The Shaftesbury Premier London Paddington

this hotel was decent for its price. The night front desk gentlemen were not very nice but the day staff was completely kind. My room key needed to be replaced everyday (I stayed for 6 days). Overall in a good location close walking distance to restaurants and public transit in Paddington.

I have stayed here before, and generally like it. It is very close to Paddington, so easy to roll off the plane, onto Heathrow Express, and right to the hotel. Do not get a room near the elevator this is the first time I stayed in one and the elevator announces its direction rather loudly (a chirpy voice says Up!), so my sleep was disturbed. However, the staff offered to change my room when I mentioned it.

Just stayed for one night when getting into London. Good spot for the express to Heathrow. Tiny room but it did the job and was nice

For this trip I would be moving often, spending minimal time in any one hotel so I was most concerned with price and proximity to stations, etc. On that basis, the SPLP fit the criteria but missed the mark in other areas. Owing to travel, etc., it happens that I stayed in three different rooms, all quite small (though I've come to expect this of English hotels and am not really bothered by it except as noted). The first room had a bathroom that I could barely turn around in. Rather than a full tub (!), a shower (as all other rooms I stayed in had) would have allowed much needed floor space. The second room was at the front of the hotel with the door opening immediately onto steps leading down half a floor. As this was a buying trip and I had ALOT of bags, this was pretty much impossible to deal with not to mention that, since the stairs took up a good deal of area, there was effectively no open space in the room itself. All the rooms along the front had warnings on the door about a step down so I assume they all suffer this problem. The third room was perfect: BIG bathroom, plenty of floorspace, etc. On arrival we were unable to operate the lights or television. A staff member came up but was unable so suss-out the problem. We eventually found that each was governed by a separate master switch which wasn't easily found. Assuming all the rooms are essentially the same, why wouldn't the staff know this? The biggest downside to this was that we could operate only certain halogen lights which made the room unbearably hot. The staff was generally a little on the curt side; if I had to guess, I would say all of the staff encountered during my stay was foreign-born (not an issue other than creating some minor language problems). Bed linens were fine though towels were a bit rough and thin. Standard toiletries were provided as was tea, though really only enough to make one cup. Though the rooms, lobby, etc. were quite clean, the building itself seems run-down and there is no external lighting so the parking are felt a bit unsafe. The SPLP is literally minutes from Paddington station (train and tube) and a wide assortment of shops and restaurants. There are quite a few tourists and alot of foot-traffic in general. Overall I felt the location was good but the hotel itself fell a bit short, particularly given the room prices on Friday and Saturday nights (but which fell considerably on Sunday and Monday).

Arrived to find that the actual room was across the street from the hotel, in the basement (!) and had an unsecured window that opened to an alley. Hardly a four star experience.. Since I was traveling alone and planning to spend most of my time touring about London, I settled on a single bed room. The photo of the room had to have been taken from the ceiling to make it look spacious. In reality, it was the size of a closet, at best. There was no counter for a glass of water near the sink, much less toiletries. Basically, there was no room whatsoever in the bathroom.and the room felt like a small, underground box. Hugely disappointing.

The best thing about this hotel was the location. The room was incredibly small in all dimensions, no in-room WiFi, and there was no refrigerator as promised (difficult when you have insulin that needs refrigeration). The staff were helpful, it's not their fault that the promised amenities were non-existent. I don't understand how this is a four-star hotel. We feel that the booking agency is the organization to blame.

The best part about this hotel was the location. It is a 2-minute walk from Paddington Station, and it situated on a gorgeous residential street lined with trees (so it's not too noisy). The room was quaint and small, but had all the essentials; private bathroom, TV, desk, comfy beds and a closet. The front desk staff wasn't too helpful - I had asked for additional water bottles and they never came, we had an issue with our thermostat and that was never fixed, but our beds were made everyday. Wi-Fi was only available in the lobby, which was a slight inconvenience, but overall a very pleasant stay. Clean, comfortable and the location can't be beat.

They tried to stick us in a basement room with only one bed, even though our reservation was for twins. Eventually they found a room with 2 doubles on the ground floor (looking out onto hvac shaft). The location is terrific for Paddington Station and while I could have wished that things were cleaned a little better, the sheets were clean and the beds comfortable.

Room very clean but so tiny that bathroom door struck bed giving an opening of 14 to 18 inches. With 2 people, one has to stay in bed while the other is up Location is great.

Good, The location is excellent, Paddington around the corner, 20 minutes to Heathrow via cab or tube. Lots of pubs, restaurants and convenience stores within 5 minutes walk. Not so good- the rooms are tiny even by England standards, the beds are 3/4 so smaller than a double, no free wifi in rooms, wifi in lobby very sporadic and slow.

Like many others, I was a bit taken aback by the smallness of my basement room. However, it had everything I needed, and it was actually pretty quiet .. which is something that I value. My room was very clean, and an easy 10 minute walk from Paddington station ... where the Heathrow Express comes in. If you are on a budget, this is a good choice.

I booked a room with two beds, and since one wasn't available at check-in, I was offered two single bed rooms without any extra charge. The rooms were pretty small which is the only somewhat downside. However, location, staff, and cleanliness were amazing. The free WiFi is pretty spotty. Free breakfast was a nice touch as well; we weren't expecting it.

Easy check-in. Very helpful staff! I had a nice room with in-room safe, microwave. Quiet on 5th floor where I was. WiFi only available in the lobby -- but I was able to access it some from my room once I had the password. 5 min walk from Paddington station -- very convenient. Nearby restaurants / small shops. 10 min slow jog to Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park for extensive paths -- Excellent for jogging -- loads of other people out running, walking their dogs, riding horses, biking, in the mornings.

This was the smallest double room that we have ever stayed in!! The positives.....LOCATION....we walked to Paddington. The bed was comfortable and the tiny bath was recently nicely updated.

The location was perfect. The staff were very helpful on a few issues that came up (not hotel related). If your work takes you to and from Paddington, this place is much less than Hilton. It is not a real 4 star but hey, its London, go spend the money elsewhere. Overall, I recommend this place and its sister hotel.

The Hotel is very clean, very modern, very tasteful. Our room could NOT have been smaller. The Dble bed was comfortable and amenities were fine. Wifi in Lobby only, Ethernet in rooms. Next time I go, and I will go again, I will confirm the size of my room beforehand. Visitors have to realise that space in Central London is EXTREMELY expensive. That said my Wife and I spent very little time in the Hotel and had a blast! 5 mins walk from Hyde Park (beautiful) and less than 5 mins walk from Paddington (direct cheap connection to Heathrow) the whole experience was very positive. I'm an Ex Patriated Englishman who has travelled extensively and would have no problem recommending this Hotel. Of course if you want a bigger room, even closer to the City expect to pay more.

All things considered, a great deal for the value. Rooms are smallish (compared to American hotel rooms) but nicely appointed with a fridge and microwave. The fridges are in a cupboard with no circulation, so they aren't too cold unless you pull them out. A little inconveinent, but worth it! You can also adjust the windows to open fully and provide more air. Staff was pleasant and the location was very conveinent to tube access. I would stay there again, but may bring my own pillow and a small fan (especially if you are there in summer).

Better than I expected for London hotels in this price range. Convenient to Paddington and the tube. We enjoyed the fresh flowers and free internet although it took very long to load.

The hotel is in a great location, 1 block away from the Paddington station. Room is clean however small. The one drawback is that there is no a/c or heat. Everytime I have stayed at this hotel, they always say it is out of order. Other than than, it is worth it.