Montana Excel, London

...finally decided on the hotel Montana Excel.

The hotel:
The hotel is a small guest house type hotel that consists of just 45 rooms. It is classed as a 2 star hotel and has a variety of room types. These are:
Single
Twin
Double
Triple
Quad
The rooms also have two type's - there is basic which means the room will have a shower in the room and a wash basin and then will share a toilet ...
...comes up as just hotel Montana but it is the same hotel.
For a basic room prices start at £50 including breakfast and the standard rooms start at £65 including breakfast. With of the websites you can book on the deposit is taken to confirm which is approximately 18% of the full cost and then the rest is payable upon arrival although both times I have used this website they have taken my payment on departure from the hotels.

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On my recent trip to London to take my mum to see the play The Mousetrap we stayed in a small hotel for the night. After searching around for hotels that were close enough to the tube to get around the city and also cheap enough without being grotty that was within my budget I finally decided on the hotel Montana Excel.

The hotel:
The hotel is a small guest house type hotel that consists of just 45 rooms. It is classed as a 2 star hotel and has a variety of room types. These are:
Single
Twin
Double
Triple
Quad
The rooms also have two type's - there is basic which means the room will have a shower in the room and a wash basin and then will share a toilet with other rooms or there is standard which means that the room will have a small bathroom with shower, toilet and sink in. The price different is not much at all to actually have the bathroom and so I would recommend you book with the bathroom.
All rooms have a kettle with tea and coffee provided, TV, iron and ironing board and wireless internet access. Also another plus point to this hotel compared to a lot of others in the same area and price range is that a hot breakfast is included.

Our room:
I had booked us into a twin room and requested a high floor in case the underground ran near to the hotel. There is no lift so be aware of this but, realistically I need not have done that as the tube line obviously didn't run right under the hotel street and there was no noise form it at all.
Upon entering our room I noticed how clean it was and even though small, it was equipped well. Two single beds with a bedside table in between the two with an alarm clock. The window was big enough and opened fully which was a huge bonus in the hot weather! The TV sat on a dressing table facing he beds with the kettle also on here - there was plenty of teabags and coffee sachets provided along with a mountain of milk and sugar which I was glad to see - I hate it when you have to ask for more!
The bathroom was actually quiet small but very nicely done with a tiled shower and clean simple beige tiles around the toilet and sink. Soap was provided as was 4 extra toilet rolls - again another bonus if you were staying more than 1 night!
The room also had a small wardrobe next to the dresser which then had an electronic safe inside of it.
Overall I couldn't really fault the room - yes it's tiny but, I hadn't expected it to be large anyway as the hotel is housed in one of the old style houses. However the main thing was that it was clean and as long as it is that then I'm happy!

Food:
As I mentioned breakfast is included in the price and I knew this was a hot breakfast so I was looking forward to my full English! The breakfast is served in a room downstairs which again although small does its job. There are 8 tables laid out some for two people and some for four so it is certainly adequate. There is a self serve area where you can get cereals and juice and also a hot plate area where you can help yourself to bacon, eggs, sausage, beans and toast. The food was hot and tasty and just what I needed for the early start we had!

Location:
The location of this hotel is excellent in my opinion. Sure it is a tube ride away from the theatres but, it is literally around the corner from Kings Cross/St Pancras. To get from the hotel to the theatre was very easy with the tube being so close and if you needed a cheap hotel to stay in before departing on the Eurostar then this would be ideal.
The hotel is actually located on Argyle Square which was a nice quiet road away from the noise of the main road with a small park facing it.

Price:
The hotel only seems to be able to be booked through a variety of hotel booking sites. The one I did it through was travelstay.com but prices seem similar on all websites I have seen it on. It's worth noting that on some sites it comes up as just hotel Montana but it is the same hotel.
For a basic room prices start at £50 including breakfast and the standard rooms start at £65 including breakfast. With of the websites you can book on the deposit is taken to confirm which is approximately 18% of the full cost and then the rest is payable upon arrival although both times I have used this website they have taken my payment on departure from the hotels.

Overall opinion:
The hotel's location is a definite bonus and for the price of a central London hotel it is not bad at all. The rooms although small are adequate for a short stay especially if you just need a room to sleep in and not for luxury. The staff that I came into contact with was all pleasant enough and the reception is manned 24hrs a day. The only thing I don't like is that your room key must be handed back to reception is leaving the building but, I suppose if anything goes missing then you know where the key has been!
This is a good choice for those who need cheap accommodation in the heart of London.

The hotels address is:
16-18 Argyle square
King cross
Central London
WC1H 8AS

Check in is at 12pm and check out is 11am.

Also posted on other review sites by me under frankiecesca or frankie1984 

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