Corus Hotel Hyde Park

I went down there with 3 other pals (one in a wheel chair) for a boys weekend, On check in we were offered single rooms in stead of the twins we had booked, we jumped at the chance. Our good fortune turned out to be short lived as the single rooms were tiny, being over 6 foot i banged my knees in the bath room more than once. The bath is quite difficult to get in and out off, however even on the 8th floor the shower was excellent. There are 3 lifts/elevators which had mind of there own, I did feel like a little boy playing in the lifts trying to go to breakfast going up and down 3 times before I reached the reception.

If you have booked a full english package, which tecnically speaking is not true as they serve butter from scotland and seville orange marmalade. Seriously what you get is well worth the money, the only issue is when you get into the dining room. you need to be in there as early as possible to prevent getting stuck in a queue in the lobby before going down to the dining room. To be fair to the Hotel we were warned about this problem and they do lay on tea and coffee for people waiting in the queue. The only issue I have is that they are not dealing with true problem of the queues and only dealing with the consequences of the queues.

The location of the Hotel is good, just over the road form Hyde Park and a short walk from Lancaster Gate tube station. They do not have a recognised disabled access method, which caused our part problems.

Had booked with local travel agent and paid extra at time of booking for room upgrade. On arrival the allocated "superior room" was the size of a wardrobe and although spotlessly clean was in no way equivelant to the 4 stars it purports to be. Spoke to receptionist who was very nice and re-allocated us to a room on the 10th floor which she stated was of the same standard and price. This room was 4 times the size and more in keeping with a 4 star establishment. The real problem came next next morning at breakfast. After standing in a queue for 15 minutes our room number was noted and we were informed there was a further 30 minute wait for breakfast. After a complaint to the manager we received a full refund for the first days breakfast as we refused to wait and were fast tracked into the dining room for the rest of our stay. The staff were very helpful at all times and I cannot fault them but this does not make up for the shortcomings of this hotel and I would not recommend it.

My husband and I stayed at the Hotel for 3 nights from 17th to 20th August 2009. The exterior and reception areas of the hotel look very decent, butthe room that we had was really tiny. We had asked for a double bed on booking but on arrival they gave us a room with twin beds, that couldn't be joined together either because the room light was situated inbetween the beds. Also the hotel was fully booked so we could not even upgrade. The room had no wardrobes, only a metal rod with some hangers to hang clothes out. There was no space to store luggage. And the bathroom was cramped. So from a room size perpective, it was not good. However, the location of the hotel is excellent. Across the road is Kensington Garden and two tube station, Paddington and Lancaster Gate are within very easy reach so you can travel anywhere at any time. There were some lovely restaurants in the area as well. Other amenities were also closeby, such as a laundromat and internet facilities, that were much cheaper than the hotel.

So if you're just looking for a place to sleep at and intend exploring the entire day, then this hotel may suit you. Otherwise give it a miss.