Bakers Hotel - B&B - London, United Kingdom 

I found Baker's Hotel through Rick Steve's London 2008 book. My boyfriend and I were on a 2 week trip, with a week in both London and Dublin. As we have JUST finished college we had a very strict budget. The price is what drew me to Baker's Hotel in the first place. We had a triple room (their double was already booked so they gave us a good rate) for 48 pounds per night. Since my boyfriend and I were splitting everything, this was a GREAT deal. Everyone needs to realize that if you're going to stay in central London you're going to pay a very high price, ESPECIALLY with exchange rates as they are. 48 pounds sounds like a lot when its converted to USD but in relation to anything else you could find, its fantastic. First off, I know a lot of reviewers complained about the owner but we have nothing but WONDERFUL things to say about him. We showed up at the hotel at 10am after flying in overnight from Chicago. We were dead to the world. He asked that we give him enough time to get the room clean and then we could check in. We were in within a couple hours even though check in wasn't until 2. He helped us book our sightseeing tour (and gave us a discount), he checked us in online for our flight, and gave us advice on what to see and do each day. He also set up a private taxi to get us to the airport for MUCH less than we paid to get there and knocked on our door at 5am when the taxi arrived. He was great and he doesn't deserve all the slander he has received from other reviewers. As I mentioned before, the hotel is cheap so you shouldn't expect the red carpet to be rolled out for you. We had no problem with our room. We had a double bed which was plenty for the two of us, space to put our luggage, a sink and mirror, a window that opened onto a small balcony, a small closet, a couple chairs, and a tv. All we needed was a place to sleep as we spent the majority of the day sightseeing. The breakfast in the morning is very simple, cereal, toast, juice, etc. It was just the perfect amount to get us energized for the day until mid afternoon when we had lunch. The owner was down there and chatted with us while we ate. Victoria Coach Station and Victoria Train Station are about a 5 minute walk. It was incredibly convenient and everything goes to Victoria. We were able to catch our tour bus at the Coach station and all of our tube routes from Victoria. You're also in walking distance of Buckingham Palace and Hyde Park. The ONLY negative thing I could say about this hotel would be that they charge to loan you a towel (we bought some souvenier towels and used those) and they charge to use the internet (like most hotels do, although you can usually find an unsecure wireless signal if you search hard enough). We stayed for 6 nights and had a fantastic time! Dont come here if youre expecting special ammenities and room service. This hotel is great for people that just need a place to sleep. The owner is a really really nice guy I will definitely be back next time Im in London.

With our three night stay at this hotel completing our two week trip to Europe, we had high hopes based on the excellent success we had using other 'budget' hotels during the trip. We consider ourselves very flexible travelers that can easily adapt to various conditions. This hotel/BB left us very disappointed and angry. First, when you walk in, the 'Lobby' is completely cluttered with personal stuff and closed/locked most of the time. Not sure how many family/friends permanently stay there. If you return in the evening, you will see the manager and a host of friends/family in the 'Lobby' crouched in the dark around the TV. We stayed in Quad room in basement the first two nights. The room was dirty, the bed coverings were filthy, the lights over the sink didn't work, and there was a constant odor of natural gas in the hallway. When you are using the shared bathroom (a tiny closet with folding door containing toilet, sink and 2x2 shower stall), you can sit there and enjoy the mold on the walls or count the bugs walking around your feet. We came back after our second day out to find the bathroom floor soaked from toilet overflow. OK, it's a budget hotel, maybe a little dirt or grime can be excused. However, grime added with a nasty hotel manager can not. Not sure if this middle Eastern kid is a friend or relative of the owner, but his people and service skills are abysmal at best. Without ever raising an issue about the grime or smell, at breakfast the first morning, my wife came into the dining 'nook' about 10-15 minutes before serving time was to end. We were curtly told we would have to get there earlier the following morning if we wanted to be served. Being 'served' consists of helping yourself to juice or coffee, one of two choices of cereal flakes, and then having him standing there manning the toaster (while glowering at you as you eat) for your 2-slice ration of white bread toast. After three nights, and a mandatory change of rooms on the third night, do you think we could have been spared a single clean towel?? Not without an extra charge! Common, for 70 pounds a night, they can't spare even one of their cheap and flimsy towels?Oh, and if you want to use their WiFi, pony up some more pounds for that as well. When I asked to speak to the owner, I was told I could not because he was "at work" and could not be reached. Our last night, two of the three shared bathrooms were out of commission and I heard grumbling from other guests that they didn't have any towels. Bottom line, this place is a bit grubby with a nasty-ass kid running the place. BEWARE!!! Sorry Rick Steve, you blew it on this one. There are so many other nicer choices in the same neighborhood or even closer to Victoria Station.