Stayed for two nights (11 and 12 July) while my girlfriend and I went to London for a gig at Somerset House. The reviews I read of this hotel made me a little wary (re: harsh staff and problems with lifts and key cards and stuff), but the location sounded like just the ticket.

I booked through londontown.com which was a good experience.

I emailed the hotel in advance of our stay to confirm that they had received the booking and they replied promptly.

Firstly, I checked in using their automated system that just swipes your credit card and issues you with your room card(s) - I took two in case we had the (previously highlighted) lift problems.

The room was immaculate - totally clean and fresh..... no bath but a good sized, powerful, walk-in shower..... good tv with free internet, usual coffee and tea stuff.......

Bonuses = free purified water and bottles (on every floor by the lifts).... Free ice and ice buckets (by the water machines)..... umbrella for customer use in every room - five quid charge if you nick it!!

Settled in and fancied an extra pillow..... asked one of the many, friendly, staff who were servicing our floor and they brought me one within the hour.

No view from the small window in the room.

Checked out via the very simple automated service - just swipe your room key and then post them back through the slot.

Location - superb. Everything within easy reach. This hotel makes a really superb base for exploring the sights and sounds of London.

Suggestions = breakfast at Garfunkels (nearby) or try the "breakfast club" in Soho for a great vegetarian cooked breakfast. Drink some good beer (a real rarity in London!!!) at Chandos - only a couple of minutes walk from the hotel or drink Guinness at the Toucan in Soho!!

I recommend this hotel to anyone - I didn't risk being disappointed by having to deal with surly staff by completely cutting them out of the equation.

I've paid a lot more for a lot less!!

Booked this hotel after reading reviews on TripAdvisor. Very happy with our decision. The hotel is in a great location. Just steps from Embankment and Charing Cross tube stations. Hotel lobby is smaller than expected, but the rooms were clean and well kept. Staff seemed nice, but we didn't use them much. Couple of decent restaurants close by, but we walked towards Piccadilly for most of our meals. The kitchy Sherlock Holmes Pub is right across the street. Trafalgar Square is steps away and the bridge leading to the London Eye, with views of Parliament and Big Ben are just down the street.

Room was a bit small, but not by European standards. I would add that this hotel was still in the process of putting in a bar and restaurant, if that's important.

The hotel also has free washer and dryers, which if London hadn't been our first destination, we definitely would have taken advantage of.

I would recommend this hotel to anyone who doesn't mind short walks and making use of the tube, which we did. Although we did pass through Kensington and Hyde Park, which if we go to London again, we may try out. The streets were clean with more restaurants and shops. Again, the tube was so easy to use and so much cheaper than taxis, being a bit away from the attractions woldn't be that big of a deal.

Great location, service, rooms, facilities... I loved this hotel... it made our stay easier, comfortable and enjoyable...

Booked this hotel for the location and reputed business-class experience offered at reasonable prices for London.

Location
Fanstastic location at no.8 northumberland Avenue just off of Trafalgar Square(nearest tube station is Charing Cross).

Rooms & Facilities
Fantastic finish and size with excellent services(free internet with wireless keyboard, flat screen TV, range of gadget connections, network cable, mp3 etc). Bed was very comfy and the bathroom was excellently finished with a real high-end feel to it. There was a complimentary chilled water dispenser in the corridor with a fresh plastic bottle per customer (meant we could take water with us every day we were out in London) and complimentary ice-bucket and ice-dispenser also available.

Staff
Never had much dealing with them apart from when we checked in/out but they were very efficient(we arrived 30mins earlier than the 3pm check-in and there was no hassle in allocating us a room). Maybe them being pitched at the business market means that the perform a functional type person service rather than a more touristy approach to clients?

Breakfast
One tip that I read before going was that as told by the hotel, their continental breakfast was £9.95pp, but we were already armed with the knowledge that if you don't mind eating in a chain pub that there was a Wetherspoons less than 2mins walk away from the hotel.

Recommend
If you don't need a person service and want an excellent hotel to stay in with an amazing location then I'd strongly recommend a visit to them, and I will definitely return to stay with them next time we are in London