The Hempel Hotel London

Don't bother

who ever designed this place should be ashamed. its pretty but completely non functional(i challenge you to try showering without flooding the bathroom) and the furnishings are cheap and flimsy. if you want a hotel that looks pretty in photos this is the place for you, if you want comfort and service without attitude look elsewhere.

Not what was expected, over rated.

When I first saw the Hemel Hotel I honestly believed it would be something special and a nice place to take my partner to for a nice weekend break.

Considering the money spent on the room which was booked I feel that it really was not worth a penny!

The hotel was suppose to be a contemporary look which had oriental feel to it, but the room which i stayed in was bland and boring. I was rather embarrassing because it looked like a DIY job because it was so simple and my partners room looked rather similar.

The toilet was nice but the bath tub was the most awkward shape to get into, anyone of older age would find it difficult to get in and out.

The bed was extremely low and uncomfortable.

The little seating area for meals was the worst as it was difficult to sit down into the little lowered space provided.

Despite these little inconveniences it wasn't all that bad and the staff were really friendly, but I still do feel it was way too much money for what was provided.

The Hempel has been over rated by far!

Oh my!

This was my second stay at the Hempel and it confirmed my first impression - it is definitely not good value for money.

The service was poor; on arrival I was told by the porter that the hotel had been taken over 'finally' and that things 'would be better in future' - not a good start. The room was smokey and I got (thankfully mild) food poisoning from room service. I am not usually fussy over hotels but it did genuinely feel like a let down...I am not sure I will be back to check out the results of the takeover!

Not really that special!

My wife booked me a surprise trip to London for my birthday and I was quite excited when she said we were staying at the Hempel.The idea is good,but it needs some serious money spending to upgrade the standard of finish.The bathroom was tatty at best and had the previous occupants hair in the bath.Won't be staying here again.

So disappointed

My wife booked this hotel as my 40th birthday surprise knowing I had always wanted to stay there. What a surprise it was indeed but not of the good variety.

The hotel was quite frankly poor, but the restaurant was absolutely fantastic.

When you walk in the lobby looks very impressive at first glance but when casting a critical eye over the detailing it needed a little t.l.c. But hey, lobbies get hard and constant use and you don't spend much time there in reality.

However, I was genuinely shocked by the room we were sent to. The room was dungeon like even though it was 3 floors up. The bed was shoved against some french windows which looked out onto a really scruffy building that was very close behind, it looked more a tenament block than a building you expect to find in a smart address in West London. It was a grotty view and in the summertime it had the potential, I'm sure, to be very noisy with all those balconies and open windows so close to your bed. I didn't exactly expect to see "whordes of wildebeest sweeping majestically across the plains" from my hotel window but this was pretty grim.

The bathroom was so poorly lit there must have been bulbs missing or the dimmer switch was on the blink, you needed a torch - really! The trendy stone sink had a huge chunk missing from it and the whole suite felt tired and grubby and cramped.

My wife had booked this many months in advance, paid a deposit, and had specifically requested a room at the front overlooking the zen-like gardens. So this room was definitely not what was requested.

When we complained we were told (after standing for ages the at the reception desk) that all the rooms at the front were fully booked - well thanks a bunch! The staff knew in advance it was special occasion event because they had instructions to place gifts from friends and relatives in the room and my wife had had ordered champagne etc. Yet they still managed to find us the crummiest room in the place. If she hadn't gone to so much trouble I would have walked out there and then and stayed in another hotel.

We did get another room which was bigger and better, but it was still a bit grubby round the egdes:- things like the sealant round the bath was grotty looking, the stone sink had chips, although not as bad as the previous room and the radio system didn't work in the bathroom and the lights were not all working. But at these prices you have right to expect the rooms to be immaculate and working 100%. However, the new room also still looked out on to the crummy view at the back, you had very little privacy from all those windows and balconies especially as only the bottom part of the bathroom window was frosted - which rather defeats the point of having a minimalist, peaceful, tranquil room when the view out looks almost slum-like and you have to shut a towel in the top part of the sash window to take a shower or sit on the loo.

I also had to complain to the staff about the cleanliness of the second room we were given, it had not been hoovered properly and the previous "guest" had been doing some sort of glamour photo-shoot and had left their portfolio/photos behind which should have been picked up if housekeeping had been in there recently. We also had problems with the mattress, it was too long for the bed, causing some odd moments.

And just to add insult to injury I didn't get much sleep either because you could hear so much of what was going on in the corridor.

When it came time to check out, I asked to speak to the manager to air my grievences and they did eventually reduce the rate somewhat but I really felt awful having to do this as my wife had gone to so much trouble and expense to make it a really special occasion - it was really embarrasing. At the end of the day I didn't want a discounted rate, I wanted what had been ordered and expectations met accordingly. I had arrived feeling happy and relaxed at the prospect of a lovely weekend in London but left feeling stressed, tired, ripped off and so very disappointed.

I sincerely hope that after our stay the management have taken on board our comments at the time and improved things and maybe they have but I would say "caveat emptor"

Anouska, if you reading this you should be concerned. I believe you no longer own this establishment, but this hotel still carries your name and therefore your reputation...

The one positive side however was the restaurant. After the room(s) debacle I was dreading to go the restaurant and nearly cancelled our booking but I have to say it was fantastic. The staff were so attentive I swear that they were psychic! The food was amazing in both taste and presentation, the dining room was beautifully designed and the ambience was wonderful (there was even a harpist playing whilst we dined) it was really special. Talk about compare and contrast!!!

White is the Colour, Minimalism is the Game, We like to Charge you a lot and Hempel is the Name

Service isn't the theme here, stark white minimalism is. We stayed in the Lioness Den suite - breathtaking, large (on 3 stories). Bathroom was cool - stainless steel, bed was unusual (suspended by metal bars and placed on wood). It was an experience but not really worth the money. The setting is nice and the gardens in front of the hotel are pretty. Locationwise it's a bit out of the way in Paddington and the starkness of the decoration does make you feel like you are in a white-painted chapel of rest. If you like to experiment and stay at different places, you won't go wrong here but you just probably won't feel a huge urge to go back.

Interesting Minimalism - but a bit shabby

I like staying in non-conventional hotels, which is why I gave the Hempel a try. I was impressed by the fact the hotel phoned me 2 days before my arrival to ask me if I needed anything special in my room.

Reception was very attentive and courteous. However a 6am wake-up call request never materialised and I ended up being late getting to a meeting. A bedside lamp was not functioning for about 3 days, until I eventually reported it.

The feel of the room was very zen and relaxing (if you like that kind of thing) and I liked the fact it overlooked a lovely garden square (I hate it when I end up in a room overlooking a brick wall or an interior shaft!). However fittings and furnishings were a bit bashed and worn out, the corridor carpet covered in stains, and I kept getting startled by the sound of doors slamming throughout the hotel. I also did not like the fact the bed had conventional sheets and blankets rather than a duvet.

Room service food was extremely tasty and the best thing about the hotel.

All in all, an interesting hotel, with plus and minus points, but I would not return.

Shocker!!!

Dear Readers,

please do yourselves a HUGE favour and do not waste your hard-earned wedge in this disappointing establishment. I try to stay in different hotels when in London mainly out of curiosity. However, after staying in the Mandarin Oriental the last time I went I vowed to go back to there because it truely is one of the worlds great hotels if you value classical styling, modern fittings, well equipped rooms and fantastic, disreet service.

Unfortunately, when the time came to make the reservation I hesitated and decided to surprise my girlfriend and book the Hempel after having been taken in by some of the comments on this site and the slick website. This was a mistake - read on..

...on arrival there was a bit of a fuss regarding the parking of the car which I didn't think was necassary but I overlooked. After this I had to carry 2 of my bags up to the room without the porter even offering to take them. On arrival in the room the porter gave us a brief description of the functions in the quite frankly poorly designed room. After this we discovered the bed was hard and the shower completely useless. We then discovered there was no bottle opener in the minibar which the staff never brought up even when asked. The light in the bathroom flickred incessantly. On the way out that evening we then heard the whole lude episode which was going on in the room next to us - in hindsight this was actually one of the highlights of the stay, but had it been going on during the night I would have gone mental!! To do anything you have to call the operator who rarely seemed to man the phone anyway (the following morning I called down to inform the staff that I was checking out and it rang out 4 times!! I then called the external line and that too rang out!!).

On check out I felt like I had been dragged through a bush rather than relaxed and ready to face the day - all this and I was £300 worse off!

I left the hotel and checked into the Oriental where I immediately felt at home. Although it was slightly more expensive I think it is worth every penny.

If you really want minimalist style then go to the Sanderson - it does it in a much better fashion for a similar price.

The best of the best!

Minimalist, trendy, charming!! Very good service.Super Thai restaurant (a little bit expensive!)If you stay in London, at least once you have to try it!

Sureal

The Lobby is gorgeous and the whole hotel is very mimilist. The guest rooms are large and very well equipt, however i couldn't help but find them a bit cold. Considering the size of my room, it only had a tiny window in the corner, so virtually all the light was artifical (Which in a certain way was good, as it has extensive lighting features (dimming etc.))! The bathroom was big and had a walk-in-shower as well as a bath/shower. Also there was a separate room with another toilet and sink! (as if one wasn't enough!!?) Overall, the hotel was of a very high standard and the staff were very welcoming.