We chose this property partly on brand expectations, location (unfortunately, it's been 25+ years since I was last in London, and I don't remember this area being anything like this, but that's to be expected after all this time), and level of extra person charges for our daughter (which in my opinion are getting completely out of control at most properties).

We discounted the TripAdvisor reports a bit, as I find that people are more likely to leave negative reviews than positive reviews, skewing the tone. In this case though, that negative tone turned out to be pretty much on the mark.

To top it all off, we had just come from Athens staying at the Grande Bretagne, and that just further intensified the letdown at this same-brand property.