Great Hotel Near British Museum for Students and Budget

I think this is an excellent location for the money. The Imperial is a large modern building in the Bloomsbury area a block or so away from the British Museum. It has a reasonably priced 24 hour cafe and a rental car location within the hotel. This hotel is geared mainly to student groups and budget travelers. Everytime I have stayed here I have been pleased. One must keep in mind that there is no A/C and that accommodations are basic but still with private full baths. I know many repeat customers who enjoy the location and the value. The hotel owners also own the nearby President Hotel.

Great Budget Hotel

This is a wonderful hotel to stay at when you are in London. I'm not sure what everyone else was complaining about though. Yes, the rooms are small but do you really need a big room?? The bathroom tub was narrow but the shower had a wonderful flow and hot water that didn't give out. Do not expect the typical American hotel room that you are used to because guess what... you're not in America. Things are different and that's why you came to London, to experience the difference and the city... go out and enjoy it. The Staff was wonderful and very helpful.

I'd skip breakfast at the hotel, there is a wonderful little market with an ATM machine right outside, about a block or so up and to the right, just across the street from the Tube Station that you can get pastries for breakfast. There's a postoffice just up the street as well, with internet access and ATM machine as well, and down the street are loads of resturants. Great indian food and a Pizza Express that has great pizzas.

The British Museum is walking distance and so is Oxford Street. There is a Tshirt-souvenir shop that sells the Original Bus Tour tickets and I'd recommend any first time vistors taking advantage because it gives you a great overview of the city.

As I said, the room was small but I'd asked for a room on the upper floors and received one without any difficulty that faced the courtyard. The walls are a bit thin, I will conceed that, but my neighbor was not noisey and the others on the floor were quite lovely. If it was a problem, I had earplugs at the ready. The room was quite dark as well so that was a plus.

Whenever I come back to London, and I will come back, I will definitely stay at this hotel again and would recommend it to friends and to you.

Regular to nice

A pleasant hotel to stay for the weekend. The "tube" is pretty near, so as Britsh Museum. It's lobby is charming, though it's a bit old-fashioned. The cristals are very nice. We've stayed in an Russel Square overlooking view, I guess the best ones. Rooms are very small, quite clean, average for the hotel category. The wall paper in some places need to be replaced. It has 5 elevators, don't know why, always busy. Breakfast was awful. It has only one option, english breakfast, no yoghurt, no ham, no chesse, no croissants or brioches. The old asian tart, the lady "sargeant", keeps the entrance blocked 'til you proof her you are an hotel guest, so, don't ever forget your key-pass or your room key. A last word for the front-office staff, the girls are nice and friendly, unlike men staff. Why so? Nevertheless is a nice play to stay. A option to consider when traveling to London.

Don't stay here--you'll be disappointed

What a mistake! This place is in desperate need of a MAJOR renovation---wallpaper peeling off walls in the hallway, lobby furnishings look like they came straight from a garage sale, old carpeting thoughout the property, toilets that don't always flush, and a dining room that has dirty table cloths.

I stayed here in March 2005 and wasn't expecting a 5-star experience, however since it was offered through British Airways, I did expect a clean hotel in reasonably good shape. This place is a dump, and I suspect that the other properties in the chain are the same or worse. I was so disappointed....think twice before booking here!

A Good Value and Excellent Location

I stayed at the Imperial just before Christmas 2004. The rooms are pretty much as pictured (if your eyes were wide angled). They are small, but clean and the location very convenient to the underground and bus lines. They offer no-smoking rooms on the 8th floor. I recommend a higher floor to avoid the noise problems noted in earlier reviews.The windows and walls are thin and do allow noise from the busy Russell square below. Rooms on the other side of the building are quieter in this respect, but don't have much of a view.

Service was excellent and friendly; the morning breakfast buffet was fantastic. Shop for prices; the airlines (BA) have some very good discounts on this hotel.

Thin walls and windows

I stayed four nights at the Imperial. The location was perfect and convenient for all that I needed to do. The rooms are clean. When I first checked in, I was given a room on the back side which looked over a roof and across to three other hotel buildings. It was like being in a gray tunnel. I requested a room on the front of the building, and I was quickly moved to a room overlooking Russell Square. That turned out to be both good news and bad news. Good news was that it was a very nice view. Bad news was that the windows are neither insulated nor double paned, so it was very noisy. My other major complaint is that the walls in this hotel are paper thin. I can tell you all about the couple next door, including......well, you know. I probably will not stay there again the next time I am in London.

Great value and location

Stayed in the fall of 2003. The room was small but clean and the breakfast buffet was great! The location is close to most of London's main sites. This hotel seems to be a hotspot for Tour Groups, but management kept the younger tourists under control. The people at the front desk were less than friendly and helpful, other than that I would stay again. Also for a hotel that size is has 2 computers for internet access that was seriously over-priced!

Good value for London prices and excellent full breakfast

Great location, right accross the street from Russell Square, with good resturants around and 2 blocks from the subway station. The room was pretty basic, nothing special, but clean and served the purpose of a decent place to spend the night after a busy sightseeing day in London.

If you are looking for a well-located, affordable hotel with no-frills, clean rooms and great breakfast at a reasonable price, that is the place for you. We found a great rate of U$ 116 a night with tax and breakfast at the British airways website.

Double bed incredibly small

Cons - Room was incredibly small, which was unexpected given the moderate price of the room. I have stayed in other more budget priced places that had more room. The biggest problem is that the double bed was more like a twin and 1/2 half. My husband & I, both of whom are not overweight could barely fit in it. Moving around in your sleep was not an option. Pros - The room was in good shape and clean. The location and amenities were good. The breakfast was very good. Overall a nice hotel. I would consider staying there again, but next time I would book twin beds.

Tiny but comfy

Stayed here several years ago and was impressed with it. Beware, the rooms are TINY. I had a single and could barely had room to put my suitcase on the floor. The staff was helpful and the Russell Square Tube station was a few minutes away. I would stay here again...