Russell Hotel, London

We stayed in the hotel for one night prior to an early Eurostar departure. Staff on the whole were very friendly. The rooms we had were on the small size but has been tastefully refurbished and had all the amenities you would need. The major disappointment was the food in the restaurant. My wife ordered pollock in tempura batter, when it arrived the batter was too tough to cut and when you did there was no sign of any fish, not the standard we would expect from a 4* hotel. The staff did allow us to have a complimentary dessert but the hotel kitchen did itself no favours.

I was very happy with my stay in the single room that I booked for one night. The room was clean, spacious enough, and beautifully decorated with a window facing the park. The hotel is just a minute from Russel Square tube station, one stop from Pically circus, and with relatively easy access to other major spots such a Oxford circus, Notting Hill gate etc. It is also convenient to get to Heathrow, as the Picadilly line takes you directly there (although it takes almost an hour). The breakfast buffee was generous with plenty of hot and cold thigns to choose from, although my croissant felt a bit old... They have a place where you can leave your luggage in case you arrive before check in time which in my case was at 2 in the afternoon. If I should complain about something, I felt that the staff at the reception was not very helpful with answering the touristy questions I had. The guy I spoke to seemed to think my questions were a bit stupid and on top of that he gave me misleading info about opening hours etc - I had the feeling he didn't know basic things about his own city which I would expect from a hotel reception at a hotel of this kind. But all in all I was very pleased with my stay!

The hotel is in a beautiful building, with marvellous stairs and mosaic floors. It is ideally located near Russell Square tube station and sites like the British Museum. Also St Pancras station (international trains: Eurostar) is not too far away. The rooms are large and have everything you need, including a fridge. Breakfast buffet is great and offers anything one needs, but the room is crowded and people are usually waiting in line to get their breakfast.