Booking the Property
When I booked my trip to London in December 2022, I was looking for a property whose prices didn’t break the bank. While searching on booking.com, I came across the Rhodes Hotel. Based on the reviews of the people who had stayed there, most visitors seemed to have had a decent experience. I always look for hotels that others describe as “clean” and in a “great location.”
The Rhodes Hotel can be booked through a third party vendor, like booking.com, or directly through their website. If you book directly with the hotel, you are generally given the best rate available.
I noticed when comparing the three nights I was staying with booking.com that it was about forty pounds cheaper per night to book direct. Saving 120 pounds was a no brainer.
I logged onto their website, selected a single room, and entered my credit card details. The Rhodes Hotel accepted my payment and charged the card for one night of the stay. This is standard in the hotel industry. If I had decided to cancel my stay, I’d be refunded the night without any issues. The Rhodes Hotel allowed me to cancel or modify my reservation until the week before my stay.
Location
The Rhodes Hotel is located in Sussex Gardens. It was about a five minute walk from Paddington Train station and has easy access to busses, taxis, trains, and the all important Underground. There were plenty of pubs and businesses nearby. I felt that the area was safe. The hotel itself happens to be clustered between a few residential homes.
The Check In Process and Reception
The Rhodes Hotel offers check in after 3 p.m. If you arrive early and your room is not available, guests are able to leave their bags, or pay a fee to have their room readied early.
I happened to arrive a little before 3 and decided to leave my bags. I was a little concerned at first that there wasn’t a ‘secure’ location to lock up my bags, but the receptionist advised me that he’d be at the desk the entire time and that the bags would indeed be safe.
On Monday through Thursday, the reception area is open from 8:30 am to 9 pm. Friday-Sunday, there is a night porter at the front desk.
All hotel guests are given a key and able to access the hotel 24 hours a day. However, if you need to check out early, ensure you let the receptionist know ahead of time.
I found that everyone I dealt with was friendly.
The Rooms
The hotel has rooms in two buildings. The main building with the reception desk and an annex around the corner. Both buildings are in lovely 19th century townhomes that have been converted into hotel rooms.
With that being said, it is important to these homes are 200 years old and cannot support all types of modern infrastructure. There is no elevator/lift, only stairs. The corridors are narrow and rooms are small. If you have mobility issues, you may have trouble navigating the steps.
All the rooms have televisions, private bathrooms, Wi-Fi, refrigerators, and a small storage area.
Breakfast is NOT provided. But, there are plenty of dining options around the area including pubs, restaurants, and at Paddington Stations.
Check Out
Check out time is before 11. You are able to store your bags at the hotel all day free of charge. I traveled to Bath the day I checked out and left my bags at 7 am without any problems.
My Experience
The location was excellent! It was a short jaunt for me everyday to Paddington Station to catch the Underground, including the newer Elizabeth line. Additionally, Hyde Park is right around the corner.
The room I had was a single room. It was clean and tidy with a bed, desk, television, and private bathroom. Was it small, yes, but again, I didn’t mind that.
I had two issues with the property. The first was that the wi-fi was dodgy. I wasn’t able to properly connect my phone, tablet, or laptop. The signal continually dropped or was too slow to be of use.
My second problem with my neighbors. As I came to discover, the walls are paper thin! The people in the room next to mine were horribly noisy. There were 3 girls who went out at 11 pm and returned at 3 in the morning from a nightclub every night of my stay. I head them running up and down the steps and staying up late laughing and talking.
I asked the girls to keep their noise levels down and they refused. I spoke to reception the next day and they offered to move me, but unfortunately, as it turned out, they were fully booked. I opted to battle the noise.
During my stay I didn’t sleep well and would caution any light sleepers of the thin walls.
Would I Stay Here Again?
Yes, I would. Although I had problems with the noise, the pros outweigh the cons. The location was excellent and I believe that next time, my neighbors will likely keep reasonable hours. It is one of the more affordable hotels I’ve stayed in and for the price, it’s a hotel I’d consider a gem of a find.