The California - London Kings Cross

Convenient

To be honest, I was just looking for something close to the Eurostar at Saint Pancras, so I had a quick trip to the station for an early train the next morning. I was delighted to find a place with so much character and charm.

Booked a family room for 4, for 1 night. Staff were reasonably welcoming on arrival, luckily we didn’t spend much time in the room as it was a squeeze for a family of 4 with 2 teenagers. The room was in the basement, and felt damp, with a slight damp smell too. It had air conditioning which was needed as no windows that could be opened, just a small roof light above the double bed. The sink was in the bedroom, rather than in the bathroom, which isn’t ideal. Upon leaving our key was taken without asking us ‘how our stay was, etc etc’ Unfortunately wouldn’t book here again. However, Very close to the Tube, so this was good.

The room was lovely although the beds were a little uncomfortable. The location and proximity to the train stations is excellent. The lady on the phone was brilliant ahead of our stay and said I could store my food in the fridge at reception. But when we got there it was only a wine cooler which wasn’t too helpful. Pleased we chose it though - loved the room and it had character

The lobby is charming. Bar was fine but out of ice. Our room was tiny and down many stairs with no lift and in a basement with just a skylight.

Very friendly staff there was an issue and they took care of it

Enjoyed our stay. Room did get hot and stuffy. No air on and couldn’t open windows. Would have been perfect in cooler weather. Great location and staff. Baggage hold was great for us too.

The hotel room had no AC, and only had one fan which did not rotate, but the windows were big and could open to provide some air. The location was great, close to train stations but also on a quiet side street. The street did have construction going on, so that was a little annoying. Also the building has No Elevator and heavy luggage had to be carried up in a small narrow flight of stairs.

It wasn't too bad but for what we paid for, we expected little better amenities and cleanliness.

SO HOT. AC broke and we were on the 3rd floor. Likewise I didn't see anything about them not having an elevator. Walking huge luggage only to be welcomed to a hot room is horrible. Asked reception for help but all they could provide was a fan that did basically nothing. Worst way to end our Europe trip.

Extremely narrow stairs (hotel put us on top floor), no lift. No A/C, and poor ventilation with weak fan — insufficient for 28-30 Celsius heat. Bathrooms drain, shower door, and toilet seat all broken. While staff were friendly, it was clear this is a dated property that ownership has made little to no effort to maintain. Location is convenient for Kings Cross and St. Pancras (international departure) trains … convenience didn’t outweigh the poorly maintained space, cramped quarters, etc. Do yourself a favor and choose a different property. This is a 2-star property in poor shape!

Cool quirky place

The moment I used the washroom in the dining area on the ground floor, my whole shirt was splashed by the tap that delivered terribly strong water flow. When I entered the room on the 2/F, there was a strong bad smell of sewage water. There was no ventilation at all in the stinky bathroom, and the room was not air conditioned. After much complaints, the staff gave me a room on the 4th floor. Still tiny, but at least it was air conditioned. I couldn’t say the stay was pleasant. No elevator, no help from the staff to move the luggages. Just avoid this hotel.

The room itself (room 100) was on the surface lovely and well set out for a family of 5. It had a double bed, sofa bed and single bed - all comfortable. The check in was swift and the staff friendly. The room looked lovely and the kids were impressed and whilst we heard tbe rumble of trains from below, we thought it was manageable. That was until we returned from watching a show just before 11pm. We all got settled in but the noise from upstairs made it difficult to fall asleep, constant movement of furniture, loud bangs. We assumed it would quieten down but even at 1am and 2am it kept going on and when we finally fell asleep it happened again at 3.15am...I should add that the room we had was just below the reception and bar area, the rest of the rooms might have been good but I would not recommend anyone use the family /room for 5 here. We did bring this up with the receptionist who did apologise and would bring it up. However, it did mean we all were very blurry eyed the following day and not at all recharged for a tourist day in London. We may just have lucked out with our room. It is ideally located with access to King's Cross though so if you can get a room upstairs you should be fine.

Near the metro with lots of shops within walking distance.

Stayed here for 3 nights while in London this month. Pros: clean, offers small breakfast, great vibe, friendly staff, nice decor, close to transit. Cons: no elevator, large construction site next door at the moment (couldn’t keep our windows open as workers would see right into our bathroom/bedroom, wifi didn’t really work in our room except in one spot by our door.

Very convenient for the stations. Stair areas are quite shabby but the room is comfortable and clean. Plenty of amenities. There is no lift so a room on the third floor gives you a good workout.

Paid for large room, received small room next door to reception. Got about 2 hours sleep, it was unbelievably noisey with doors slamming, the bed was rock hard and all in all really disappointing. The only positive is the hotels proximity to the train station.

First off the staff is GREAT! Very friendly and helpful. Location is good. Minutes from Kings Cross Station. Beds were comfortable. However, the room had the feel of a glorified hostel. We had the small double. Only place to put luggage is under the bed. Bathroom is en suite and small, with tub/shower combo and half glass door which means water on the floor. Propped the room door open to get cool air. AC in lobby/lounge area offered much needed break from the heat. Building is very chopped up. Staircases and halls are narrow. Not for people with any mobility issues. Regularly heard a noise that we think was the tube since we were in a lower level room and so close to the station. Did not impact sleep since we had the fan going all night.

No air conditioning made the room absolutely miserable. Could only open the windows a couple of inches. Incredibly cramped and small, they turned a single room into a family room leaving no room for anything but the terrible beds. At this price point, I expected much better. Do yourself a favor and stay anywhere else. It is a glorified hostel. The only positive note is that it was reasonably clean. Very noisy and the construction site next door had flood lights on all night which made our room super bright. Just an all around sub par experience.