Just wanted to write a few words to emphasise what good value this place represents; have stayed here twice, once on a Friday night and once on a Saturday and Sunday. On a weekday night the noise is appreciably louder due to the areas large workforce and if you are unduly troubled by a little street noise then a room at the back and on the upper floors is recommended. The apartment itself,(1 bed both times), is roomy, apart from the bathroom,(no bath, only shower, very small!), well maintained, and whilst minimalist in style has everything you need for a most comfortable stay. Given the location and having paid the same rate or more for substandard hotel accommodation, of which there is quite a bit in London, this represents great value and i think some of the revies have been a little churlish in not recognising this. Will definitely stay again and would recommend to anyone.

This was very accurately described as an "aparthotel". As a traveling family of 5 with an infant coming from America, we had a great overall stay at this location! Only a few issues (read on)... First, it's a stone's throw from the Liverpool Street Tube stop. The financial district which it's in is actually a very up and coming enjoyable area for people in their twenties/thirties (two authentic old English pubs also within spitting distance). Also, we got a two bedroom with a kitchenette allowing us to purchase outside food to save on expensive English dining, and lo and behold there's a Tesco's supermarket only one block south! As I've read other reviews where people were disgruntled with the noise, it's important to have a room on a higher floor and with the bedrooms facing away from the street (which luckily we had on the 5th). Service was actually good for us as well. My only few issues would be these; The walls are definitely thin between the rooms, as my infant kept all others up in the other rooms. Also, for incoming Americans be prepared for the very small rooms / bathroom. For some reason, all the doors within the apartment close instantly, which gets annoying when you aren't given doorstops to keep the doors open.

My friend booked several apartments here for her birthday and we had a great time. It makes a change from a hotel room, and is especially beneficial if you're having guests over before you head out on the town or if you're staying more than one night. The location of the apartments can be a good or bad thing depending on what you're looking for. They are across the road from Liverpool Street Station and are located near endless bars and restaurants. However at night (depending which way your apartment faces) it can be quite noisy. The apartments themselves are nicely done up, with a tv, hi-fi, all the kitchen appliances you could want. One thing which did bother us was the smell of stale cigarettes (we stayed before the smoking ban). Not all the apartments are the same (some had arm chairs, others had sofas, though they were the same price) but it depends on what you are looking for.

For my 22nd birthday i decided to go to London and party. So after shifting though loads of apartments we decided to stay at 196 Bishopsgate. It was a great choice. The location was great-came of the underground, walk across the road and we was there. The staff were lovely, when we checked in(i believe the guy we were checked in by was was called (niz or riz???). He was so polite and helpful. When we open up our apartment, room door we loved the fact that it so spacious, clean and just lush!!! I would totally stay there again, and i plan too. See you soon 196 Bishopsgate!!

We arrived at the desk at check in time. No problems whatsoever. The door card played up a bit but if you kept at it you got in eventually. We were really impressed at home big and well equipped it was. Comfy beds and sofa, good TV stereo, wireless internet and the all important kettle for hangover tea! Very central, close to the tube- we will come again! Only things that were a problem-bring a plug for the bathroom sink and the temperature an get a bit hot with the storage heaters.

This hotel could really be something, but they have to fix a few huge issues, first. This is not completely a hotel – they have a bit of a front desk but it does not provide full hotel services. It is kind of the extended stay idea but without a true front desk. The rooms look fantastic – modern but tasteful design, full kitchen area, washer/dryer in the unit. But beware the noise! My room fronted the main road, and the windows did not close all the way. To top it off, they offered no sound protection. The noise was unbelievable. You may as well be out on the street – there is a busy train and bus station right outside, with pubs going all night. You will not get any sleep here! Also, while it had things like a nice big flat panel TV, issues such as a remote that wouldn't work, appliances that didn't work, and a most unhelpful (and clueless) front desk staff really hurt them. Fix these and it would earn top stars!

Please note, this is not a hotel, it's apartments that you are renting, so the previous reviewers that have complained about "useless" staff are a tad misplaced. Don't expect service like in a hotel. It's centrally located, just accross from Liverpool Stree station, and the apartments are spacious, modern and comfortable. We were actually upgraded without asking, from a junior suite to a larger one with an extra room, which is great service in my opinion. Not being a hotel, there is no breakfast (they offer breakfast 'packs' for £10- just walk the 100 yards or so to Tesco's and get it yourself), and yes, it can be a bit noisy, but what do you expect for central London? We stayed here for one night as a stopover before getting the train from Liverpool St. station to Standsted for a flight the next day. I'd definitely recommend this place to anyone planning the same, and at £100 for a suite I'd say it represented good value for money in great surroundings by London standards and prices.

We were a group of 6 people going to London to see a concert. We booked one singelroom and one 2 bed apartment from 3rd to 5th of august with an ekstra bed. When we came to the hotel it took the receptionist about 5-6 minutes to find our reservation. The room and the 2 room apartment were fine with quite big rooms. However it was extremly noisy there with loud music and drunk people yelling and shouting on both sides of the hotel all thru the night. One bedroom lacked aircondition and was hot like an oven in the morning. One pillow had a few bloodstains on it. We only had towels for 2 persons and the extra campingbed was the cheapest and most worn out bed you can imagine. One night we came home after a dinner and a few drinks it was impossible to open the room door because the electronic key-lock had broken down. The receptionist tried to open open it, but It took him 2 hours while we waited until halv past 2 in the morning. We asked if we could get a complementary beer or glass of wine while we waited, but he said that it was not possible. When he finally managed to open the door we did not get any kind of excuse from the hotel what had happend. The receptionist left and now we noticed that the door could not be looked! So the entire night the door was unlocked. The next morning we complained to the receptionist who worked the day shift. He unwillingly agreed to look at it while we went out for a couple of hours since we said that we had computers, passports and other valuables in the room. When we came back two hours later he had not even looked at our door, but said he would do it later in the day when he got time. Now we started to get quite tired of the horrible service and ordered him to call maintanance which he then did reluctanly. To make the horrible service complete the receptionist called us 8 minutes after check out time (11:08) and told us in a rude manner that we were too late and had to get out now. That we had to spend 2 hours outside our room the first night was no excuse. When we asked to leave our luggage in the reception while we went out for breakfast the answer was a plain no. The sad part is that if only the manager changed the staff to someone who actually wanted to do a good job, the experience would not be that bad, but as it is I would not recommend this hotel to anyone!

We booked a studio apartment at 196 as we were celebrating my birthday in nearby Brick Lane and wanted to be able to entertain our friends before going out. On arrival we were upgraded to a one bedroom apartment which was fantastic. The apartment itself was lovely and suited our needs perfectly. The staff, however, and the service overall was a catalogue of errors. As it was my birthday my sister called ahead to arrange for Champagne to be in the room on arrival as a surprise treat. The incompetent staff then phoned me to ask how much to spend (they were on a mobile in Tesco!) - there went the surprise! Said champagne was not even in the room on arrival but was handed to us by a cleaner in the corridor! There was also a fiasco at the front desk as the receptionist, who spoke poor English, was clearly new and nervous and the chip & pin card machine had broken. He was having to take manual copies of the credit cards which left a trailing queue to the front door. I was called after leaving 196 to be informed the receptionist had made a mistake and I needed to once again give my credit card details, as it was my partners card I gave them his details. They have since left me over 6 voicemails requesting information I've already given them. To conclude: Great location, nice apartment, terrible service.

When we arrived we were upgraded to a one bedroom apartment, which was at the front of the hotel. The apartment was fantastic, very modern and stylish, lots of room, great kitchen and lovely bedroom. Hotel is in a great location, a few mins from liverpool street station and if you want to cook in your room, there is a tesco extra a few minutes walk away. The first night of our stay was a Friday, and due to the room facing the front of the hotel, it was so noisy as there is a few pubs just below the hotel. Didnt get much sleep that night until the pubs had closed. So wasnt great as we had a busy day on Saturday so was quite tired throughout that day. In the morning i went to reception to complain about the noise and they said to me i should of asked before i stayed for a room that doesnt face the front of the hotel. But how is someone who hasnt stayed at the hotel before supposed to know to ask that. We wernt able to move rooms as they were fully booked, so had to buy ear plugs for the Saturday night, and it was noisy again, so you needed them. On checkout, the hotel didnt offer much apologies and didnt offer any discount or anything especially as we payed £200 for 2 nights. So, overall, avoid staying on Friday or Saturday nights, unless you ask for a non front facing room. The rooms are great and you wont be dissapointed with them.

My wife and I stayed in this hotel for one night recently as we were in London for the company's Christmas party at a nearby venue. Imagine my happiness on entering the hotel foyer to be greeted by the sight of hooligans beating each other up inside whilst five policemen tried to restrain them. Outside the hotel is like a war zone. If you like hanging out with drunken louts then this is the place to be. On returning to the hotel later on there was nobody at reception to let us in. Luckily we had our room key to open the front door. Imagine how much fun it would have been trying to dodge the mobs outside had we not had the key. 24 hour reception. Where is it? On entering the room, which incidentally was perfect in every way, we had to fight to get to sleep against the thumping music emanating from the room upstairs. Maybe some soundproofing is in order. The only good thing I have to say with regards to this hotel is that there is a police station right next door.

I took my girlfriend here for two nights in February as a birthday trip to London to see a show. I booked a studio apartment, but was upgraded to a one-bed apartment on the day, which was a pleasant surprise. The apartments are nice inside; comfortable and modern. However we had three main problems: 1) The heater in the lounge would not turn off. This meant that it was on full heat all evening, meaning the lounge/kitchen was extremely hot! We told the concierge several times but he told us he would report it in the morning, which he did not, so we had to report it again. It never got solved! 2) The noise on the Friday night from the bar below was so loud we could not sleep until it stopped (around 1.30am). The music vibrated the whole apartment! Thankfully the bar was closed on Saturday so we had a restful sleep! 3) Don't get the breakfast basket thing. For £10 it is a rip-off!! Just get some stuff in from Tesco the day before and put it in the fridge! Overall though, the apartment was lovely and the location great (just opposite Liverpool St station). I had booked it because I thought that it would be a bit different staying in an apartment rather than a hotel. On balance though I wouldn't stay there again, but it wouldn't take much to improve these apartments and make them a great place to stay. Not sure how you convince the bar to turn their music down though...

I booked an Executive One Bedroom apartment for a weekend break at a fab rate of £100.00 plus VAT. We had a huge one bed apartment at the front of the property which was wonderuflly furnished. The bed was ultra comfortable, as was the leather sofa and the TV and DVD player was brand new and worked brilliantly- so cool to be able to take and watch your own DVD's! The kitchen was spacious, well equipped and hi tech- really impressive! The staff at the front desk were helpful and friendly and I liked the fact that they weren't over bearing- it isnt like a hotel- it is more like staying in your own apartment in the city. Next doors there is a Pret sandwich shop and the nearby Tesco's is great. The Police station is two doors up so a a very safe feeling neighbourhood. Bit of a trek into the main tourist parts but just so cool to have your own london apartment. One word of warning- we had an apartment at the front of the building which had air conditioning. This was great in the London heatwave, but the room was very noisy early in the morning due to traffic and I did have to put some cotton wool in my ears! However, balanced up I would rather have the air conditioned room- as it was so cool and made such a difference! Apparently the rooms at the back of the property only have fans. Your choice!

This review is mixed. In March I stayed with a business partner for a week while doing business in London. The location is good for business - right accross the street from Liverpool Station and walking distance to the financial center. We very much enjoyed the 2 bedrooms, kitchen and living room. It gave us some private space but we could still be together in the living room to discuss business and hang out. Far superior to a hotel room. Check in was OK, but setting up the internet service was a borderline miracle. The staff was quite disinterested in our issues. No one offered to assist with luggage, or anything else for that matter. No one even came to the room to introduce the room to us. The beds are old and hard. The bedrooms were abutting a court yard which was loud with maintenance all night every night. We did not have one good night sleep the entire week. Our primary issue began with not being able to access our room the night before we left. The keys did not work, although the desk attendant assured us that we were not using the card key correctly. After 20 minutes of nonsense, we dragged the attendant to the room, where he declared that we were not permitted back in the room until we paid $300 for a broken couch. He let us in, and if one were to actually pull the arm of the couch away from its body, yes, it was broken. However, we did not break it, and it looked like it had been in that same condition for quite a long time. We sent the desk attendant away, and in the morning we were told that the couch was being charged to our credit card. We have been fighting this bogus charge ever since. Eliminating this issue from this review, to be fair, we stayed in a spacious 2 bedroom flat in a good business location with a living room and dining room table with internet access for far less than the cost of 2 separate rooms at a hotel. Unfortunately, rooms are for sleeping, and that was not to be had both due to the lack of quality beds, sheets and blankets, and the noise. I would not stay again based on principle. I don't like being swindled. But I suppose if this is considered an issolated incident and you are a good sleeper who does not need a luxury bed (or anything even close to it) and you don't mind constant night noise, and the extra space is valuable, and you don't want to spend a lot, than maybe you could tolerate this place.

The apartment itself was fantastic, the location of the place is brilliant, but don't expect the service and staff to match up. We were treated like idiots, probably because we didn't own our own business, and didn't stroll in in suits. Do NOT pay on your debit or credit card, because their system has an interesting way of charging you more than once. I wouldn't go back because of the way I felt I was being treated, but for a 'treat' on a weekend away bishopsgate does the trick.

This place isn't comfortable - I'd much rather have a proper hotel room with a decent bed. It's nice to have a fridge rather than a minibar, particularly since Tesco is just downstairs, but the lack of champagne glasses is a shame. Beds are small and cheap, towels thick but old, toiletries nothing special and for toilet paper read sandpaper. And it's very difficult to do your hair when the plug sockets are nowhere near the mirrors! Storage heaters and all self-closing doors make the place stuffy and the ventilation system in the apartment hallway roared like an aeroplane all night.

As a birthday treat a trip to London was ideal. First class accommodation was way above our expectations. Friendly staff, easy access for entertainment and will definately book to stay here again.

We stayed at 196 Bishopsgate after a ball in London as our usual haunt (Old Street Holiday Inn Express) was full. Boy, what a difference! All we really wanted was a bed and a shower, and for a bargain price of £88 (from laterooms) we had an actual flat (well, a bedsit). The bed, although pushed against the wall on one side beause of the size of the room, was one of the biggest I've ever slept in and the only time my toes didn't hang off the end. There was lots of wardrobe space (none of which we used), a dining / work table and upholstered chairs, TV, stereo, alarm clock etc... in fact it looked just like the pictures on their website, and it's not often you can say that. The kitchen was bigger and nicer than our one at home and we spent a little while sulking about this. The view was unprepossessing but nobody comes to London for the scenery and the windows were huge, making the room very light. Apart from a tedious check in (the reason I fill in all my details online is so I don't have to do it again when I get there) we had a very pleasant stay, and I'd recommend it to anyone who has to do a long stint in the City. Or even a short stint. Or for anyone who wants to pretend they're young cool Londoners (if we still lived in our scummy flat in Hackney, we'd rent the penthouse, host a dinner party and pretend we lived there...) Tip for breakfast - avoid Ponti's (greasy with mysterious stringy bits) and sit outside Cafe Nero across the road

Used the Somerset Bishopsgate as a one-night base in the City. My priority was to find somewhere reasonably priced and convenient for the Square Mile - and at roughly 25 yards away from Liverpool Street station this certainly hit the mark. I stayed in a three room apartment - kitchen/sitting room, bedroom & bathroom. Smallish, but clean, modern furnishings with everything that was required. Staying in an apartment clearly means that breakfast isn't included, but given the price difference between the Somerset Bishopsgate and local hotels, I'd recommend stay here & get a croissant etc from one of the many local coffee shops. Perfect for business visitors.

Very pleased with accomodation. The reception staff very friendly and helpful, made a refreshing change from Hotel rooms and made life very flexible

we hired out a 2 bedroom apartment, it was so clean and lush, it was like we were living abroad, when we came to check in, the young lad was very polite (Raz or Riz) The service from the front desk was very helpful, we asked if we could have a room with the balcony and we were given it. we were helped with the luggage up to the room by him. Smiles when walking past and sweets welcoming us back in to the building, room service was a bit tough when asking for requirements, the room keepers didnt understand but the reception boy was there to help on the other end of the line. the room was clean and spacious, quiet and smelt nice. it was like we were living back in Spain. I would recomend this Apartment hotel to everyone who want a break, (get the room with the balcony, nice views). me and my partner enjoyed it and enjoyed the comfort and service that we have already reserved a room for the new year. See you all soon xxx