May Fair Hotel - London, United Kingdom     

I've stayed at the May Fair a few times over the last few years and always try to stay here if I can. The service is always excellent and, since it's so close to Green Park Underground, it's so convenient. The staff are always helpful and pleasant and the rooms are great - even the smaller ones. I would thoroughly recommend it to any business traveller (especially with the free wireless internet) or any tourist wanting a bit of luxury during their visit.

Upon entering the hotel, the reception is very modern and gives you that luxury feel, but don't be fooled!! After checking in we were shown to our room - what a disappointment, it was small, the bathroom was not modern in anyway, the whole room was tired and needed updated (stains on carpet, stains on cushions and paintwork chipped), and to top it all we were overlooking the air-conditioning units, which were noisy! We requested another room and had to wait approximately 3/4 hour and numerous phone calls for someone to show us to another room - and what a let down that was. We must have got the tiniest room in the hotel, the bathroom was behind a sliding door beside your bed, and the smell from the drain in the shower was horrendous. So we asked to move again... This time we were shown to a twin room, it was a bit better but not worthy of a 5 star rating. At 3 o’clock in the morning it was a different story all together, there is a restaurant/nightclub "nobu" opposite and the noise when everyone is leaving is a nightmare. Be prepared to be awake until 4.00am until everyone is in their taxis etc leave!!!! With regards to breakfast, unless you get a deal with breakfast included, don't pay the ?22.50 it is not worth it. The cooked breakfast was all right, nothing special, as for the continental, the fruit had seen better days, and there wasn't that much of a selection. Go to the cafes at the back of hotel for a better breakfast. All in all the Mayfair has established a brand identity that exudes luxury, it is supposedly where all the celebs stay and when you say you stayed in the Mayfair people gasp oooohhhh, but it doesn't live up to that brand image and I wouldn't say it is a 5 star hotel. It is expensive to stay in the Mayfair and when you are paying a premium you expect premium standards and services. I believe they spent a lot of money refurbishing, the decor is ok, but they need to spend time on attention to detail and cleanliness The area of Mayfair is lovely and I would stay in the area again no problem, just not at this hotel.