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Reviews of Shakespeare Hotel

3 out of 5
Shakespeare Hotel
22-28 Norfolk Square, Paddington, London, England

Reviews

7.2

Good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 175 out of 887 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 344 out of 887 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 203 out of 887 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 107 out of 887 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 58 out of 887 reviews" "

7.6/10

Cleanliness

7.8/10

Staff & service

6.6/10

Amenities

6.4/10

Property conditions & facilities

7.0/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

4/10 Poor

HiuMei

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
The place looks a bit dirty and it was noisy all over the stay
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2024

8/10 Good

Soenita

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Great location, wonderful staff!
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2024

4/10 Poor

Colin

Travelled with family
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
The GOOD: The staff were courteous and friendly. The location is great as it's walking distance to Paddington Station so getting around is easy on the Tube, especially going on the Elizabeth Line to the airport. There are many shops and restaurants around. On our 2nd stay at the hotel, I made a request to stay on the upper level of the building which the friendly staff granted. The BAD: On our first booking, we were placed in a room in the basement. The ceiling light was not working. It was hard to get the right water temperature with the shower as it was either too hot or too cold. The kettle is made of metal so take caution as it may burn your arm. The small table was wobbly. The worst thing about being in the basement room is that every 3 to 5 mins the underground train comes in and it's located under the room which is not only loud but rattles your bed too. You will not be able to sleep if your room is in the basement. The UGLY: The room does not look like anything in the picture. The picture showed 3 or 4 beds, but in actuality it was one bed with bunk beds. It still sleeps 4 though. The basement room is also located next to the hotel's dinning area. There were also boxes placed around the corridor of the basement. In my opinion, the basement room should not be rented out at all. It needs to be a store or a staff room. I would stay here again because of The GOOD reasons given.
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2024

8/10 Good

Allison, Everett

Travelled with partner
Liked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
We really enjoyed the Shakespeare. Paddington Station is half a block away. In Paddington Station there is a grocery store, pharmacy/drug store, several restaurants, a Burger King and many other shops. It's well lit and upscale. And so, so close to the Shakespeare.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2024

6/10 Okay

Nilfa

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Staff & service
Lack of staff to help older people bring their luggage to the room wherein all of us are seniors 70 and place in the 3rd floor.
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2024

10/10 Excellent

Christopher, Lincoln

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Great location, just 5 mins walk from Paddington station. Rental bikes close by also.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2024

8/10 Good

Katherine

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
2 minutes walk to the tube and main line station. Lots of places to eat in the neighbourhood with easy access to all the sites and central London. The square has recently been renovated and buildings decorated. The staff at the hotel are super nice and helpful, letting us leave our luggage at hotel before & after check out. The room was clean and bright with a fridge and tea/coffee making facilities. The on suite was clean with soap & towel’s provided. We were on the 4th floor and no lift but not a problem as we are fit. We look forward to staying again.
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2024

4/10 Poor

Julia

Travelled with partner
Disliked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This hotel was an exploration of gaslighting. What do I mean by that? Well, our room had a balcony, on which was a table and some chairs. A sign visible from inside the room forbade us from going onto the balcony. So why, then, were there a table and chairs on the balcony, except to make people who were not staying at the hotel think that there was balcony access? Our stay was riddled with contradictions like this. No potable water in the bathrooms, but a glass sitting next to the sink. A game room, but, oh wait, it costs a pound to play per individual game. I got a distinct sense that I had been bamboozled somehow, and now that I was in their care, all they wanted was to extract as much money from me as possible before sending me on my way. Not only is the water not potable in the bathrooms, but our bathroom had the bonus feature of having a strong swampy odor. (We lovingly nicknamed it the "Stink Room.") This odor got a bit better when you propped the door open, but that, of course, allowed the stink into the room proper. The shower in the bathrooms also was unacceptable. I had a broken ankle during my visit, and the bottom of the shower was so slippery, I was scared to bathe because I was afraid that I would fall. This is something that can be remedied with a plastic mat, which is not expensive to fix. We paid extra for breakfast, which was a mistake. The buffet had the same choices every day, everything was lukewarm, and the coffee was shockingly bitter.
Stayed 6 nights in Mar 2024

8/10 Good

Fiona CFChai

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Named after the world’s famous Shakespeare. Went to see The Merchant of Venice Shakespeare’s play few days earlier. A fan of Paddington Bear & the train station was named after the lovable bear born in Peru. These were my reasons to sample this hotel. I am a member of London’s Hospitality Institute doing my own research about the quality of UK’s hotels!
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024

10/10 Excellent

Valeria

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed here with my sister for the weekend and it was lovely! Amazing and attentive staff. The hotel is located near various public transportation options which made getting your different parts of the city easy. There’s also a lot of dining options nearby that were delicious! Room was clean and bed was comfortable. I didn’t mind the stairs and loved the aesthetic of the hotel. It does get a bit noisy at night but it is a city after all so it wasn’t a problem for me. Definitely recommend!
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2024

10/10 Excellent

Enid

Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Beautiful room.
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2024

4/10 Poor

kayleigh

Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
We booked a family room. We didnt know it was in the basement. Felt like we were sleeping in the underground tube station! The trains didnt stop until midnight, started again at 5am, none of us slept at all! £122 to be awake all night long, it was awful.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024
Response from Monika on 24 Apr 2024
Dear guest, thank you for taking time to leave us a review! We are sorry that you had a negative experience at our hotel this time around. We are located in a close proximity to the underground and Central London, sadly this means the underground tunnel is quite close by to our hotel. Our sincere apologies, feedback like yours helps us improve our quality, thank you for taking the time to provide us your insight. Kind regards, Shakespeare Hotel

4/10 Poor

John, MIAMI

Travelled with partner
Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
There was a continuous smell of sewer at all times. The bathroom door had to remain closed!!! Our room was no. 331 Having no lift was a great inconvenience and there was no help offered to carry our suitcases to the 3rd floor up narrow and steep staircases. Due to groups of teenagers there was constant noise, shouting, laughing and shhhhing up to midnights
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2024
Response from Monika on 24 Apr 2024
Dear guest, thank you for taking time to leave us a review! We are sorry to hear you had a negative experience at our hotel this time around, we always thrive to improve our services and your feedback helps us. Please mind we do have a luggage porter available at peak times to help with luggage. Kind regards, Shakespeare Hotel

4/10 Poor

Ash

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
The walls are paper thin. The hotel shakes from the underground tube until midnight and then from 5:45am. There was a lack of control of some incredibly annoying French teenagers drinking, throwing up, running around the hotel and making out in the corridors until after 2am. Worst hotel experience I have ever had.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2024

8/10 Good

Concetta

Stayed 1 night in Feb 2024
Response from Monika on 24 Apr 2024
Dear guest, Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review!We appreciate this, as it helps us continue to grow. We look forward to hosting you again soon.Best Regards,Shakespeare Hotel

6/10 Okay

Victoria

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The hotel was in an area I liked but I did not think the room was very clean. My towels always smelled like smoke.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2024

8/10 Good

Loo Chi Pong, Wanchai

Conveniently located - a stone’s throw away from Paddington Station. But the steep stairs are tricky to navigate if you have bulky luggages
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024

10/10 Excellent

RUDI, Sheffield

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Looked after my case for me was kept behind reception so knew it was safe unlike some hotels I have been to recently
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2024

6/10 Okay

Cheryl

Liked: Staff & service
Stayed 5 nights in Dec 2023

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very small room with smaller shower and toilet. Very lumpy bed that dipped to one side.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2024

8/10 Good

Cemil

Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024

6/10 Okay

Cheryl

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
En-suite was needed for mobility challenged elder with small service dog. That only came with very small 9’x5’ room spanning stairs above and below. Very narrow (UK twin) bed abutted wall with non-insulated window. Hours for heating carefully controlled but Reception very responsive to turning it back on. Small but great hot shower. Taxi assistance depended on duty receptionist. WiFi acceptable. Higher speeds can be purchased. In room (sink) water marked Non Potable. In room info card out of date. Bottled water available in dispenser on ground floor. Breakfast food was great! If getting Full English buy ticket from Reception first. Complementary breakfast more than adequate. Be prepared for lots of stairs! Morning and day staff were exceptional, friendly, helpful and professional. Harry Potter would have given his ‘room under the stairs’ 5 stars! But he was a magician! Owners should seriously graduate to better insulated windows to control heat costs and improve customer comfort. Maintenance response was very good and much appreciated. Thank him please.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024

6/10 Okay

Nicola

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024

6/10 Okay

DEBRA

Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023

8/10 Good

Victor

Travelled with group
Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Hotel is like 2 blocks near Paddington station, which is ideal if you're traveling to the Heathrow Airport. The The hotel does not have a lift, so it was harsh to take the narrow stairs up to the 3rd floor with lots of luggage weighting around 70 pounds. Lots of souvenirs shops and places to eat (fast food chains like mcdonalds, KFC, coffe shops) near the hotel.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023

6/10 Okay

Lisa

Stayed 7 nights in Dec 2023

6/10 Okay

Masood

Liked: Cleanliness
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2023
Response from Kind Regards, Grace on 6 Jan 2024
Dear Masood, Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. We appreciate your feedback.

2/10 Terrible

fares

Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
I was pleasantly surprised.
My room was perfectly acceptable for the price I paid. The room was very well lit, with a high ceiling which gave a sense of space. The bed was fairly comfortable and the sheets were fresh and clean. My room, including the bathroom was extremely clean, the shower worked really well. The downsides - no soundproofing, you can hear the other guests in their rooms, and no shower mat so it was a bit slippy.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023
Response from Kind Regards, Grace on 6 Jan 2024
Hello,Thank you for taking the time to write a review. We are so glad you enjoyed your stay! Thank you for your kind comments about our hotel, we greatly appreciate it, as it helps us continue to grow. We hope to host you again soon!

4/10 Poor

Rodney

Travelled with family
Disliked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
Walkways outside were dirty with trash. Service once inside was minimal. Not rude, just lacking in helpfulness. It was a maze to get to our room, and the front desks directions were just go down the hall and take a right. Carpets were clean, but in very poor repair, worm through with holes in many places. The water pressure in the shower was very low, and the water in the bathroom was not potable. Would not recommend staying.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023
Response from Kind Regards, Grace on 6 Jan 2024
Dear Rodney, Thank you for taking the time to write a review. We are sorry that you were not fully pleased wiht your stay. Please be assured that we will look into the issues you mentioned. Feedback like yours has been useful for us to improve our quality, so I appreciate you taking the time to provide your insight.

4/10 Poor

Harold, Cartago

Travelled with family
Disliked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Para nada agradable la habitación que nos dan es en un sotano donde cada metro que pasa se escucha,deberían indicar que esta es la condición de la misma a la hora de ofrecerla
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023
Response from Kind Regards, Grace on 5 Jan 2024
Dear Harold, Thank you for taking the time to write a review. We are very sorry that you were not pleased with your stay - we do our best to create a quiet environment for guests but please keep in mind that we are an urban hotel with a prime location near a major train station. Feedback like yours has been useful for us to improve our quality, so I appreciate you taking the time to provide your insight.

2/10 Terrible

Rupinder

Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023
Response from Kind Regards, Grace on 5 Jan 2024
Hello, Thank you for taking the time to leave a review, we appreciate the feedback.

6/10 Okay

Mike

Travelled with family
Liked: Staff & service
Very dated and crampt
Stayed 4 nights in Dec 2023
Response from Kind Regards, Grace on 5 Jan 2024
Dear Mike, Thank you for taking the time to write a review. Feedback like yours has been useful for us to improve our quality, so I appreciate you taking the time to provide your insight.

8/10 Good

Marco

Liked: Staff & service
Cozy, great sleep, couldn’t really hear the tube, but the bathroom was extremely small
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023
Response from Grace on 5 Jan 2024
Dear Marco, Thank you for taking the time to write a review. We are glad you were pleased with your stay and we were able to meet your needs. Feedback like yours has been useful for us to improve our quality, so I appreciate you taking the time to provide your insight. We hope to host you again soon!

8/10 Good

Muhammad

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023
Response from Kind Regards, Grace on 5 Jan 2024
Dear Muhammad, Thank you for taking the time to leave a review, we appreciate your feedback.

6/10 Okay

Richard

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Bit of a tired place. Bedroom was small. Bed was pretty solidly uncomfortable. Shower took an age to get hot, and then was scorching or freezing. Overpowering smell of bleach in the room when I arrived (guess it was clean). Asked for an iron and ironing board from reception...waited an hour, before calling back only to be told I'd have to come and get it. I didn't hang around for breakfast. Overall it just about did the job, but I won't be rushing back.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023
Response from Kind Regards, Grace on 5 Jan 2024
Dear Richard, Thank you for taking the time to write a review. We are very sorry that you were not fully pleased with your stay. Feedback like yours has been useful for us to improve our quality, so I appreciate you taking the time to provide your insight.

6/10 Okay

Goran

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service

2/10 Terrible

Shaharyar

Travelled with family
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed for 1 night very out dated hotel bathroom was so small that one could hardly fit in there would not recommend it to stay
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2023
Response from Kind Regards, Grace on 5 Jan 2024
Dear Shaharyar, Thank you for taking the time to write a review. We are very sorry that you were not pleased with your stay. Feedback like yours has been useful for us to improve our quality, so I appreciate you taking the time to provide your insight.

6/10 Okay

Allan

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023
Response from Kind Regards, Grace on 5 Jan 2024
Dear Allan, Thank you for taking the time to leave a review, we appreciate your feedback.

10/10 Excellent

Malcolm

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
It was nice and clean.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023
Response from Grace on 2 Jan 2024
Dear Malcolm, Thank you for taking the time to write a review. We are glad you enjoyed your stay, and we greatly appreciate your positive feedback. We hope to host you again soon!

6/10 Okay

Marica

Travelled with family
Liked: Staff & service
The only thing we didn’t like is that it doesn’t have a lift we had to go up 4 flights of stairs
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2023
Response from Grace on 5 Jan 2024
Dear Marica, Thank you for taking the time to write a review. We are located in restored Victorian era homes, and the historic features of the building prevents us from installing a lift. We do not advertise having one on any booking platform. Feedback like yours has been useful for us to improve our quality, so I appreciate you taking the time to provide your insight.

10/10 Excellent

Maureen

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
excellent location
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2023
Response from Grace on 2 Jan 2024
Dear Maureen, Thank you for taking the time to write a review. We are so glad you enjoyed your stay, especially our location. We hope to host you again soon!

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Ok quality for money but no lift
The room was on the 4th floor of this old building without a lift and it was not specified in the description that the building has no lift and in the last set of stairs, that are so old that the steps are not even straight, they are leaning on one side and the room size was very small as I booked a single room, but the bed was very comfortable, they added lots of pillows that made the bed more comfortable and the room was warm and most important feature the hotel is very centrally located, 5min walking from Paddington station, reason why I have choose it. For one night is ok but with all those stairs I wouldn't recommend it if you have a big luggage, if you have problems doing many stairs or if you travel with kids. Besides that the price is a bit high for the general quality, size and condition of the room/hotel but I guess u are paying the comfort of being in zone 1, 5min to the train and tube stations.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2023
Response from Grace on 2 Jan 2024
Hello, Thank you for taking the time to write a review. We are flad you enjoyed our excellent location. We are located in restored Victorian era homes, and the historic features of the building prevents us from installing a lift. We do not advertise having one on any booking platform. We advise guests who may need mobility accommodation to contact the hotel prior to their stay so we can try to accommodate. Feedback like yours has been useful for us to improve our quality, so I appreciate you taking the time to provide your insight.

8/10 Good

sunil

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2023
Response from Grace on 2 Jan 2024
Dear Sunil, Thank you for taking the time to leave a review, we appreciate your feedback.

8/10 Good

Steven

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2023
Response from Grace on 2 Jan 2024
Dear Steven, Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. We appreciate your feedback.

6/10 Okay

Aleesha

Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2023
Response from Kind Regards, Grace on 5 Jan 2024
Dear Aleesha, Thank you for taking the time to leave a review, we appreciate your feedback.

8/10 Good

Paul

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Good standard accommodation for a good price
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2023
Response from Grace on 2 Jan 2024
Dear Paul, Thank you for taking the time to write a review. We are glad you enjoyed your stay, and appreciate your feedback. We hope to host you again soon!

4/10 Poor

Gerardo

Travelled with family
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
2 star
No elevator, sent to a lower level with tons of luggage. So it was really difficult to get to our room. Noise level was too high. Floors were uneven and worn down. The bathroom was a very tight squeeze and the shower head was broken. I think the only good thing was the location and friendly staff.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2023
Response from Grace on 2 Jan 2024
Dear Gerardo, Thank you for taking the time to write a review. We greatly appreciate your kind comment about our staff and location. We are located in restored Victorian era homes, and the historic features of the building prevents us from installing an elevator. We do not advertise having one on any booking platform. Feedback like yours has been useful for us to improve our quality, so I appreciate you taking the time to provide your insight.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Near the Paddington train station is a plus in a few minutes. The area was safe to walk at night…and a good pub for a drink….
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2023
Response from Grace on 2 Jan 2024
Hello, Thank you for taking the time to write a review. We are so glad you enjoyed your stay, especially our excellent location. We hope to host you again soon!

4/10 Poor

Mark J

Travelled with family
Disliked: Staff & service, amenities
When I booked through Expedia, I booked a room with two single beds. The Shakespeare hotel said that they had received a booking for one double bed. They charged me an extra 20 pounds per night because they had to upgrade us to a room to a double and a single bed. they were unwilling to compromise on charging me more. This apparently was neither of our faults, however, they were unwilling to take half of the cost.
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2023
Response from Grace on 2 Jan 2024
Dear Mark J, Thank you for taking the time to write a review. We are sorry that you were not fully satisfied with your stay. We recieved a booking for one standard double bed, and the only available room was an upgrade and larger. Feedback like yours has been useful for us to improve our quality, so I appreciate you taking the time to provide your insight.