The Cadogan, A Belmond Hotel, London

This hotel has a lot of good reviews and until December, I was one of its loyal admirers. But, good grief....what a horrible stay at this hotel on December 26, which used to be my favorite small London hotel. The stay was not terrible, but very poor. I discovered this hotel two years ago and thought I hit the jackpot with a great affordable hotel in London. My first stay, started a bit weird as the front desk staff never returned emails. No problem, I contacted the then general manager, who promptly assisted. Fast forward two years and the reception staff still ignore emails to the point of being downright insulting. It is interesting that they behave in this manner as they literally sit at the reception desk for hours, without many guests, yet they still fail to respond to emails. This is outrageous. But never fear, I simply email the GM, who generally responds within a few minutes. This stay was no different, I needed a room for December 26. So on December 25, I reached out to the hotel to see if they could confirm an early arrival. Of course, true to form, reception ignored my two emails. As the matter was urgent, I reached out to two other hotels, who quickly responded. My last attempt was copying the GM, he responded within minutes and confirmed the room would be ready for my early arrive. Of course, it was not ready, but after I was escorted to the restaurant to order a breakfast I did not want, the room became available. When I went to my assigned room, I was shocked. Not only was it one of the smallest at the hotel, but the hotel ignored my mobility issues, of which they were well aware from my previous stays and my notes in the reservation. The room had stairs from the entry door to the small living area. I found it every difficult to navigate the stairs, almost falling on two occasions. There was also no work desk, which I had informed the hotel and its GM many times was very important. Instead, I had a small table with a small low to the floor chair. It was difficult for me to sit down, get up or bend over the small table to work. Strangely as well, the housekeeping team put a plywood board on top of the mattress, not under the mattress or between the box spring and mattress, but literally on top, and then covered the wood with a thin sheet. They intended me to sleep on a board. What on earth could they be thinking? I then struggled to remove to board and carry it up the stairs into the hallway. There was a member of staff in the hallway, but they offered no assistance with the board. If I wanted to sleep on a board, I would not pay $1,300 a night. I was suppose to receive an upgrade to at least a Deluxe room, but no upgrade was provided, and to add insult to injury, the welcome amenity was one piece of chocolate. The bathroom was tiny and there was no proper shower door. The water from the shower created a sleek danger zone int he bathroom, just what someone with m

We had been on the Orient Express to Venice so did have reasonable expectations as to how the hotel would be. But yes it was far better than we thought! Sometimes a four night stay in these top London hotels can be a bit much but we thoroughly enjoyed every minute and had a great laugh. Without exception everyone was relaxed and friendly. Visit the Physic Garden and the Cadogan Square Garden, try the Dover Sole and the various cocktails, gobble down some free sweets and raid the mini bar. Actually the attention to detail was faultless and shout-out to housekeeping who are mind-readers as our room was magically done just when we needed it. Basically this is the best Hotel in London and anywhere in England. Certainly didn’t need to rely on lots of sneezy Flower Show and In-Bloom entertainment to have a brilliant laugh. Thank you!

We missed the buffet breakfast that was available on previous stays. The ala carte breakfast was no match

My phone was stolen right outside the Belmond and I ran inside, asking to use their phone to contact my family to help me. I was met with outstanding kindness and care from everyone, but in particular from Najwa. She calmed me down, reassured me, got me a glass of water, and spoke with me until I left. Her kindness to another stranger in need was not necessary, however seemed to come totally naturally to her, and I cannot thank her enough for this. She was my guardian angel in a really tough moment and I was extremely lucky to have encountered her kindness through this. A very grateful stranger, George A.