The Imperial

Decoration & Facilities: The hotel was actually newly renovated this year. The exterior, rooms, public areas, and even the gym are brand new. Location: Just 300 meters from Russell Square station on the Piccadilly Line, and a mere 400-meter walk to the British Museum. Both Euston and King's Cross stations are within a mile, making it super convenient. Plus, being near the University of London, the neighborhood offers a peaceful retreat amidst the hustle and bustle, with a delightful cultural vibe and great cleanliness. Room Size: We booked the Edge Double Room. At 20 square meters, it felt surprisingly spacious, though the bathroom is a bit compact. Special shout-out to the bedding—the mattress is thick and tall, making for an extremely comfortable sleep. Room Facilities: The gym equipment is top-notch, featuring a rowing machine, ski erg, multi-functional training bench, medicine balls, BOSU balls, yoga balls, agility ladder, and more. Breakfast is served on the 10th-floor rooftop; you can order one hot dish and a coffee from the menu, with a self-serve station for bread and cold cuts. Service: The check-in process is quite unique. You're welcomed with a drink upon arrival, and a staff member comes right over to the sofa to complete the check-in for you. What deserves the most praise is that two days after checking out, we realized we might have left our AirPods at the hotel. The staff helped track them down from the gym to the room, and thankfully, we were reunited with them!

I have no idea why housekeeping left a wet, dirty rag in our room, and for two days in a row, they even placed our pants right on top of it—completely baffled by this. The room key card also stopped working once and had to be reactivated. The staff definitely need more training; the service just doesn't quite match the hotel's facilities.

The welcome drinks in the lobby were quite nice, and you can even get free hot water to go. The room was also quite large and comfortable, and the breakfast was abundant. No complaints at all, other than being a bit pricey.

I stayed for 5 nights, and the room wasn't cleaned for 3 of those days. The front desk phone was always unreachable. The hotel is a 10-15 minute walk from the subway, so it's not one of those hotels right next to a station exit. It's about a 5-minute walk from the back entrance of the British Museum. Breakfast had limited options, but it was refined and the taste was light.

The service was excellent and very welcoming. They offered complimentary water, champagne, and soda. The hotel is newly renovated, but there was no unpleasant smell. Any issues we raised were addressed immediately and resolved very reasonably. We're very satisfied.

I specifically wanted to write a review of this hotel to serve as a reference for others. We chose this hotel because it's very close to our child's school—just a 5-minute walk. Since our child might visit us on free days, I booked their largest room, the Urban Suite, which comes with a sofa bed. We arrived at the hotel a little past 7:00 PM, only to be told that the Urban room type was unavailable and asked to temporarily stay in a twin room instead. I refused, as room changes are a huge hassle, and there was a chance they wouldn't actually move us back later. I made it clear I wasn't happy and disagreed with the plan. They kept saying they were looking into a solution, but it took about half an hour before they finally issued a key. When I opened the door and walked in, the previous guest hadn't even checked out yet—their belongings were still all over the room, though the guest wasn't there. I found this horrifying; imagine if a young woman was alone and unclothed in the room, and I just opened the door like that—it would have been an absolute disaster. We immediately went back to the front desk to report it, and the staff went in to check again. The wait this time left me utterly speechless. I contacted Trip.com, and their overseas customer service actively helped resolve the issue. We had booked our room well in advance, yet upon arrival, we were told there was no room available—simply ridiculous. Finally, seeing that I wasn't to be trifled with and stood my ground, they fumbled around with some inexplicable computer operations and didn't get us checked in until past 9:00 PM. After a 10-hour flight, we were completely exhausted, yet stuck waiting in the lobby for ages. I hope this serves as a helpful reference for fellow travelers! Breakfast was just so-so, though the location is close to the British Museum.

The bedding was comfortable, and the room was spacious. The front desk staff were warm and polite. The location is excellent, with convenient transportation, and it's within walking distance of the British Museum. Although it's a newly renovated hotel, there was no unpleasant smell whatsoever! It was also very convenient that the outlets under the TV didn't require a converter plug. A very pleasant stay overall!