President Hotel

I booked one night at The President Hotel after flying in from Australia on June 30th. It was so easy to get to the hotel from the Heathrow airport terminal on the Tube with the Russell Street station being just around the corner! The following is a bit long, but it shows how the hotel staff are so friendly and helpful, as well including some comments on the positives of the hotel itself. For the next four nights, I had booked and paid in full eight months earlier for a nearby apartment, but I could not get any response from the host. Now I needed to find out why, be refunded by a well-known company, and find two hotel rooms for the next 4 nights (my sister and brother-in-law arriving the next day). It was a stressful first night and I was getting nowhere sorting it out until Gerda in the hotel's Atrium Bar and Restaurant proved so helpful with finding a human contact while I was having dinner. I'd had no luck on my phone and was stuck with a virtual assistant that was getting nowhere. The phone contact resulted in a refund in less than 24 hours and eventually compensation for the nearby apartment. I now had to find two rooms in one hotel in the same area to get the compensation. I was having trouble finding anything affordable for the next four nights at virtually no notice in peak season. Here Marlene on the hotel's front desk came to the rescue late that night and helped me book online for two affordable rooms in the President, which was very heavily booked itself (it's popular). The staff saved the day. The hotel itself is a great base in London, especially with the tube station being so close. It's a short walk to the British Museum and there are plenty of nearby shops and places to eat. The hotel's buffet breakfast is diverse and great value, while the Atrium Bar and Restaurant had good meals and was so convenient at the end of a long day (during the heat wave at the time). The rooms were good, but not large - it is London. Overall, The President ticks the boxes on location and price, but the staff make the place. They are friendly and do their utmost to assist. I cannot remember all the names, but some other staff that were nice to deal with were Neha, Qaled and Achung (hope I spelt them correctly). There was a hiccup on billing after I'd left, but it was sorted after my return to Australia. I will definitely use the hotel in future.