Tophams Belgravia

( 4 stars , London , United Kingdom )

Do yourself and other travelers a huge favor and do not stay here. Hopefully the owner will go out of business and this heap of incompetence will no longer be a brown smelly stain on London’s reputation (and trust me, I’m being nice). The rooms are horrid and the staff treats all guests as irritants and would rather squirt pepper sauce in their eye then assist you. It sounds absurd but it’s true, read some of the other reviews. They advertise this place as a 4-star hotel but it doesn’t even deserve to be open for business. We (2 adults, 1 small child) had one night reservations at Tophams Hotel Belgravia at both the beginning and end of our 2 week vacation to Europe so we could explore London. Unfortunately we ignored the many bad reviews - don’t make the same mistake. The reservations included free breakfast and my credit card was charged the full amount for one of the nights, months in advance, to guarantee the rooms. The receptionist could find no record of either reservation and seemed genuinely irritated that I was interrupting her. Luckily I had paper versions of the emailed reservation info and proof that I had paid. Only then did a room become available but her attitude remained boorish and annoyed. Regardless, she said they would have to bring in a cot for the second bed and we agreed that that would be fine. I then asked her to make certain we had a reservation for our return in two weeks and was assured that she would take care of it. I then asked details about the free breakfast the next morning and was told that none was included. I again pointed to the emails that clearly stated that breakfast was included with our stay and she re-stated that despite what my emailed confirmation said, it was not included. I asked to speak to her manager and after a very audible huff she dialed a number which rang and rang and rang. She attempted to call this number five times and no one ever answered. Wanting to get on with our sight-seeing I begrudgingly asked for the key and told her I would talk to the manager later that night or in the morning. I hadn’t noticed the man standing off to the side but upon preparing to exit the lobby area he wished me good luck because he too had been lied to about breakfast, was upset about the condition of his room and was waiting for the manager to call or appear to get his money back. Hmm I thought, very interesting. We took our luggage to the room and quickly left to see as much of London as we could. When we returned that night we were appalled by the state of the bathroom and upset that we hadn’t noticed it earlier because it was way too late to do anything about it now. The vinyl floor material was completely separated from the floor itself and was warped with long vinyl hills and valleys that measured at least an inch high and deep everywhere. It squished under our feet and the sight and odor of black mold filled the room. Of the two beds set up in the room one was nothing more than a cheap folding couch; not a sleeper-sofa but a two part cheap foam couch, the kind you might see in a child’s room or college dorm that sits directly on the ground and needs a wall to support the back of it. It was pulled away from the wall so it was now laying flat but because the bottom half supports all the weight when in “couch mode” it was overly soft and unsupportive. The top half, now laying flat on the ground was stiff as a board. I actually found the stiff side to be more comfortable but if I got to close to the other side it was like rolling down a hill. The two sheets spread on top of it were several inches to short on all sides so you couldn’t tuck either of them under the foam couch/bed at all. Needless to say it was a sleepless cold, irritating night and things only got worse in the morning. The shower head was the removable type attached to a hose but the support bracket that was supposed to be attached to the wall was broken so it required a juggling act to hold the shower head and soap at the same time. I’m guessing it had been like that for a long time which resulted in water going places it’s not supposed to which caused the floor to peel and the mold to build up under it. Maybe that’s fine for some but NOT when you’re paying 120 Euros in a hotel that advertises itself as a 4 star luxury property. We all headed down for breakfast next and with email proof in hand. The morning receptionist was no nicer and no more helpful than yesterday afternoon’s receptionist so I asked again to speak to the manager. Several attempts to call some number resulted in a lot of ringing but never a manager. The receptionist seemed genuinely irritated that a guest in her hotel was even speaking to her. While I was standing there waiting to talk to the manager another guest came in tossed his key on the desk and told her he was going to “make sure his company never books another employee at the hotel” and stormed out. Hmm I thought, very interesting. I guess I’m too nice but I got tired of waiting for the manager, we had our 6-year old in-tow and there was so much we wanted to see and do in London so we simply left disgusted. I had every intention of booking a room somewhere else and cancelling our 2nd reservation but I honestly never had a chance to visit an internet cafe over the next two weeks. So upon our return to London we braced ourselves for another bad experience and told ourselves it was only one night. Our flight from elsewhere arrived very late in the day and it was turning to night very quickly. We walked in to the hotel lobby and there were two women arguing with the first receptionist I had dealt with 2 weeks prior. They had been waiting for hours for their room to be made available and were convinced that the hotel had overbooked and was stalling. They wanted to speak to a manager once and for all. You guessed it….ring ring ring, no manager. They were asked to step aside and wait for the room. I stepped up and asked to check in. The receptionist recognized me from two weeks ago but informed me that they had no reservation in my name. I whipped out my emails, reminded her about the conversation two weeks ago and she (almost with a smile on her face) told me that she remembered me but they had no reservation and no available rooms! I told her that what she was doing was so wrong on so many levels. She was basically putting two foreigners with a small child out on the streets of London at night with nowhere to go and no knowledge of even where to begin looking. I demanded to speak to a manager, anyone above her, anyone but her, please. She obliged by calling that same number and you guessed it ring ring ring but no manager. I swear I have never wanted to punch a woman in my life but she deserved to be and she came very close. As we stood their stunned, another guest entered the lobby and said his room was unacceptable as it was a mess, it smelled but even worse it had no power! Hmm I thought, very interesting. We moved to a little sitting area off to the side where the other two women had been sitting and listening to our ordeal and they looked white as if they were now realizing they too were probably out of a room, on their own, in London, at night. I fortunately had the phone number of an English relative and after a few calls we were able to get a room at a chain called Premier Inns. The room was half the price, twice as large, extremely clean and it had real beds. So we were fine in the end but please do yourself and all travelers a favor by helping to put this pathetic excuse for a hotel out of business. London will be better for it, and since the owner and manager is intent on running a waste dump he can go pursue his life’s dream in that field and the reception staff can get a job better suited to their personalities such as receptionists at Guantanamo Bay. It was that bad!

We've stayed here several times over the past 15 years and have always loved it. Last year, we were told that major renovations were planned, so it may be somwhat changed next time we visit. The rooms are individualized and charmingly decorated; the neighborhood lovely and the staff is always helpful, efficient and typically, wonderfully English - reserved and gracious. It's not a bargain hotel, but then how many bargains are there in London? We always feel welcome here and will return as often as possible.

My husband and I stayed here for 5 days while visiting London. The location is excellent for touring as most guided tours leave from Victoria Station. We were in walking distance from many attractions including Buckingham Palace. The hotel was...