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Fielding Hotel,Covent Garden, London

Posted by (Fort Worth, Texas) on

Has anyone stayed at the Fielding Hotel in the last year? I'm arriving in London mid-May, 2023. I have already booked the Fielding, but can cancel. Rick lists it in his London hotels (yay!), the location seems perfect (Covent Garden!), and the price is pretty good. But I'm seeing reviews that are so very inconsistent.

Many reviewers say the place is clean, staff friendly, location perfect. But an alarming number of reviewers, from the last five months for instance, say say the place is grungy, dirty, with torn, stained, dirty linen. Some say the bathroom smells, the air con doesn't work, and the staff is indifferent to their complaints.

The size of the room isn't a problem, but cleanliness is. Last time I visited London (2019), upon arrival, the management at a hotel near Paddington informed us that their water wasn't potable and we should not drink it! We had to buy bottled water to brush our teeth.

For the Fielding, I like the location, and the photos online. I especially like that it is listed in Rick's hotels. But the reviews have me second guessing the place.

I'd really appreciate your feedback. I searched the forum to see if this hotel had been reviewed here, but the search didn't find anything.

If not the Fielding, do you have other suggestions?

Thank you all! Patricia

Posted by
28188 posts

I know nothing about that hotel, but from my own experience traveling in Europe between mid-June and late September, staffing is a serious problem in a lot of places. Quite a lot of my hotels were not servicing rooms daily. The situation may well be worse than average in England because of the impact of Brexit. Since this matters a great deal to you (not that anyone would be pleased by a dirty room), I'd recommend paying extra attention to more recent reviews.

Posted by
9254 posts

I’d be hesitant as well after looking at the inconsistent Trip Advisor reviews

Might I’d suggest looking at the following opitions: Premier Inn Victoria or Premier Inn Aldgate. Also Vancouver Studios.

The latter were my go to place to stay for years. Had been told about it by a flight attendant.

https://vancouverstudios.co.uk/. FYI no elevator.

Posted by
4864 posts

If it's about cleanliness, you probably want to deal with a chain. They will have policies and procedures and the staff must follow them. It's not up to Uncle Nigel getting around to the vacuuming.

Posted by
33923 posts

It's not up to Uncle Nigel getting around to the vacuuming.

hey!!! what do you know about my vacuuming????

Posted by
471 posts

I'm a fan of nice hotels and believe that you get what you pay for. Fortunately, at this point in my life, I can do that. I travel alot with my sister. The only time we bicker is when we've been at hotels that felt too close, grungy or the service wasn't good. A better hotel keeps us happier together. A little more space and good bathroom is worth it to us. My sister loves hotels with a lot of character. When planning, I take her thoughts into consideration, shop for deals and let my hotel-spidey senses go to work.

Once, with friends, I stayed in a relatively cheap hotel near Paddington and never got a hot shower the entire time. So many steps... I've never considered the area again. Another time, I stayed at the Royal Horseguards near Westminster with a really, really good special. It was wonderful and very dignified. A couple of times, I've stayed at a Thistle Hotel near the British Museum. The Thistles chain has hotels of varying prices in different locations. It's been a while but I liked that particular location and the ambiance. Hopefully, they are still as good. On our last trip to England, in 2018, we stayed at The Mad Hatter in Southwark. It was delightful and checked every box on my sister's list. It was like a little oasis in a "normal" people business neighborhood. I'd never stayed in that area before but it was convenient to a lot of things and not touristy. We were steps away from the Millenium Bridge and the Thames River paths. There's Boroughs Market, the Globe and Tate nearby. Blackfriar train station and a couple of tube stations were close. I didn't see any recent reviews but we'd definitely go back.

Posted by
2 posts

Thank you all for your helpful and/or funny responses (Nigel!).

I took CT's advice and booked at the Thistle in Holborn. This looks like it has the best of both worlds -- old world charm, ambiance, and neighborhood, but "chain hotel" amenities/cleanliness. It's in a great location, too. I booked directly with them and their price was as good as the Fielding. The rooms won't be as quirky as some of Rick's recommendations, but I think it will be fine.

London is at the end of our two-week England visit, so it will be nice to finish up with a bit of an upgrade.

I'll report back after my trip if the forum thread is still open.

Again, thank you all!
Patricia

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