The Mandeville Hotel

This was a nice hotel on a wonderful High Street. It was clean, but REALLY small for two people. The bathroom door was a foggy glass, that while it wasn't see-thru, it wasn't sound proof either, and it didn't afford much privacy at all. Our biggest complaint however, was that it took the staff 4 days to fix our broken TV. Every morning for 3 days we told them that the TV didn't work, and they said they would get the maintenance man to take a look at it, and every night we came back, it was still broken; -no note or anything. ...That's probably a small complaint, considering we didn't go on vacation to watch TV, but at the end of a long day of walking around sightseeing, it would have been nice to watch a movie. One thing to note about the location: If you're in London to shop, (which I wasn't ) this location is far more convenient than say, the West End. On the other hand, if you are in London to see the historical sites, just be prepared for a bit more walking, tube traveling, and longer bus rides. If you don't mind that, you'll enjoy the fact that it's a bit less "touristy" than the West End, is close to parks, and has more of a village feel.

A good location with easy access to public transportation and lots of shopping. The rooms were clean but, as with most European hotels, the rooms were very small. The staff at the front desk was not rude, but they were very indifferent to most guests.

the reason that I rated this hotel as a three star was due to the size of the room. I was in the least expensive room and it was very tiny. The bathroom had no shelves and the bedroom did not have a dresser. Also, the breakfast was very overpriced. I would recommend to a friend with the caveat that you do not book the 2 smaller rooms. The staff, particularly the concierge were very helpful and knowledgeable.

I reached the hotel after overnight flight at 1:15 PM and was told by the hotel that the room is not ready (because the check in time was 2:00 PM). I waited until 2:05 PM and the room was still not ready. I had to make some noise/complain and finally they gave us a choice to select either a room which had fresh paint smell or a room with a construction site view. We took the latter one.

Although it was such a classy hotel, the staff was only attentive on arrival but not during our stay. We couldn't get a hold of either the front desk or the concierge from our room for 10 minutes to request a driver to the airport. When we did hear from someone, they chose to argue with us over what type of car we needed. They still charged for internet, even when we had chosen to upgrade to their deluxe room. Sure the location was great and the hotel was fancy, but my money could have been better spent elsewhere. It's a shame, really. Their doorman was more help than the rest of the staff!

Pros: Location is good (close to Bond Street Underground Station, Hyde Park, restaurants, shopping) Free WiFi in lobby Friendly Staff Cons: The hotel is currently right next to a very active construction site (we were just there, Oct 3-9, '10) and every morning (including Saturday) the workers would arrive at 7am and loud work would begin by 8:15am. No Fitness Room or Pool on site *Note: the reason I would NOT recommend this hotel for the next few months at least is that you will NOT get any sleep due to the construction (and add that on to the jetlag you will be experiencing).

The hotel staff was nice, however they could not compensate for the huge construction that was going on right next door!! It was shameful to offer a discount on a hotel just because of construction. I was deeply disappointed. I would still recommend the hotel however ALWAYS check if there is any construction or maintenance going on. I've learned my lesson.

the reviews said that rooms are small but i didn"t imagine that small!! staff are feiendly but cleaning services wasn't that great

The Mandeville Hotel is located in the West End section of London and is very close (2 blocks) from the primary shopping area of London (Oxford and Bond Street.) It is also only 2 blocks to the Bond Street Underground entrance. If you plan to shop this is the place to be. If you are interested in seeing the primary sites of London you have to take the underground or take trains. Plan on lots of walking including through the underground and train stations. There are little if any tourist sites near or within reasonable walking distance of the hotel. Oxford and Bond Street are also very crowded with shoppers. Think Manhatten. The Concierge staff was very helpful in providing tourist suggestions, and directions, purchasing tickets, taxis, etc. They also have a doorman.The Hotel is attractive and the rooms nicely appointed but very small at least for the price we paid ($2100 for 6 nights.) Rather on the expensive side considering its location away from tourist locations. Service was excellent but there are no complimentary perks. No free coffee or breakfast. U.K. Newspapers are free but not if you have them delivered to your room. There is a charge for that. Expect to pay approximately $40-50 per person for afternoon tea and more for dinner in the hotel. Rooms are small for the price and barely could accomodate two suitcases and/or a carry on luggage or backpack. I also felt that because we booked through [...] and the rate was less than they normally charge that we were given one of their least desirable rooms. Upon check in they immediately tried a bait and switch to an upgraded room for an additional $20 pounds ($36) per night. We declined. Our room was tiny and backed onto a contruction site with hammering and construction noise starting around 8:00AM. We complained and they did switch us to another room that faced the front of the hotel and was slightly larger due to not having a minibar in it. The first room did. The room was adequate for the amount of time we spent in it. To save energy the rooms use a timer system for lights that proved annoying. You insert you key card in a slot to turn the lights on otherwise they go out after a few minutes. You could not turn some of the ceiling lights on or off without getting out of bed to turn the mainswitch on or off. If you turned the main switch off you had no lights at all, except for the bathroom. Also there was a light sensor in the ceiling so if the curtains were open during the day the lights would not go on. You had to shut the curtain and drapes to get the lights to turn on. So, in essence no small fridge, no free wifi, no free coffee, no ice buckets or ice, etc. And there is a 3 pound per night charge for maid service. You are also expected to tip the Concierge staff although it is discretionary.We enjoyed our stay in London immensely but I would not stay at the Mandeville on any return trip.Getting around London was quite easy. The Underground is well marked and the maps pretty easy to read. All of the station and ticket attendants were very friendly and very helpful. We purchased day passes allowing us to travel all day for approximately $8.50 each. We saw all of the tourist sites using the underground and took a train out to Windsor to see Windsor Castle. We also were easily able to get discounted tickets to a play. London is very expensive especially with a 19.5% VAT tax on everything. Shopping at top end stores in the U.S. (Louis Vuitton, Hugo Boss, Armani, Burberry, Ferragamo, etc. for merchandise is significantly cheaper than in London.We had a great time. People were friendly and helpful and getting around was very easy. Certainly, no car or taxis needed to get to all of the major sites. I also enjoyed the clever names for many of the local pubs. They are everywhere and surprisingly the food in London was very good. We came to London from Paris so were really surprised at how good the food was.

Chambre minuscule. Bruit de climatisation même arrétée, de chasse d'eau, pas d'insonorisation de la rue. Pas de boulloire pour le thé, décevant vu le standing de l'hotel. Mauvais rapport qualité-prix. Au final, supplément à payer pour le concierge ! Nous n'y reviendrons pas.