"If you don't like lonnnng, overly personal, emoji fuels reviews and you don't wish to know the score, please look away now.....
I'm a local, (Richmond, down the road), and stayed here because it was cheaper than pre-booking my uber to family on Christmas Day & Boxing Day! 😮😃
So if you are a Tourist looking to stay here - that's a good indicator of how good value this hotel is for the money.
If you are looking for a better value way to come to London, then staying here, and hopping on the District line at Gunnersbury is a good choice, as Chiswick is a lovely area (main shops/cafes 5-10 min walk). Extra good for Tourists looking to see our Ted Lasso Location sites, as you can simply hop on the 110 bus to Richmond from outside the hotel. You'll be staying where we true Londoners live and not zone 1 or central west, which is simply holiday rentals and Russian billionaires.
Hotel has an EXCEPTIONAL value almost 2/3 cheaper than other hotels), wonderfully tasty breakfast with everything provided that you may need. Both healthy and naughty options are on offer. Including our full English breakfast!
Something else I want to shout out was that they actually provided biscuits in the room with the tea and coffee. Biscuits in rooms are a Dying art nowadays!
Christmas was largely with family for me so I only dealt with the staff briefly in the evening and at breakfast, but most of the staff were wonderful, smiley & welcoming.
I've rated this hotel 4⭐️for exceptional value. Great breakfast, location and its value for money for tourists.
It falls short of a (personal) five star rating for me for the following reasons, of which they may want to improve. For they are a few simple tweaks.
Beds are always a personal choice, but I'm a bit of a health freak and I like a hard bed for good posture, longevity etc. People who say the beds are comfy are those that like a soft bed I think. These aren't great for health long term so if you're staying here for more than a few nights you may want to consider that. I think they should invest in some new beds.
Toilet brushes in hotel rooms are also a Dying art. Please provide one. British people like me will not want to leave a mess for a maid - we would rather die of embarrassment. This means having to do things I do not want to mention in a review. Please just provide one - it is nicer for your guests. I don't believe them to be 'unhygenic' - if you're staffing your hotel adequately you can simply change/clean them everyday, what's the issue.
Tbf however, this isn't a Clayton hotel issue it's an increasing Trend for hotels. One more time for the cheap seats at the back - toilet brushes are NOT unhygienic - they are NECESSARY to respect fellow guest you are staying with in your room, and the cleaning staff.
Gym could do with a bit more equipment for we ladies. It's not all about weights for us. I understand you need to keep it cool in there but the air conditioning was excessive and prevented me from doing a longer workout.
Gentleman attending the bar Christmas Eve around 11:30 p.m. refused to make me a Cointreau hot chocolate (my cheeky tipple), initially. I'm a bit of the ballsy, feisty (annoying😜 type), so I just looked to him and said "In a four-star hotel? You've got a machine there haven't you?" He said he had no milk. I said "I'm sure the kitchen over there has milk.
Only then, Was he bothered to go and leave his position to locate some milk literally a few paces away to fix me one. I don't think I should have to do this in a hotel that's rated three star plus. Call me a princess if you like, but I think most clientele looking to book a 4*+, would probably agree with me.
Then he charged me £11.50 which, even as a Londoner, was extortionate. It should be priced as a mixer - and not as a the price of a hot chocolate and then a shot on top.🙄.
So, ladies and gentlemen avoid the bar - and go to the other bars down the road, for better value and service. Everywhere this hotel is exceptional value apart from its bar.
Finally, a little warning for any Londoner (or liberally minded person - read, simply a regular compassionate human being in an increasingly crazy world), looking to book this at Easter or Christmas for the same reasons I did. This is not the hotels fault, and I would not bring them down a point for this.
But it was like the entirety of the Daily Mail readership had congregated in the dining room. Of course, because it was full of boomers visiting family at Christmas from 'middle England' UK - it makes sense. At breakfast, I was treated to conversations on adjacent tables that started with "ADHD isn't real" 🙄and also, "Trump is great for the US economy, and is a very good man." 😮🤣Tables are so close together that you can't help but hear, not that you can't mind your own business.
If you're looking to book this hotel as a tourist outside the holiday period, I'm sure it will be a different clientele. Things like this really irritate me & sadden me deeply; it's why I choose to live in London & pay over the odds.
Overall a fantastic choice for a tourist to London, or Ted Lasso's Richmond down the road.
❤️"
