Copthorne Tara Hotel London Kensington

This hotel should be avoided - the rooms were very, very smelly and dusty - when I got to the hotel and did not like the "standard" orbitz room which was pre-paid - I arranged for an upgrade which was a very expensive upgrade - this was not much better that the "standard' room - very disappointing. Also, the hotel room did not have a safe. Nor did they have a reasonable hair-dryer - which all hotels supply upon request for a better hairdryer. THIS IS NOT A FOUR STAR HOTEL AS ADVERTISED.

My wife and I could sleep anywhere, as we were on holiday in London to see sights, not to lounge in a hotel room. So with the nice reviews, I decided to spend a little extra to get this one. But this hotel made me cringe, and inspired me to write the first review EVER, on a hotel room. The receptionist, at a polite request to stay on a floor with our travel mates, put us on a different floor, all while being quite unfriendly. The walls were paper thin. While falling asleep one night my wife and I could swear there was a man talking right behind us. This is the first hotel I have been at that I could understand a normal-sounding conversation of a person in the next room. I'm not being sarcastic either. Additionally, the hotel is right next to the train tracks and the soundproofing sucked, to say the least. Later, we stayed in an another hotel next to numerous jumbo jets at heathrow throttling up to take off, and that hotel was much, much, MUCH quieter than Copthorne Tara. The hotel room was a little dusty, had and old TV, and had a dirty coffee-maker with free coffee. I passed on the free coffee. The water was the only thing that was decent, as it didn't taste like the typical hotel-water. And it included a fridge, which was nice. If I had a chance to stay here again for $40/night, I'd pass and stay at a travelodge for $75. I seriously cannot understand the people who gave this a good review...they must have have King bed suites or something...

Overall, this hotel is grossly over rated. The only good thing I can say about it is its proximity to the subway station--literally a block away. I had a terrible experience here as my video camera memory cards were stolen from my room and the staff refused to conduct an investigation! I even suggested to contact the police but they also refused. In all, ALL my trip memories were lost do to the negligence of this hotel's staff and they seemed to have cared less about it! So, if you're concerned about leaving your personal property in this hotel avoid it at all costs!

Glad I only stayed one night. The room was basic. The staff were not rude but very unhelpful. Asked for directions to a concert venue 2km away(O2 empire sheperds bush) and nobody knew where it was. Asked for 2 pints in the bar and they said the beer I ordered was too strong they only do halves. Then room cleaning woke me up at 0800hrs when I was due to check out at 1100hrs. And for get some coasters in the bar!

The comments are correct about this hotel. Great location but shabby rooms. Make sure to ask for a room that does not face the Underground rails. The room was in need of a makeover. The bathroom was a nice size but it was nearly impossible to turn on the shower faucet or make the water turn off. The only reason to stay at this hotel is for the location.

The rooms we're basic, the location was great, but the staff is terrible. I double paid for everything. You'd think a 4 star hotel had free wifi & breakfast - it doesn't. I paid daily for the Internet and parking and then when I went to check out it was still on my bill. I didn't know where the receipts were at the time and I had to catch my flight so I just had to pay again. It's not worth the price. A Holiday Inn is cheaper, has free net, and is closer to the tourist places. I just choose based on 4 star rating, don't fool yourself, 3 stars is just fine.

As a single guy, this was a perfect hotel to stay in with friends. The location was great - 1 block from the Tube Stop. As European hotels tend to be slightly different than American hotels, the Copthorne fit the bill. Breakfast was NOT included which would have been nice. Clean rooms, bathroom could use some updating.

We chose this hotel as the base for our exploration of London. Great location a block from High Street in Kensington (a major shopping street), a block from the High Street Kensington Underground (subway) stop, and a 5 minute walk from Kensington Palace and Kensington Gardens. The rooms have air conditioning--which is great during the summer, but could use some refurbishment. The bathtub/shower takes quite a bit of practice to get temperature to (and keep it at) where you want it. Walls are thin and we could often hear the rooms around us. For the price, this is a great hotel, though.

Hotel was well located in the High Street kensington area, short walk to tube and bus stop and shopping areas. Word to the wise: internet costs 20 pounds for 24 hours... THIS IS NOT A TYPO!! Rooms were quite small and service was average; beware of missed wake up calls; get the name of the person who assists you. The concierge will assist you in discount theater tickets.

did a lot of work online. generally it's OK.