Clarendon Hotel

We arrived at the Clarendon after a long trans-Atlantic flight and a challenging journey from Heathrow to Blackheath, and did not find our welcome very warm. We had requested early check-in, but the woman at the front desk gave us a hard time about it initially (we were there at about 9am, and she immediately said "You'll have to come back at 2pm" when I said we had a reservation).

The room was comfortable, although the decor could definitely use a 21st (or even late 20th) century update! We had no complaints about the room or the breakfast, which was plentiful and tasty.

However, our major complaint about the hotel was the staff's complete disregard for the "Do Not Disturb" sign that we had on our door. After a late night out, we were sleeping in fairly late, and the housekeeper actually knocked on and then unlocked our door despite the sign's presence!! She quickly said sorry and scurried off after she realized we were there, but I thought that was absolutely unacceptable! That was the second time this had happened - the first time, we were just about to leave and asked her to please come back in five minutes, which she grudgingly agreed to.

A further problem was that there was no concierge, and the front desk staff were either not very knowledgeable, or not interested in helping out a couple of tourists who'd never been to London before. We asked for advice on transit to get to downtown London, and it was only late in our stay that we realized there were several options available to us, not just the overground trains that the staff had told us to use. They also pointed us in the wrong direction when we asked which way to walk to Greenwich Village.

Overall, the hotel itself and the breakfast were fine - everything was reasonably clean, in good working order, and comfortable. The staff, however, have a long way to go to live up to the standard of politeness that Britons have long held, and some more in-depth tourist information and assistance would have been very much appreciated.

We stayed here for one overnight - the Saturday of the early May bank holiday. The bank holiday weekend was busy with tourists but many Londoners had gone elsewhere, so the city was less crowded than usual.

Reception staff were pleasant - both for checking in and checking out.

We have stayed in other hotels in London - which are generally of a poorer standard and more expensive than anywhere else in Britain - so perhaps other travellers have been expecting more than London hotels usually offer.

The Clarendon is at least clean - which is better than many London hotels.

There are lots of stairs - corridors are narrow and standard rooms are smallish - again not unexpected for London. Rooms are well-enough furnished, though not modern. We would agree that the curtains could be thicker - it is certainly very bright early in the morning.

The location is good - with front-facing views over Blackheath. A couple of minutes walk to Blackheath Village with its restaurants, cafes, shops and galleries. Easy walk across the park to the Greenwich Observatory - and Naval Museums etc - from there you can take the boat to the city centre - getting off at Houses of Parliament - much more pleasant than the tube - and not much more expensive.

The Clarendon exceeded by far my expectations from a 2-star hotel (not sure why a previous commenter thought it was 4-star).

The Clarendon was one of a very few choices left that had availability for the World Travel Market period. I booked a single room at a very reasonable price, which also included full breakfast as well as complimentary transfer to/from Excel centre every day of the fair. The latter, together with the hotel's very pleasant location, where the main reasons for choosing it.

My room was not luxurious but cosy, very clean, and had everything I needed, while the public areas - especially the restaurant! - are very pleasant. The staff are very friendly and helpful, and always smiling - without a single exception! The breakfast was excellent.

I would have nothing negative to say if my laptop hadn't died on me that week... There's only one PC for internet access - not nearly enough for 180 rooms! However, if you have a working laptop, use can be made of the wireless internet hotspot in guestrooms as well as public areas... my bad luck!

I'll definitely return for the next WTM!