I was pleasantly surprised

I stayed at this hotel in June 2003 for $70 from Priceline. I was VERY worried after reading all the reviews, but ended up being very happy after I got there. True, it's not beautiful from the outside, but who cares? After all, you don't sleep on the sidewalk out in front. Turn around and look the other direction if you need to see some nice architecture. I asked for a quiet room, and was given one on the side opposite the trains with no hassle. The room and bathroom were large (for a London hotel), and everything in mine looked brand new. It had a small refridgerator, a desk, a small table and two chairs, and the bed was very comfortable. The room was well lit, and had a nice large window. The bathroom was very nice with plenty of large towels. I did not eat in the restaurant because I heard it was very expensive, but there are many nice places to eat in the area. I found the staff to be pleasant. I would definately stay at the Copthorne Tara again. It is in a wonderful location, and was a great deal for the price.

Decent hotel, Copthorne Tara Kensington

I read the mixed reviews of this hotel after I'd already made a reservation, so I was a little concerned, but I'm happy to say the stay at this hotel turned out to be a decently pleasant experience. The advice in one of the reviews to request a quite room was helpful. The exterior as well as the interior of the hotel could use some updating, but the location was great and the staff were polite, friendly and helpful. The room was clean and I would recommend this hotel to anyone visiting London.

Priceline deal

This hotel is a great deal if you got it using Priceline - and are paying less than $75 US per night. I would not pay "normal" prices to stay here. I was pleasantly surprised with the hotel after reading all of these negative reports. I requested a room on a high floor - away from the train noise - and I got exactly what I had requested. The location is great. (It is rated a 4 star hotel on Priceline in the Kensington Neighborhood.)

Terrible!

You do not need be an American spoiled tourist to dislike this place. I am not an American nor am I a frequent traveler, but it surely does not take much to feel disgusted as you see this place. It is ugly, ugly, ugly. Spend your 90 pounds at a quaint bed and breakfast instead.

Great bang for the buck!

I travel for a living, so I think I can be objective. Having read some of the previous reviews I was worried about my choice of this hotel. It turned out that I shouldn't have worried even though on first inspection this is one of the ugliest buildings I have ever seen! This is not a 4 star hotel, but it is not what the spoiled & pampered reviewers have led you to believe. My room cost less than $80/night. The room needs some updating, but there were no glaring problems. The room was of a good Hampton Inn quality. Service was both adequate & friendly. My room was spacious and the bathroom was equally roomy. I was surprised that I got turn down service at night. I would recommend that you ask to stay on the side of the building opposite the tube. They granted my request with no hassles. I didn't use the hotels many services, except the pub, as I rarely hang out at any hotel. The location of the hotel is great. The "High St. Kensington" tube is 1 block away. The area around the hotel is a nice upscale retail location. There are also plenty of good restaurants & pubs in this very wealthy neighborhood. I would suggest Maggie Jones & IL Portico for dinner. "Scardales" is a great neighborhood pub a few minutes away in Edwardes Sq. that you have to visit. All in all, I will return to the Tara on my next visit!

This is not a 4 star hotel!

My husband and I travel very much since I am from Europe and we have been going to London at least twice a year for the past 10 years. I must admit that after seeing this hotel we were both shocked. It looks like a run-down depressing hospital from the outside and it's attached to the tube station. The rooms are clean, the restaurant/lounge area are okay. The views on the surrounding buildings and the station are depressing.

The only positive is the vicinity to High Street Kensington and all the shops, as well as to Kensington Palace and gardens. Overall, I would not recommend this place.

Don't Go There

No English: Desk Japanese

Gift shop Korean

Dinning Rm Croat

Small Dining Macidonian

Maids E.European

All independant did and would not interact with each other. No questions answered "not my area" Often Contradictions. I

spent 1hr trying to get doorknob menu Breakfast. "doan unner stant" "not my ARea" NO Bible in room "NOT allowed"

Spoiled American tourists rate it badly

Just spent 5 days at Copthorne Tara and quite pleased compared to other London hotels we have stayed in. Clean spacious room and bathroom, large towels, sufficiently quiet even tube side (7th floor), fridge in room nice feature, staff friendly and helpful, well situated to tube stop. Not the most beautiful hotel outside but quite acceptable inside. I do believe most of the negative input comes from spoiled American tourists with expectations far exceeding realities in this very expensive lodging city. I'm American myself, but not spoiled, and have a clue. You could do far, far worse for far more money than this hotel.

Not a 4 Star Hotel

When you approach this hotel, from High St. Kensington tube station, it looks like a complete dump. The sign is dimly lit, it has holes in it, the hotel is buried at the end of an alley. It looks like a Central European hotel of the Soviet era. Not the place for a romantic weekend in London.

The lobby is definitely not 4 star standard. Generally worn and unappealing.

The rooms are not bad, decent size and quiet. It is true that one side overlooks the district line, but the positive spin is that it also affords a nice panoramic view to the east.

Populated by the usual group of 2nd tier tourists.

It would be a passable 3 star hotel.

Borderline 4 star hotel

Very nice hotel - it was clean, rooms were decent sized (though nothing bigger than doubles are available), and the service was fine. However, it sits right next to the District Tube line. Yes, that's right. Somehow, a four star hotel has rooms that rumble with the sound of the trains (at least on the side of the building in which we were) every 5 minutes.