Ascot

• Exterior It's a traditional Victorian building with a white stucco facade and elaborate wrought iron balconies.
 
• General This is an ideally located hotel with unbeatable access to all major attractions in London and connections with all major cities in the UK, for those traveling on a budget but who wish to stay in the
 
• Lobby The lobby and reception are very small but practical. A tiny business centre for one user only is located right at the entrance of the building, with limited sitting area. The lobby and reception wer
 
• Location The hotel is located in Paddington, next to Paddington Underground station, and right opposite Paddington Railway Station. This hotel enjoys a fantastic location with connections to all major tourist
 
• Restaurant The restaurant opened in July 2006. It's a big bar 7 restaurant that offers 24h service to guests and is open to the public during the day. The restaurant offers breakfast, lunch, dinner and drinks th
 
• Rooms The rooms are small but have all undergone refurbishment since the new management took over the hotel in March 2006. All the rooms at the hotel and the apartments at the annex building (sometimes hote

Although the Ascot is in a good location and has a reasonable price for London, it is quite dark and in a relative state of disrepair. Our shower didn't work properly, we couldn't flush the toilet more than once every hour, and I didn't want to touch the shower curtain for fear of what was growing on it. It is a non-smoking hotel, however, one morning my companion and I were shocked to open the door into the hallway (to see what the noise was) and found the entire cleaning staff having a loud conversation while chainsmoking outside our door. The breakfast provided is decent enough, but the serving staff was incredibly rude. Don't get me wrong - I think North Americans expect more from a hotel than Britain has to offer at an affordable price, and the Ascot is no worse than some other places I've stayed in England. If you don't spend much time in your room, are on a budget and have a bit of a sense of humour, this place will do, but I wouldn't put it at the top of my list.

Rating: 2/5