lwildernorva

Stayed here from 12/15-12/19. This is not a fancy hotel, but it is a very serviceable property. Located on Queensborough Terrace, about 100 yards from Hyde Park, about 3/4 of a mile from the Paddington train station, and two blocks from the Queensway Underground station, the hotel has 29 units spread over seven levels that appear to have been tastefully but not luxuriously renovated sometime within the last year or two. 20" flat-screen TV hanging in one corner of the room, a small desk (with an ottoman to sit on to save space!), two windows, one without a shade, and tea and coffee making facilities. A good and very quiet heater in the room kept things comfortable. Wifi service was generally good but occasionally sporadic; however, I was able to stream a radio feed of the Redskins-Giants game on Sunday night without any interruption. There are no business facilities at the hotel, but the guy at the front desk allowed me to print a boarding pass for my flight back to the States on the front-end printer.

Room size is small, as to be expected from European hotels. My room, bathroom included, measured approximately 15 x 10 feet, with a two-foot extension of that in the bathroom to accommodate the shower. Bathroom appeared to be about 7 x 3 feet, cramming in a toilet, a small sink, a towel warmer, and the shower.

Very small cubbyhole-type armoire next to the desk (stretching to call it that, but it's definitely not a closet built into a wall) that perhaps could hold eight to ten pieces of clothing with clothes hangers, a pair of shoes on the floor, and several additional pieces of clothing stacked on top of the unit. The bed was a bit odd, full-sized but with a seeming slant on the right side of the bed the first night that my maid apparently fixed the next morning because I didn't have that issue again.

Breakfast was basic but good. Cold cereals, bagels, toast, and croissants, a modest amount of fruit, juices, some finger-sized cheeses, and tea and coffee. Not the traditional full-on English breakfast that has all of that plus eggs, bacon, sausage, broiled tomatoes, grilled mushrooms, and blood pudding. There is a larger flat-screen TV in the breakfast room, which is located in the basement and has room for about twenty people, albeit tightly packed in.

A very energy conscious hotel. You provide power for the lights in your room by sliding the key card into a mechanism by the door. When you remove the card, you have about fifteen seconds to exit the room before the lights go out. Lights in most of the hallways operate by a motion sensor so when you exit your room or see the elevator doors open to the floor you want, for a second or two, there won't be any lights on.

Some variation in the friendliness of the staff. Several of the hotel's maids were very friendly, guys at the front desk were generally helpful, but I got off on a bad foot with the gal in the breakfast room. The elevator broke down the third day I was there but was repaired in about four hours; however, one of the maids mentioned that the last time the elevator broke, it wasn't fixed for several days. Otherwise, the property is clean and well maintained.

As I mentioned, Hyde Park is very nearby. A number of other hotels are on the same street as the Comfort Inn and a ton of hotels, some that appear to be very nice, including a Hilton and a Thistle, and several restaurants and pubs line Hyde Park. About a mile down Hyde Park to the left, you run into Oxford Street, where lots of major department stores and restaurants are located. Within a quarter-mile to the right, you'll find a number of neighborhood-type restaurants.

This is not a high-end property, but for the 8000 points/night I used (or even the 100 pounds you'll pay for one of the cheaper rooms), this is a high-value Choice property in London. I would go back.

ETA: And in fact, did go back, from 11/14/13-11/18/13 on an award stay at 8K points. Almost everything in the original review remains unchanged. This time, I stayed in 301, a smaller room than the room for my 2011 stay. Around 90 square feet in the main room, another 20 sf in the bathroom, and about 15 sf in a small foyer between the entrance from the hallway to the bedroom area that was basically useless for any purpose other than serviing as a buffer between the bedroom and the hallway. The room was located at the top of a small set of stairs with no adjacent rooms--the other four rooms on this floor were located on the other side of the elevator behind another door. As a result and in combination with the foyer, 301 was a very quiet room.

I have one criticism that builds on my issues with my bed during my 2011 stay--this full-sixe bed also seemed slanted a bit to one side. I believe that because of the narrow hallways and small elevators that probably restrict the transport of large beds upstairs, some of the beds in this hotel consist of a set of daybeds pushed together, much like some king beds in Europe are two twins put together with a device that keeps the beds hooked together. If you know that you have difficulties sleeping on these types of beds, you might want to stay away from the Comfort Inn, Hyde Park. On the other hand, I did not have any problems sleeping and will likely return if award rates are available at 16K or below.