the 6th floor has wonderful, crazy-shaped rooms under the mansard, and is quiet because of its height off the street. read more

Arriving in London, you wouldn't expect speaking English would be an issue. Be prepared for a bit of frustration. Although the rooms are fairly spacious, there isn't a refrigerator in the room and the heating and cooling had you at the mercy of a "split" unit that blew cold air on our head while sleeping or over heating the room, thinking the thermostat didn't work on auto. The first night weate at the restaurant out pure desperation as most of the local places were mostly not of local fare or had a waiting line. The restaurant and bar are mediocre at best. The one saving grace is that at breakfast, you had a plethora of choices from the coffee brewer to the large selection of eggs, meats, yogurt and grains. The next day after returning from our tour none of the coffee was refilled in our room and our second entry card was taken to from the power slot to "save energy. " The last night there we left the "Help us be greener" sign on the door meaning, don't bother changing the towels, etc. We had managed to get an ice bucket two days earlier to keep some brie and chutney that was a gift from a restaurant in Scotland that I planned to bring home. We came back to the room having been cleaned, towels replaced, etc. and our ice bucket missing and sitting the hall empty, brie and chutney that was a gift, gone! The complaint I made to the manager fell on deaf ears, he made a note that things were taken from our room, I don't know what good that did. Bottom line, if you can find a comparable priced place to stay, it might be better than this hotel. read more

I stayed here in 2018. The rooms were old and a bit congested...the service was nice, but didn't like the rooms..don't know if all hotels of London are the same, because in half of that price in US, you will get 5 star deluxe room . Also forgot to mention, breakfast was too yummy....:) Editing again in 2020- Tolga Ersen, the Operations Manager here assumed that I was comparing the hotel rates to rates of hotel in "Middle East" or "Asia" according to google response whereas I clearly stated I was comparing it to hotel rates in the US where I live. read more

This hotel surprised us. The room was very spacious as well as the bathroom. The rain steam shower was the best rain shower I've ever experienced in a hotel. The hotel was also very clean. They have a restaurant, a bar, and offer 24 hour room service. I liked the area as well because it was not too touristy, but also easily accessible. The only downfall was our room was not ready for an early check in and the elevator was not working at first, so we were asked to take the stairs downstairs to the restroom. Needless to say the stairs were steep and a wheel off my suitcase broke. They probably should have offered to help us with our luggage. The hotel was great and I would definitely stay there again. read more

I spent about 2 weeks here. UCLA Travel Study. I think the name has changed. The place is called the Kingsley now. The location was pretty convenient. Everything was walking distance. Hell, everything in London is walking distance when you come from LA. The British Museum close by. I remember walking to Leicester Square and even all the way to the Southbank from here. At times, I even skateboarded (I had to bring California to London). The closest tube stop was Holborn. As for the wifi, it can be pretty expensive. There's an internet cafe and a mcdonald's close by. But if you want wifi in your room, I suggest signing up the ATT wifi. They are affiliated with BTOpen. Just go to BTOpen and login with your ATT account. I split the internet with my roommates. With the month fee and the cancellation fee, I paid about $7. read more

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I stayed here for four nights on a biz trip and have nothing but pleasant things to report. The staff was very courteous and respected my wish to have a higher floor. My king room was large and well appointed. See photos of room and view. I was surprised to have a decent view of the steeple of the church next door. The breakfast voucher is a good buy - 10 pounds gets you a hot English good quality breakfast in the dining area. There's a lounge / bar downstairs to relax in which looks great! The hotel is very close to the Holburn tube which makes it very close to soho and other great areas. I was able to walk to lots of places and loved it. My only complaint was that the shower would go scalding hot for a few seconds every few minutes. I reported this upon departure - hopefully it's addressed. read more

Thistle Holborn, The Kingsley - Hotels Near Me - London, XGL

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Selecting a Hotel in London can be difficult, there are just too many choices. In this case I relied on my travel agent who recommended the Thistle. The location is very good, the next tube station is just a 3 minutes walk away. The popular Oxford Street is also only nearby, within 5 minutes walking distance. The Hotel itself is located in a historic building, the entrance is not very big and you need to walk a couple of stairs to get to the Lobby. This you should keep in mind with heavy luggage. Still the doormen will be happy to help you with that. Checking in was quick and efficient, staff is helpful and friendly enough. There are only a couple of elevators which are not very big. You may have to wait for some minutes for them especially during breakfast and check-out time, they tend to get crowded. The double superior room we had was small with a comfortable queen size bed. If you bring big suitcases, there's not much space to put them. The bathroom only got a bathtub, no separate shower. Still it's clean with good amenities. In general the rooms are modern enough, there are enough power sockets and the flat screen TV is big enough. Free wifi reception is good throughout the Hotel, it's quick enough for surfing and receiving emails. Our rate included breakfast and at the Thistle the breakfast is very good. They have a very good coffee maker, a good selection of fresh fruits and the typical hot items for a British breakfast are very good as well. Imho good value for money for the Thistle. read more

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This place is just fine is you're traveling for work, but it's pretty pricey hotel for what you get, so not sure I would pay the $350 (USD) a night rate if I were staying here on my own dime. I also booked the hotel a week or so before going to London, so it was probably more expensive than it normally is. The rooms look relatively renovated and modern, and even though the room was slightly on the smaller side, everything was nice and clean. The shower was nice and modern (there was no tub), and the bathroom was not tiny like some other European hotels. The WiFi worked well and didn't go in and out, but for paying $300-something dollars a night, I would have expected there to be free breakfast or something. This is about a 10 min walk from the Holburn Station, and about a 10 min walk to Covent Garden and West End. It's pretty centrally located which is nice, and the area is well-lit and trafficked. I'd stay here again if I came for business -- it's a pretty basic hotel with everything that you need, and the location is great. read more

Thistle Holborn, The Kingsley - Hotels Near Me - London, XGL

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To celebrate my boyfriend's birthday, we spent a Saturday night at The Kingsley Hotel in Holborn. We were actually staying in one of their eleven junior suites. The entrance to the hotel immediately set my sights high, with plush interiors, luxurious baulstrades and high ceilings in the foyer. Not far off the size of some London studio flats I've seen, our suite was pretty impressive. With one side of the room a living area featuring a sofa and TV, and the other a bedroom area with a huge king size bed, the room had tons of space that made me wish we were spending more than a night there! There were two TVs in the room, one in front of the sofa and one in the sleeping area, meaning we could (and did) watch telly both sat down and in bed. As if the fantastic, well-decorated space and huge comfy bed wasn't enough, the bathroom was genuinely the size of my living room at home - and included a bath AND seperate shower cubicle! The staff at the hotel were absolutely incredible, helpful and friendly and really going as far as they could to offer amazing customer service. As well as leaving a handwritten card and branded chocolates in the room, upon arrival, I was casually chatting with the receptionist and mentioned we were celebrating a birthday. Twenty minutes later, there was a knock at the door - the concierge arrived with a piece of chocolate cake, drizzled with a berry compote, plate adorned with 'Happy Birthday', and two glasses of champagne. The fact that we hadn't even mentioned the birthday before our stay shows just how willing the staff are to offer amazing customer service - and the cake was absolutely delicious! The hotel has such a great setting - right in the centre of tons of restaurants, shops and not far from the West End. We popped out for dinner around the corner, but didn't actually want to leave the suite much as it was just too amazing to not spend nearly all our time there. There were lots of lovely touches to the room too - from the water on the table and ice bucket to the impossibly cosy Thistle robes nestled away in the wardrobe - I pretty much spent the entire stay in mine! Our stay at The Kingsley was absolutely lovely - normally, we wouldn't be able to afford such luxurious hotel surroundings but for a special occasion, it was lovely to have such a luxurious time. However, if you're out and about in the city and you book to stay here, a word of warning - you definitely won't want to leave your room! read more

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Very friendly staff during the whole stay. On paper we could only check in after 2PM, but we arrived at 10AM and immediately got a room. The breakfast buffet is really worthwhile, especially with the voucher (10£). Our room (see photos) was very comfortable and equipped with all the things we needed (safe, iron, flat tv, hairdryer, towel heater, ...). We chose for a double single bedded room, in which we connected both beds to each other since a double bed hasn't got a lot of space for two persons. We even got free cocktails from a bartender on trial. We definitely would recommend this hotel to everyone who is looking for an unforgettable place in London and we would love to return when we are going back! read more

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The Thistle Holborn is in a great central location and six different buses stop right in front. The beds were comfy and the rooms clean. Also free coffee down in the restaurant in the AM. Staff was always accommodating. read more

Thistle Holborn, The Kingsley - The Thistle Holborn - Hotels Near Me - London, XGL

Our stay at this hotel was just disappointment after disappointment. We first were told our room wouldn't be ready on time after a long day of travelling. We then checked in to the room. The room we were given required us to go up stairs, down a hallway DOWN a different staircase and along another call. The carpets were dusty and dirty. We got to our room to find a cracked ceiling, no mini fridge and hair in the drains. The curtains were sown together at the top so they couldn't open full. The sheets were stained and the room was tiny. There was a vacuum/hoover left in front of our door for the majority of our stay. And to top it off, a cleaner walked into the room while I was changing without knocking. Then we come to leave. We call the front desk for assistance with our luggage since there are so many stairs involved with getting to the lobby only to be told there was no one to help with bags. When I told the manger all of this, she apologised but did nothing. Very substandard for the price, especially considering it's supposed to be a 4 star hotel. read more

I will admit, the location is GREAT - everything else however, leaves much to be desired. 1. Upon arrival, I requested a package of important legal paperwork that had been left for me and three people assured me that it was not there and had never been left for me. I had to go to my meetings unprepared, but confirmed that the package was indeed left for me. On day two, the front desk person admitted that it was hanging right behind them with my name on it the entire time. 2. Upon entering my room, it was not made. Bedding was piled in the corner, there was no comforter and pillows were on the side chairs. 3. I had no heat...for EIGHT days. The unit (which is a wall unit over the door - there is no central setting) - blew out cold air conditioning in the peak of winter. Upon noticing, I requested a tech to come up and he said he would need to go to the roof to inspect the machine and sort it out. They gave me a mobile heater that didn't work, so I called down to request another one and they brought two up that worked, but barely warmed the room. Each day, I inquired about when I would have heat (in person every morning and every night) in addition to emailing the desk. Throughout my ENTIRE stay, no one was able to get the heat working and I was freezing day and night. 4. DIRTY TOWELS. For four days, the cleaning staff would pick up my towels from the floor (wet washcloth with make up on it included), fold them and put them back hanging or folded). Everyday, I would place them back on the floor or in the tub and everyday the dirty towels were re-hung. Finally, I went down to the desk on the fourth day and asked if it was their policy to not refresh towels, she assured me that it was and from then on my towels were refreshed (but I was never given any wash-cloths). 5. I stayed 5 days on a work reservation and 2 days on a personal reservation. On the last day, I finally had time for breakfast and was told that it wasn't included. I checked with the desk and confirmed that it was indeed included for the first 5 days, but not the last two. I shared that I hadn't had breakfast the first five days and requested that in light of that and all of the problems with my stay, could I please eat breakfast now. I was told "no" and that there was "simply no was to make the accommodation". At this point, I was DONE being nice, so I nicely explained to the lady items 1-4 and magically she pulled out two vouchers for breakfast and handed them to me (funny how it was all of the sudden "possible")! This hotel is a DISASTER, the worst service I've ever ever received - in my entire life. These people looked me in the face and promised to look into the issues and simply did nothing. When I would come back at night and ping them to see if the heat was working, one girl actually shrugged at me and said "don't know" and stood there looking at me. This was unbelievable - I was never allowed to speak to a manager (i tried three times). I would NOT stay at this hotel until it is placed under different management...one that actually services the property. read more

This hotel was OK but a little dated. It could use some upgrades including the addition of sprinklers for fire protection. Staff was mostly nice but they botched the early check in that our travel agent secured for us well in advance. The girl at the desk strung us along for hours and gave the impression she couldn't be bothered. Not the best person to represent the business. read more

London and hotels.. the same old story. If you are not willing to spend a lot of money you eventually and inevitably get crap. This hotel was OK, clean, central but the room I got for 140£ (!!!) was very simple and tiny and far from 4 stars standards as I know them from the rest of the world. Pricey and nothing special. Try elsewhere. read more

When it comes to hotels in central London, I'm a bit of a pessimist. Unless you're spending enough money to comfortable feed the population of a third world country, you're going to be left with something basic. I'd psyched myself for the inevitable pokey box room for the £110-ish I spent for my first night following a flight from Australia. I arrived way before check-in and all I wanted was to drop my luggage off. In return, I was given a room straight away, and a warm, smiling welcome back to the UK. The room itself wasn't big but was perfectly acceptable, clean, and looked new. There was no view to speak of, but it was quiet and pleasant to relax in. All this within a stone's throw from the West End. The Kingsley impressed me, and I'm pretty hard to impress. I'll definitely consider a return. read more

Summary based on a couple of Priceline stays: --ok location --typically doesn't allow early check in --breakfast alternatives somewhat close by --short walk to tube --impersonal service --older rooms read more

Overall, I rate my experience as "okay". Not bad, not great, just okay. Although the room was clean, it was small even by European standards. We had a room with 2 twin beds and there wasn't even enough space to leave both suitcases open -- I had to go into my suitcase and then close it back and stand it up to be able to move around. Luckily it was only for 1 night -- I couldn't imagine staying in that room any longer than that. Staff was nice -- I had booked the room, but my sister arrived before me and they let her check-in before I got there, so that was appreciated. But we did notice that a room service tray was sitting outside of a room on the floor our entire one night stay -- no one bothered to pick it up or move it, so that was a little tacky. read more

Great hotel, recently renovated with decent size rooms for London. Good enough that I chose to stay here again recently. Breakfast in the hotel is good if you get it included, otherwise there are lots of options near by. The concierge is well mannered and helpful for getting local directions - Covent Garden, Oxford Street, Leicester Square and the British Museum are all walking distance. read more

#312 is NOT a good room! - sewer odor problems coming from the plumbing system, extremely unpleasant disgusting, revolting smell - housekeeping is very poor, our housekeeper never cleaned the bathroom floor, shower base (for 13 days!), each day we got 1 shampoo no conditioner, next day we got shower gel (we were 2, a couple) ... we never had a set of shampoo, conditioner, shower gel. Twice we received a little body lotion. Nice hotel, but cleanliness of the room is not up to par. Great location! (stayed February 2015) read more

This hotel is supposedly a 4-star hotel but it much more closely resembles that of a 2-star. The rooms are utterly filthy, stained, and uncomfortable. I highly recommend booking somewhere else that is more reputable and has a cleaning staff if you at all care about hygiene. The carpet, linens, towels, and desk surfaces are so destroyed and covered with stains and dust. I was traveling for business for 6 days and I had to switch hotels after 3 as I simply couldn't bare it and the staff refused to do anything about it - other than provide me with a free drink ticket. Mind you, the glasses the drinks are served in are equally dirty so I declined and switched hotels. UGH read more

First impression was it's a nice hotel with a lot of character. Then you head to the guest rooms and you get hit with an overpowering chemical smell. The rooms are okay until you realize the temperature controls don't work and you're probably overheating in a stuffy room. If you ask for help from the staff, they don't give you the time of day. Find another hotel! read more

We spent four nights in this hotel, and it worked well for us. The location is good, with bus stops right in front, the tube a short walk away, and the British Museum right around the block. The rooms were small, but they were clean and seemingly recently renovated. The breakfast was just okay, as was the free wifi. The hotel itself was charming and quiet; we went in September, and rarely ran into others in the hotel (which is good since the elevator is tiny). Overall, it is definitely someplace we'd stay again, and would recommend to others. read more

This place was just ok. The rooms were nice and it was fairly big by London standards. Also the location was awesome. For me it was really good cause my office was closeby along with the brittish museum and restaurants/bars. There were a couple of big negatives though. No free wifi in the hotel? Really? Then on top of it if you want wifi you can buy it on a daily basis for some price for a day. But then you have to buy a new card each day which is really expensive. Also they had a breakfast in room that they could give you but it was like the biggest breakfast ever and it was wayyy overpriced even for London. It was around $50 for a breakfast plus the cost of bringing the food upstairs and then the cost of tip! I went down the street and had it much cheaper nice breakfast for about a fourth the price. In the end the hotel was good for a tourist but not very good for a business traveler. read more

This is in walking distance of 7 dials and 3 blocks from the tube. Staff was friendly but skip booking through Expedia, otherwise you won't get any special offers from the hotel. The offers only come when you book through the hotel. The room on the 6th floor seemed quite enough and it served the purpose. read more

I can't rave about this hotel, or say that my experience was as great as some other reviewers. There were none of those extra touches that equal 5 stars in my opinion, but it definitely met all the requirements for a nice stay in England. The room was tiny but clean, the front desk staff polite (if not especially friendly). It was clean and quiet (we followed Tripadvisor advice and requested a room high up to avoid street noise) and while there were a few small issues overall efficient. I would advise against dinner at the restaurant, however. The staff there was very nice, but it was the only really bad tasting meal we had in London. read more

We stayed here during a recent trip to celebrate my wife's birthday. (They gave us a complimentary upgrade on the room and a box of chocolates!) We were allowed to check in early, which was extremely helpful after a long trip. The staff was very friendly, helpful and responsive, giving us great suggestions on restaurants and shops and providing assistance when the wall outlets went out. The breakfast was good and stayed open until 10 a.m. And the location was fabulous. We'd definitely stay there again. That said, there were only a few things that kept this hotel from 5 stars: - The housekeeping was inconsistent. Sometimes no fresh towels were left when we indicated we wanted them. Also very rarely were facecloths left, even if we asked. A couple of times the teapot was left with an old tea bag in it. - A couple of times, the heat was turned up excessively. - There were no clocks (alarm or otherwise) in the room. - The shower only had a half-length door on it, which made it nearly impossible not to get water all over the floor. But all-in-all, we'd recommend this hotel to anyone wanting reasonably-priced, centrally located vacation lodging in London. read more

My experience mirrors that of others who have shared - while centrally located, the rooms are "tired" and the restaurant struggles to provide timely service. We were there with a group of 8 for lunch, and many had finished their lunches before others received theirs. However, of more concern are their billing practices. Despite being quoted a room rate when making the reservation, when I received my final bill the rate varied daily with a range of 100 British pounds form lowest to most expensive night charged for the same room. Assuming this to be a mistake, I contacted the hotel and received the following response from Zsofia Varga in their Reservations Sales Centre - "We work on a daily pricing system which means different dates have different prices depending on availability." I was not informed of this on check-in and they have since been unwilling to tangibly address my concerns. So, for any considering staying in this hotel, I would confirm your daily rate for each planned day of accommodation well ahead of check in. read more

(Also known as Thistle Holborn). Modern, well-designed air conditioned king room with comfortable bed, sparkling clean remodeled bathroom and nice view in good Bloomsbury location (short walk from British Museum and walking distance a bit further to Charlotte Street area for restaurants). Sixth floor had very little noise (good sound-proof windows). May have heard an occasional siren, but really nothing else. Very reasonable price for a good sized room. Free in room WiFi with good speed. Wonderful, friendly competent service. We booked directly on the Thistle's website, using one of the "offers" under the "Offer" tab and received a great rate that included breakfast, with free cancellation until 2 pm day of arrival. Breakfast was extensive, with full English and continental options on buffet. Especially appreciated fresh croissants (just a bit fresher than at other hotels we stayed in on same trip), veggie and pork sausages (the veggie ones were unusual and tasty), potato croquettes, smoked salmon, and scrambled eggs (that my husband raved about), together with all of the usual items and juices, coffee, tea, etc. Since we arrived in a heat wave (London hit 95 degrees) AND we enjoy quiet, the price was well worth the 25 GBPs or so more than the price of some other nearby hotels. We had to make one schedule change on arrival and the front desk staff handled it seamlessly. Nice downstairs bar with friendly bartender. Will definitely stay at The Kingsley by Thistle (also known as Thistle Holborn) again next time we are in London. read more