Grand Royale London Hyde Park

Rude and Patronizing Customer Service Experience - Along with Deficient Services. If you thinking of staying at the Grand Royal Hyde Park, you need to read this review. Having stayed there recently for 5 days, here is what I experienced. The Good - The Edwardian Style Lobby and stairwell area are very beautiful and the breakfast every morning of my 5 day stay on the second floor eating area was very always very good and fresh. The Bad - The food area has no air-condition. Upon first arrival I found my myself in a standard room chosen by my Tour operator. Where I come from these rooms are no bigger than a small walk in closet. My room had no chair, and one little 12" x 12" side table. Your airport check bag you unpack pretty much covered the full small bed. Therefore, having to leave it on the floor if wanting to sleep in the bed that you could really only walk around one side and the barely the end of. Having discovered no cold water to temper the hot water during the heat wave in the sink, tub, and shower Hot on both sides) I was instructed to leave it running for (15 minutes) though cold water never came so no shower re just hot water. After going to the hotel front desk to nicely discuss this and see if there was a bigger room I was willing to pay extra for of course, I was immediately engage by a lady at the desk with an accent who was extremely condescending and interrupted me before I could finish any full sentence (Very aggravating and rude). After speaking with a manager to explain my plight, he conveyed (Kindly) that he would move me to a new room and try to get me in a bigger one over my 5 day stay. The room I was transferred to was no bigger and also had no hot water and the air conditioning broke down. Finally I was put in a room it was still extremely small but at least it had a chair and cold water to shower with (Three days in). Though he conveyed he would try to find me a lager room that I was willing to pay for I never heard again from the Manager for a bigger room. The very Bad!... - Almost every day I had to step over or ask the cleaners to please let me through in the hotel hallways sitting on the floors and sometimes with their legs blocking the way of the small corridors and also sometimes congregating on the floors in groups in the stairwells. (unacceptable). After checking out and arriving at my next destination, I realized after one of the last room moves to one with cold running water and moving there so quickly, I had left an expensive and dark rain jacket in the closet I didn't see and the cleaner was standing outside anxiously waiting to clean it so I was moving quickly. Finally when realizing the missing jacket and calling in for the jacket perhaps being turned in by that cleaner or staff, to my regret and misfortune the call was answered at the front desk by that same lady with the accent whom again, was extremely condescending and patronizing, and asking me to explain if I new I had left it there... why didn't I go and get it!.. It took all my patience to remain calm and explain that I didn't realize it until after leaving the hotel and during a heat wave and good weather and that I hadn't checked or thought about it. She then proceeded to abruptly and rudely convey they didn't have it. As a professional and a having salary at this point in my life well over 6 figures, I have stayed in quite a few very nice hotels. This is by far one of my worst hotel experiences I ever have had and the lady with the accent at the front desk is by far... the rudest most patronizing and bad customer service employee I have ever had to deal with!.. How she remains in this position there is beyond me? Note: Other front desk employees were nice and tried to be accommodating. Think twice before staying at the Grand Royal Park Hotel in London.

On arrival the reception area looks impressive. But don’t look too closely as it’s very tired and threadbare. Check in is horrendously slow. Room no 1: shabby, dingy, tiny, not enough room to swing a cat! Cracked sink, grotty bath, bathroom fan didn’t work, bathroom bin not emptied from previous guests which was disgusting. Complained at reception and moved rooms. Room 2: pretty much the same as room but with the added extra of a very worn pleather headboard which was all cracked and flaking. However we needed to get to where we were going so accepted it. Big mistake. On returning at midnight the smell of drains was awful. I had a shower and the water didn’t drain away. Ironically the sink didn’t hold water. Back to reception. Very apologetic night manager who said he would personally arrange for us to be moved to a club room the following day and for the day manager to contact us re compensation. Next day: no contact from management. We had to go to reception. No mention of any compensation and no club room available so moved to another standard room. Room 3: much the same as no 1 &2 with the added bonus of filthy looking bed base, stained dusty curtains and a door that didn’t even lock. By this time we came to the conclusion that it just wasn’t going to get any better! Breakfast was good though it took an age for food to be replenished. Staff in the breakfast room did work hard and were very pleasant. This is the only reason this hotel gets 1 star! How this hotel is rated 4* is a mystery. You’d be better off in a Travelodge, there’s more luxury in one of them and it would be considerably cheaper

STAY AWAY if you want a real reservation and any possibility of appropriate customer service. We observed 2 families being turned away with actual reservations. We had someone enter our room with a key on our first night, not with our family- thankfully they left- safety should always be the number one priority of any hotel. Refreshments were not replenished. The shower was smaller than a cruise room. The vent in our room was leaking— we dealt with the drip initially. When we let the front desk know, we received zero communication and came back to a room without ac. (and limited time to refresh due to tight schedules and a reservation) when we stopped by the desk, we were told ac was not available in the room. We could change rooms (we didn’t have time in the moment) at that time, but they would Not be an option when we returned because the one room they could switch would be sold. Staff are not consistent/ we were told we could not use tap to pay and had to present a card. The guest behind us were allowed to use tap to pay without a card. Management is not available — we asked, as did another disgruntled guests. And were told they are not present. Nasty bags of trash are by the door every morning. Bags are torn open sometimes and the trash remains. No one wants to see bugs, bags of yucky trash and a mess when coming back From their days in a city they are exploring. Staff are frustrated, disgruntled and not trained in basic customer service. Upon arrival, we were hot and wanted water- no cups, trash all around. When a staff member came out, we heard heavy sighs and slamming cups as they cleaned up and replenished. On travel, hotels are meant to be reliable and easy. I have traveled consistently on the last 30 years - I have never rated a hotel like this at a 1. It’s just not worth the hassle. Stay away. No idea how they are rated so highly. The only positive - the location. But the rest does not make that worth this sad excuse for a hotel.