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Reviews of City Gate Kensington

3 out of 5
City Gate Kensington
20 Fairholme Road, Hammersmith and Fulham, London, England

Reviews

6.2
Rating 10 - Excellent. 9 out of 114 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 40 out of 114 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 33 out of 114 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 13 out of 114 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 19 out of 114 reviews" "

6.8/10

Cleanliness

5.8/10

Staff & service

6.2/10

Property conditions & facilities

Reviews

2/10 Terrible

David

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Perhaps the owner bailed?
E-mailed them twice to confirm check in called them on the day no response or answer - perhaps the owner packed up and bailed? or died? because it looks like we are not the only one to have this issue either way had to wait 4 hours for hotels.com to find us another place then they said it would take 15 mins with all our luggage after a 24 hour flight from Melbourne to London with no real apology pretty disappointing experience all around
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2018

8/10 Good

Susan

Liked: Room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service
Need to fix all the hooks for shower head. Was given a double rm instead of duplex. Very hard to get hold of anyone in that tel nbr given.

8/10 Good

Ying Tao

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2018

4/10 Poor

Steve, Lancashire

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Really really basic apartment
The apartment I stayed for 2 nights at was flat 3 20 Fairholme Road. The first night was really noisy people coming and going up until 3am and then from 5am so no sleep that night. The second night was better but maybe I was so tired from the first night I just didn't hear them. The apartment was small and cramped with really basic furniture, a microwave sink and a fridge which didn't get cold. There was a small freezer which had about 3 inches of frost inside which stopped the door from shutting. The one good thing was the shower room which was in good order, the sink was really small so difficult to get a shave in and the shower was also cramped but water pressure was good and the water was hot. There was a problem with Sky so I reported it and someone came round about an hour later, reset the sky box wherever that was and then retuned the TV and it came back up. The apartment is really for a young person just staying over for 1 night in London and the pictures do not reflect whats actually there.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2018

4/10 Poor

Glynnpt, Isle of Wight

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Was it the room we booked?
The information on the webpage did not seem to match with the reality. The room was reduced by about 60%. At that price it was good value, but I did not think it was worth anywhere near the full price. It was a largish sitting room that had been cleverly adapted to include a small shower cubicle and toilet. There was also quite a well equipped small kitchen area. However the ceiling of shower room and kitchen space had been lowered to allow for a mezzanine deck with the bed. This meant that the headroom where the bed was situated was just to low for comfort and the ladder to the bed was much too steep for most people. It would have been good to know that as it could have been the deciding factor for some people.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2018

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Had oven and fridge for cooking.
Located close to paddington tube and hyde park. No probs. All went well.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2018

8/10 Good

Lisa

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Small but suitable
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2018

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Room comfort
that creaky bed!
The location was great, the check in system is brilliant, the location, easy to get to 4mins from West Kensington Station. Perfect for a late finish. I was exhausted, I climbed the stairs, the room was petité but I was only there to sleep. There was a bit of dust and fluff on the floor, and the general cleanliness of the room was not great. But it was the bed that really ruined my stay it was just so unbelievably noisy. Where even the slightest movement would produce a creak so loud as to almost echo in the tiny room. It was, grating... I am a restless sleeper.. So I did not get much sleep.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2017

4/10 Poor

Steve, UK

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Not for adults
Room was small, which was okay, but bed was in a loft, about 1 m high, accessed by means of a steep, slippy ladder. Had to literally crawl into the bed which was a mattress on a basically a hand made pallet
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2017

8/10 Good

emma

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
No wifi, terrible pillows
Good for location and quiet. Shame the bed is so uncomfortable and the cheap pillows are lumpy. And the Internet didn't work...
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2017

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The toilet flush was needed some work on it. The fridge made a terrible noise
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2017

8/10 Good

Dean

Liked: Staff & service, room comfort
Decent for the money
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2017

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness
Easy access to central London
Stayed whilst we went to jazz fest. Easy to get to venue. Room could do with some bedside or table lamps. Bed, which was a sofa bed we a little uncomfortable.
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2017

6/10 Okay

Martin

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Room comfort
2 night stay West Kensington
Booking and entrance fine with simple security and instructions. Room - a small Deluxe with adequate amenities and very clean. Not having being warmed to b a rock climber I didn't realise at 60 years of age and being large in frame I had to clamber up a 1 in 2 or 3 ladder to access and literally crawl over to a loft double bed with about 15" headroom. I slept 2nd night on the uncomfortable sofa bed. Adverts state £40-50 but I paid £150 for 2 nights. A standard room looks to have been much more suitable and clearly a better option. Can't see me returning. West Kensington tube 5 mins and numerous eateries and couple of pubs in locality.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2017

8/10 Good

paul, essex

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Apartment good overall.
On the whole it was a nice experience , location good. Clean room. Safe area. Only one problem was the uncomfortable bed. The bed let it down for me .one more thing.....how can i be expected to rate the hotel staff when there wasnt any to rate ?
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2017

8/10 Good

Alpesh

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Not Bad for a 1 night sta
Great Room, a drop small with bedroom high and didn't have all the glasses in the Kitchen and 1 Towel only, But was clean and easy to get in!
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2017

8/10 Good

neil

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Great value but small
This economical little apartment was perfect for one night but for longer stays would be a bit claustrophobic - particularly the raised sleeping area which is reached by a very steep wooden ladder and has only c60cm headroom between the mattress and the ceiling. Definitely not suitable for anyone with any mobility issues. In theory the apartment sleeps 4 but, when the sofa bed is pulled out it virtually fills the living area. A couple of table lamps would give some ambience instead of the harsh halogen ceiling lights. Otherwise, for the price, a great find.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2017

2/10 Terrible

Mel, san Francisco

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Wouldn't confirm reservation
Wouldn't confirm reservation until the day of flight. We couldn't rely on them and had to make another reservation. Even with Expedia intervention they refused to give me the access code until the day plane scheduled to leave U S for London.
Stayed 4 nights in Sep 2017

8/10 Good

Diane, Edinburgh

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Easy access to underground close by.
Nice area well equipped apartment funny no spoons or teaspoons tho 😀 Loft bed comfy great to have a fan tho other wise would have been a bit stuffy !! Had a good nights sleep only there for one night arrived late thats all you need for say a short stay of 2-3 nights . Apartment 6 I would say would be suitable for no more than 3. The only thing was the walls and doors were very thin you could hear a pin drop but other guests realised that and respected that issue .
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2017

6/10 Okay

carrie, New Zealand

Cute flat close to transport
The flat was very close to West Kensington tube station and had plenty of good restaurants nearby as well as a tesco's and a laundromat. However, the room hadn't been cleaned when we arrived at 2pm so we had to go for a walk for half an hour. The room didn't look like any of the photos in the listing so that was misleading. The bed was up a loft ladder and really close to the ceiling. The shower was also broken so we had to take it to the stand. The kitchen facilities were good though.
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2017
Response from City Gate Kensington on 22 Sept 2017
Dear guest, Thank you for staying and leaving us a review. We have fixed all of your mentioned problems. We are very sorry about the problems with the check-in you had and other problems you have encountered during your stay.

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Disappointed
We were located on the lower ground floor and as soon as you enter the room it's had no visible sunlight or windows (apart from a small square window over the kitchen) have to screw to open! The bathroom could barely fit one person and looked nothing like the pictures. The walls are paper thin so I could hear people talking above, on the same floor and next to us. Everyone few hours we would also have a pungent smell of cigarette smoke which make its unbearable to want to stay in the flat. Overall I was very disappointed and would not recommend this to anyone!
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2017
Dear guest, We are very sorry for the inconveniences you had during your stay. If people are unhappy, we usually move them to other flats, however we haven't received any news during your stay. Regards, Karolis

6/10 Okay

alan

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2017
Dear Alan, Thank you for leaving a review. We will try to improve Regards, City gate Kensington rooms

8/10 Good

Ian

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice location, good accommodation
Very convenient location. Check in was really simple and easy with good communication (access codes sent via email/ text etc). Self contained apartment had everything I needed and expected. Really clean. Overall very happy with experience
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2017
Dear guest, Thank you very much for staying with us. We hope we will see you again in the future Regards, Karolis

10/10 Excellent

Lauren

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent location
Excellent location for the event that I wasn't attending at Olympia, 15 min walk. The room itself was clean and comfortable.
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2017
Dear Lauren, Thank you for leaving such a good review. We hope we will see you again in the future! Regards, City gate Kensington rooms

10/10 Excellent

Marco

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very nice hotel, I will back again.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2017
Dear Marco, Thank you for leaving such a good review. We hope we will see you again in the future! Regards, City gate Kensington rooms

6/10 Okay

Jo, Wesy Yorkshire

Liked: Staff & service
Overnight stay with family
Convenient location Room needs upkeep Kitchen facilities useful for stay Will use again if prices stay reasonable
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2017
Response from City gate Kensington on 18 Aug 2017
Dear Jo, Thank you for leaving a review. We hope we will see you again in the future! Regards, City gate Kensington rooms

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Having a kitchenette was great and check in was easy enough (despite being kept in the dark about what to do until two days before arrival.) There were stains on the comforter and we ran out of toilet paper after one day -- with no way to get more. Overall it's a good budget stay and in a great location but the listing definitely makes it seem better than it is.
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2017
Response from City Gate Kensington on 22 Sept 2017
Dear guest, Thank you for staying and leaving us a review. We will improve on your mentioned problems Regards, Karolis

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Staff & service
Decent for the price
Decent value. Strange set up. No front desk, you get given a code to access the building, then a code to get keys out of a safe. However there were no keys in the safe, they were just left in the door to the flat for anyone to get in. The flat is compact but the location is great. It's really warm, they need to provide a fan. There was meant to be toiletries provided, there were none. There was meant to be a place for luggage storage, there wasn't.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2017
Dear guest, Thank you for leaving a review. We will try to improvde on your mentioned things Regards, City Gate Kensington

2/10 Terrible

Sebastian N., Switzerland, Zürich

Just bad.
Just bad. couldn't sleep because we slept next to the railways
Stayed 4 nights in May 2017

8/10 Good

Rebecca

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Ideal
very clean and perfect for a night or two! we went to a gig at the hammersmith Apollo which was about 15mins walk away so ideal location! I can't really fault the apartment.. bed wasn't 5* comfort but more than sufficient.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2017

2/10 Terrible

Charlie C., Switzerland

Decent location, ok accommodation, rubbish communication from the management company
The concept of this apartment is nice - the execution is less good. The mezzanine is incredibly stuffy as there is no air movement - we moved to the sofa bed downstairs during the night. A fan would probably make a big difference in the apartment. Can't imagine how much worse this would have been if it had been a hot summer night... The kitchenette is basic and not particularly well designed - not sure why there were 2 fridges, the sink was not usable if you are not 7ft tall and the coffee machine listed appeared to be a kettle and a couple of sachets of instant coffee. The bathroom shower and sink were either partially blocked or incapable of dealing with the volume of water coming from the shower/tap and neither were fully open. The apartment was superficially clean, but you only had to open a drawer or look at the the glasses in the cupboard to see it was very superficial. When we initially made the booking we received a message saying that the company did not use the HomeAway messgae system and any correspondence would be sent to my email address - we unfortunately had no communication from the company and there is no telephone number or email address listed in their profile. We contacted HomeAway Customer support before our arrival as we had no idea about how we were supposed to access the apartment and they were very helpful and provided us with a telephone number. Nobody answered the phone or responded to the voicemail we left when we arrived at the airport and we only managed to get through to someone when we were standing on the doorstep of the property with another couple who had no key for the apartment they were staying in. The person sent us a text with the codes for the door and to access the key - but not so much as an apology that we hadn't received any communication from them. Definitely got the impression we were disturbing his evening... Would definitely not stay in this apartment again and will likely avoid any others managed by the same company given the average (at best) accommodation and poor level of communication and service on this occasion.
Stayed 2 nights in May 2017

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Room comfort
숙소는 전체적으로 깨끗한 편이나 침실이 복층 구조 2층에 있어서 나이 드신 분들은 오르기 힘들 수 있으니 젊은 사람이 이용하는 것을 추천. 주방은 깔끔하고 사용하기 편함. 가장 불편한 점은 화장실과 샤워실이 너무 비좁다는 점.

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
20 Fairholme Road
I didn't actually stay as it was so filthy! Found a Holiday Inn Express down the road and booked myself in there instead. There was half-eaten food in the fridge and there was no way that the bathroom had been cleaned. Extremely disappointed, although I guess I should have had low expectations at that price. However, there is no excuse for not being clean.

8/10 Good

JD, Norwich

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Did the job
I didn't get the pre stay email, I had to phone for the access details. But access was simple and easy to understand.

8/10 Good

Rachel

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Brilliant Location
City Gate Kensington is in a brilliant location, a very nice area, with well-maintained buildings all round about. There is an amazing Thai street food restaurant - 'Eat Atai' in North End Road, just round the corner. The hotel itself I wouldn't really class as a hotel, more a building of self-contained bed-sits, all spotlessly-clean & well-equipped. For London prices & the good location, the £105 we paid per night for 2 people was extremely good value. My only criticisms would be that it would be nice to see a human face as you arrive & City Gate Kensington has no reception desk. You have to get an entry code by phone beforehand. Also, the décor in the stairwell was a little too utilitarian for my liking. However, I would definitely recommend this 'hotel' to other people.

6/10 Okay

Wing Yin Vivian

Little disappointed
Very noisy as staying in the first room in the basement n I can hear every foot step from upstairs and next door, plus people going in and out. Toilet ceiling is moldy and has some funny smell from it. Slightly different than what I expected after looking at the photos while making booking

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Room comfort
Nothing like the photos
The room we had looked nothing like any of the photos. The bathroom was so small, the tap was difficult to use without water going everywhere. The kitchen layout meant the sink was in the corner and I had to stand on tip toes and bend around the dishwasher to use. The bed was so noisy and and the slats kept coming out. But the location was good and only 5 min walk to the underground

8/10 Good

Daniel

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great value for money
Really good value for money with plenty of amenities compared to a standard hotel room. Only issue was with the communal entrance, I appeared to get locked out after midnight and had to get another resident to open the door. I rang the help number many times with no reply, if a resident hadn't of opened the door I would have been locked out all night!

10/10 Excellent

Chris, CA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
I was able to check in by myself, close to bars of London, quaint place for 1 or 2 folks.

8/10 Good

Abi

Liked: Staff & service, room comfort
The studio itself was nice although there were a few parts that could have bee improved such as the broken plug hole for the shower and a few large scuffs around the walls. The toilet and the sink very close together but then again that's to be expected in a studio flat. The kitchen was convenient and nicely separate from the sleeping/living area. Would have been nice if some milk had been provided but having a fridge meant you could get some milk if needed. Also missing a hairdryer. Easy to find with my many local conveniences near by.Could have done with more that just 2 pillows between the two of us and an additional towel or two would have been appreciated. Mattress not the comfiest so would suggest replacing to something comfier!

8/10 Good

Elizabeth, Boston, MA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Small room, great kitchen, excellent location
I had a great stay here- this hotel is very close to the Tube both Picadilly and district lines. It is also close to several grocery stores and a 30 minute walk to Kensington High Street and Notting Hill. Another plus was a full kitchen with dishes, pots and pans and an electric kettle. The wifi was strong and the instructions were clear regarding accessing the key. Our room had a loft bedroom and a futon. The sheets and duvet were clean and the pillows and mattresses were comfortable, but it was a ladder to climb up to the loft and the loft area was so short that you could not sit up on the bed. There were other inconveniences such as no soap in the bathroom and cheap towels. However, I thought it was good value for the price and I loved the independence of coming home to a flat.
Ladder to loft
Kitchen
Outside

8/10 Good

ameera

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Getaway.
The check-in process is lacking as well as the info regarding it prior to booking. The bathroom was very small. Otherwise it was fantastic.

10/10 Excellent

Rauno

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent room for it's price.
For this price, the room was perfect. Yes, it's small, but UK is like that. The room is clean, warm and has everything one needs, including dishes and kitchen. Close to subway station and small shops, quiet neighborhood. bathroom clean.

8/10 Good

Kelly, London

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Odd mix of feeling luxurious and cheap (quality)
Recommend staying here but the company should not go so cheap on items such as pillows and towels. Felt like pound store purchases - small and thin. Any staff contact was fantastic and overall this is a great place to stay. Would definitely stay here again.

2/10 Terrible

Teuvo, Finland

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The premises didnt correspond with the photos.
The premises were marketed as suitable for 3 persons. They were not. The premised were uncleaned, when we arrived. The radiators were in full with no possibilities to lower the temperature ourselves. Worst of all: Today, abt.1 month after our claim, Expedia still hasnt sent ANY comments to our claim.

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Not good
A lot smaller than photos. No hairdryer so had to go out and buy my own adding to the cost of the apparnment. Shower head did not stand up right so had to hold to use. Only enough pillows for one person when the room was booked for two.

2/10 Terrible

charlee, manchester

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Dreadful
Booked this as a little night away for my boyfriend and I, but sadly did not get what we expected or paid for. Arriving was lovely, house looked nice and short walk to the tube. We were in flat 10 on the basement floor, and things just were not good from then on. We got into our flat which was grubby and damp smelling. The bathroom is so small you can just about squeeze in to brush your teeth, shower was broken, and no toilet roll. The kitchen was nice although the plates are too big for the dishwasher and there is no washing liquid so don't expect more than one nights use. We went to sleep on what it seems to be a piece of foam and one very flat pillow each. Woken at around 1am by a man outside our window banging on it to let him in, which can be very hard to ignore and quite scary to be honest considering the blinds didn't close properly and he could see right in. Fell asleep until 2am, to be woken by the flat next door letting him in, and him kicking our flat door and screaming at the top of his lungs. This lasted till around 4am which was terrifying and left us exhausted the next day when we were suppose to be sight seeing. The next morning we bumped into other neighbours in the house also very upset at what had happened and very unhappy. I have tried to contact them many times about the awful night we had here but no response and being ignored by them. All in all wouldn't stay here again, not a trust worthy company to be ignoring customers and not resolving simple issues

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

2/10 Terrible

lisa , birmingham

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Uncomfortable bed kitchen but nothing to cook with
Far too hot in the extremely tiny rooms with no central heating. No proper mattress on the bed just a peace of foam too uncomfortable

6/10 Okay

Elaine olphert

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Compact London Living
The flat is close to the high street and tube station, it was very easy to find. The instructions to enter were emailed to me and easily understood. The room was compact, clean and well presented. The addition of a kitchen area was a welcome surprise. The shower-room was very small with the wash hand basin overhanging the toilet. The shower head was broken and showering a one handed challenge in the very small cubical. The shower drain didn't take the water away and part way through showering I was standing in a few cms of standing water. ( a large person may not be able to use the shower-room comfortably )