Le Meridien Russell Square Hotel, London

...room in the 4 star Le Meridien Russell Square. This is in the Bloomsbury district, and I had read this was a nice area. From all appearances, the hotel was central, classy looking and within yards from a tube station. For a mere £63, a double room with en suite could be all ours, surrounded by 4 star luxury. I was elated when I discovered the normal rate was usually around £100 a night on the weekend.

I have never stayed in any of ...
...a chain. Still, this place looked as though it had style and character, or at least so the website indicated- certainly more charm than a Travelodge or similar.

I was looking forward to views of Russell Square, comfortable lounges and cozy bars, and all the amenities. OK, so reading the fine print it was pretty clear that some of the rooms had undergone extensive refurbishment and some…hadn't. No doubt our room would fall into ... more

The last time I went to London was 12 years ago. I stayed in a grubby student flat with my brother who was sharing with about six other people. It was so cramped we spent the whole visit on the tube and in the pub, only coming back for a few uncomfortable hours sleep.

So it was considerable enthusiasm that I recently set about booking a proper hotel for a night's stay in London. Yes, glamorous jet-setters that we are, as a birthday treat the Boyfriend and I were flying down from Glasgow early on Saturday (read: 6am on bargain BMI flight) for two action packed days and one night. Being somewhat better off than I was in the old studenty days, I didn't want someplace scummy, but was nonetheless was conscious that we didn't want to be shelling out big money for a room we'd have the use of for approximately 10 hours.

I spent some time scouring the internet for cheap online hotel discounts. Imagine my delight when I managed to secure a room in the 4 star Le Meridien Russell Square. This is in the Bloomsbury district, and I had read this was a nice area. From all appearances, the hotel was central, classy looking and within yards from a tube station. For a mere £63, a double room with en suite could be all ours, surrounded by 4 star luxury. I was elated when I discovered the normal rate was usually around £100 a night on the weekend.

I have never stayed in any of the other Le Meridien hotels, but I gathered they are a chain. Still, this place looked as though it had style and character, or at least so the website indicated- certainly more charm than a Travelodge or similar.

I was looking forward to views of Russell Square, comfortable lounges and cozy bars, and all the amenities. OK, so reading the fine print it was pretty clear that some of the rooms had undergone extensive refurbishment and some…hadn't. No doubt our room would fall into the latter category. But who cares, thought I, surely that's a bargain price to pay for what would be 4 star service no matter what type of room.

I admit, the first disaster was completely outwith the control of the hotel- the firefighters strike. This meant the Russell Square tube station was shut and we had to trudge an extra 20 minutes to the next closest one. That may not sound like much but when you are lugging your bags around, or tottering in stupidly high heels (ahem), it's a pain.

We arrived at the hotel a bit grumpy and weary after what had already been a busy morning. Check in time was 2pm. There were 2 girls working at the desk, and a queue. Hmm, thought I, seems a bit odd for a hotel with 420 rooms to have two staff on at check in time, but never mind.

We waited. And waited. More people arrived and stood patiently. The customer in front of us appeared to be engaged in a series of complex transactions, with no sign of moving on. Waiting some more. I begin to wonder if my online reservation would be OK. Waiting.

OK, you get the picture, it took awhile. In the end we checked in without difficulty and were given our credit card type key. Off we headed to the lift. Where we waited. And waited. I gather there were usually three lifts, but only one was working. A sign read "Lift refurbishment- thank you for your patience" or similar. What patience- I had none left.

Finally the world's slowest, creakiest lift arrived. About 10 of us crammed in and jolted up to the 4th floor. It was then a maze of dark corridors along to our room. Nothing about it looked particularly luxurious. Nonetheless, I was looking forward to a brief snooze in our room before hitting the town.

Well. I wasn’t expecting 4 star luxury, but I wasn't expecting it to be quite such a dump. The basic amenities were in place, ie functional TV, trouser press, hairdryer, coathangers, towels, bath and bed. It was clean. And it wasn't a shoebox- the bathroom was actually quite large. The toilet flushed and there was plenty of hot water. But that's about all I can say for it.

The wallpaper was literally peeling off the walls, and there were strange looking damp patches. The carpet was thin in spots and had a bit hole by the edge of the bed. The tiles in the bathroom were cracked and coming off the wall and up off the floor. The view looked out at a grubby alley. The curtains had seen better days. The mattress on the bed was not exactly uncomfortable but not especially soft either, and the coverlet was on the verge of being tatty.

I know you get what you pay for a lot of times. It was far from unbearable. But I wasn't impressed.

Not wanting to hang around there, out we went, after another endless wait for the lift. This time we stopped on the way down and a bedraggled looking porter got on with a trolley. The wheels got stuck in the gap between the lift and the floor and we had to help pull it in. The porter raised his eyebrows. "It’s all a con, this place. A big con. They con the staff, they con the guests. What a rip-off". We didn't really say anything to that. I'm not sure if he was referring to the lift problem or the place in general, but it certainly didn't put the hotel in very good light.

We stopped at the desk which was now mercifully quiet, to order a morning paper. Some time later we returned to the hotel in search of a pint of Guinness after a rather disastrous evening. Let's just say tottering heels, tube closures and a lack of an A-Z don't mix. The hotel bar was a pleasant enough setting despite being quite empty, and lived up to the name "the Library" with big leather chairs and sofas and shelves of books. Unfortunately, they didn't serve Guinness. The Boyfriend went off to the other bar in the hotel in search of this, and came back awhile later emptyhanded. No joy. I asked him what the other bar was like and he said it was empty and dull looking. We imbibed an alternative glass, then gave up and went to bed.

Til the fire alarm went off at 2am!!! Now, if you are expecting a drill of some kind, the sound of an alarm is no big deal. But waking up at 2am in an unfamiliar bed in strange dark room on the 4th floor of a huge hotel, knowing no firefighters are coming to save you is an entirely different matter. I have big fire fear (long ago childhood trauma when my mother nearly burnt down the house) so I was frankly terrified.

We threw on our coats, grabbed our key and ran out. Fortunately it was not hard to find the stairs, which were situated right next to our room. We joined the throng of guests in various stages of dress and undress heading down. I overheard one man say "That's the third time this week!" Hmmm. As we got out onto the street, we were herded around to the front, and immediately waved back into the hotel by a staff member. OK, fire over then, I guess. I managed to get back to sleep eventually, but it was an unpleasant little interlude.

Our morning paper never appeared. We finally headed out at 10.30, a half hour before check out time, where we had to queue for the lift, it was so busy. At the desk we discovered another massive queue. Fortunately the hotel provided an express check out system whereby you simply popped your key and a slip into the box. I made sure to note our paper had not turned up, and hoped for the best. So far my credit card bill hasn’t revealed anything unpleasant.

On the whole it was not the worst hotel experience I have ever had ( that special award goes to the Comanche Motel in New Mexico), but I certainly wouldn't be rushing back. The service was indifferent, at times non-existent. The room, despite being relatively cheap was sadly in need of an overhaul. The lift situation would have seriously gotten on my nerves if we had stayed more than one night.

The best thing about this hotel was the location- if the tube had been open it would have been extremely handy for getting around, particularly to places in the West End. I have seen pictures of the new rooms and they seem elegant and impressive. I know it's London, and hotel prices are high. Still, I think they need to work on an overhaul of more than the rooms to really be deserving of a four star rating. It takes more than a trouser press in the room to win me over.
 

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