Dolphin Hotel
3-star hotel · Paddington, London
Long Weekend score
Weak1 serious report in 294 reviews: bed bugs or bites
Guests rate nearly every hotel highly: half the hotels in London are rated 8.2 out of 10 or more. So our score shows how a hotel compares with the rest, not how luxurious it is.
- Rated higher than 14% of London hotels
- 75% of guest comments are praise
- 93% of guest photos show no damage
How this score is made
- Rated higher than 14% of London hotels. Compared with 5,640 hotels in London. Counts for 50% of the score.
- 75% of guest comments are praise. 555 praise, 181 complain. Counts for 30% of the score.
- 93% of guest photos show no damage. 56 of 60 photos. Counts for 20% of the score.
- Serious reports are never counted in. They are flagged beside the score, because one matters even when everything else is good.
- $128 a nighttypical for two, before tax · from $51
- 4 min walkto Paddington Underground Station
- 294 guest reviewsfrom the last 2 years
- 60 guest photostheirs, not the hotel's
At a glance
For
- A station within walking distancePaddington Underground Station is 289 m away
- Location198 praise · 0 complain
- Staff136 praise · 17 complain
- Cleanliness81 praise · 11 complain
- Value43 praise · 3 complain
Against
- On a main road: Praed Street49 m from the building
- Quiet at night43 complain · 22 praise
- Room condition39 complain · 1 praise
- Room size32 complain · 12 praise
- The lift33 of 294 guests
What guests reported
What guests say
294 reviews from the last 2 years. Most praised: location (198 guests). Weakest: room condition, where 39 of the 40 who mention it complain.
Location1980Strength
Good location and value for money.
Booking network, May 2026, rated 8/10 by this guest
Great value for money, top location.
Tripadvisor, April 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
Value433Strength
Location good , mostly goodstaff ,so it’s a reasonable priced hotel clean and comfortable ,
Booking network, April 2026, rated 6/10 by this guest
Lovely old building, comfy beds, and the price is as good as it gets in London.
Tripadvisor, March 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
i don't think it's worth the price i paid for the room i got.
Tripadvisor, July 2026, rated 3/5 by this guest
Staff13617Strength
A lovely welcome, a first floor room with a balcony.
Booking network, June 2026, rated 8/10 by this guest
The staff were friendly and helpful, and the area felt safe and lively with plenty of restaurants and stores nearby.
Tripadvisor, May 2026, rated 4/5 by this guest
They do not provide solutions to hotel problems
Tripadvisor, March 2026, rated 1/5 by this guest
Cleanliness8111Strength
Room was small but clean.
Tripadvisor, September 2026, rated 3/5 by this guest
Nonetheless it was clean and perfectly positioned for a few days of sightse
Booking network, April 2026, rated 7/10 by this guest
On the other hand, the breakfast room is too small , there are not always empty tables, and the rooms very dusty.
Tripadvisor, April 2026, rated 4/5 by this guest
Beds197Mostly good
The beds were comfy and there was a lot of space for clothes and baggage.
Booking network, March 2026, rated 9/10 by this guest
Comfortable bed and pillows.
Booking network, December 2025, rated 8/10 by this guest
The matress was harder than I am used to but it didn't stop me having a good night's sleep.
Booking network, January 2026, rated 8/10 by this guest
Breakfast4329Split
The breakfast was very poor.
Booking network, May 2026, rated 3/10 by this guest
The breakfast could use more variation like multiple types of cheese and so on.
Booking network, May 2026, rated 8/10 by this guest
Only minus: the breakfast room is very small, so there is constant crowd.
Tripadvisor, December 2025, rated 5/5 by this guest
Quiet at night2243Weak spot
Wouldn’t stay there again also the room vibrated with the noise of the underground
Booking network, August 2026, rated 5/10 by this guest
Was very hot in the room and lots of noise from the street if we kept the windows open
Booking network, June 2026, rated 10/10 by this guest
Although it was a bit noisy when the subway trains passed by, there wasn't a major problem since the subway strike started the next day.
Tripadvisor, April 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
Room size1232Weak spot
The room is old and small, the bathroom very small, it is difficult to move.
Tripadvisor, February 2026, rated 3/5 by this guest
Rooms very small and noisy from train rumbling and plumbing noises from other rooms
Booking network, August 2026, rated 5/10 by this guest
The room was very small, difficult for 2 people to move about.
Booking network, January 2026, rated 8/10 by this guest
Room condition139Weak spot
Great location, everything is a bit old but priceworthy.
Booking network, April 2026, rated 8/10 by this guest
The room needs a little update attention to detail but please don't let that put you off the room is very clean and was nice and warm
Tripadvisor, January 2026, rated 4/5 by this guest
Property starting to age and could do with a refresh but for the price point is worth it.
Booking network, April 2026, rated 7/10 by this guest
Too few mentions to judge: views and food.
Who stays, and their score out of 10
From every review of the last two years that gives a score and says who travelled, including those with no words.
All 846 Google ratings
Problems guests raised
Raised most: the lift, in 33 of 294 reviews.
The lift33 of 2941 in 9 reviews
Many steep stairs for upper floors and no elevator.
Tripadvisor, February 2026, rated 3/5 by this guest
The location was good, but the storage was on the second floor where there was no elevator, so it was difficult to carry five pieces of luggage up for my companions.
Google, June 2026, rated 4/5 by this guest
Heating and air conditioning21 of 2941 in 14 reviews
The room was cold the whole time spent here and the window drafty.
Booking network, November 2025, rated 5/10 by this guest
We stayed on the very top floor which is fine but it was very hot in the heat.
Booking network, June 2026, rated 7/10 by this guest
Hard for less mobile guests19 of 2941 in 15 reviews
No lift so be prepared to carry your luggage up several flights of stairs
Tripadvisor, July 2026, rated 3/5 by this guest
Too many stairs access to room
Booking network, December 2025, rated 4/10 by this guest
Problems in the bathroom13 of 2941 in 23 reviews
Bathroom clean, but with odours.
Google, March 2026, rated 2/5 by this guest
Unfortunately we had a smell in the bathroom were the source could not be located.
Tripadvisor, September 2026, rated 3/5 by this guest
Not as shown or booked7 of 2941 in 42 reviews
Pictures shown are a very modified version of what's there.
Booking network, June 2026, rated 5/10 by this guest
Both the room itself and the reception area were somewhat smaller than they appeared in the publicity pictures.
Booking network, September 2026, rated 8/10 by this guest
Complaints the hotel left unresolved7 of 2941 in 42 reviews
My request was denied without any valid reason, but the request was bounced back to the website where I had made the reservation.
Google, March 2026, rated 1/5 by this guest
I made an honest mistake on my booking and flagged it immediately—three weeks before the date—but was met with a "it's not our issue" attitude.
Google, February 2026, rated 2/5 by this guest
Serious reports
1 in 294 reviews, most common first. Shown beside the score, never averaged into it.
Bed bugs or bites1 of 294 reviews
After returning from a late night concert I found two bed bugs crawling on the mattress.
Google, May 2026, rated 1/5 by this guest
These are guests' own accounts from their reviews. We have not verified them, and the hotel may dispute them. A report is counted only when the guest says it happened at the hotel and holds the hotel responsible.
Photos, checked
4 of the 60 guest photos we checked show damage or dirt (7%).
Guests’ photos confirm: restaurant (4).
The hotel says it has no swimming pool, spa, gym or hot tub.
Price, place and rooms
Price
$128 is a typical night, from 299 dates checked in the coming year.
Weekends cost 45% more than weekdays
A typical night, month by month
Cheapest month: Jan 2027, $68Dearest month: Jul 2027, $174
Prices on booking sites, the day we checked
What each seller advertised on the one day we checked, so these sit outside the year-wide figures above and can fall below the typical price.
- Vio.com$180
- Super.com$192
- Priceline$209
- bluepillow.co.uk$216
- tripening.com$229
- h-en.reserving.com$242
- Booking.com$255
- expedia.co.uk$255
Lowest advertised nightly rate for two adults; taxes and local fees are not included. Shown in US dollars.
Nearby
Paddington Underground Station is 289 m away by road, about 4 minutes on foot. There are 5 bars or clubs within 200 metres.
- Nearest main road: Praed Street49 m
- Nearest shop: Supersave Express3 min walk207 m by road
- Nearest station: Paddington Underground Station4 min walk289 m by road
- Buckingham Palace3.5 km
- The British Museum3.8 km
- Big Ben4.6 km
- Tower Bridge8.0 km
The lines are 5, 10 and 15 minutes on foot.
Distances follow the streets, not straight lines.
Rooms
9 room types, from 7 to 17 m².
- Economy Single Room7 m²Sleeps 1
- Single Room9 m²Sleeps 1
- Standard Twin Room10 m²Sleeps 2
- Standard Double Room10 m²Sleeps 2
- Superior Twin Room12 m²Sleeps 2
- Superior Double Room12 m²Sleeps 2
The other 3 room types
- Triple Room14 m²Sleeps 33 Twin bed + 1 Twin bed + 1 Double bed
- Quadruple Room16 m²Sleeps 44 Twin bed + 2 Twin bed + 1 Bunk bed
- Family Room (2 Adults + 3 Children)17 m²Sleeps 55 Twin bed + 3 Twin bed + 1 Bunk bed
From the hotel's own room descriptions, checked against each room's photos.
How it compares
How it ranks
Guests who booked rate it 7 out of 10. Only 14% of the 5,640 hotels in London are rated lower, and a typical one is rated 8.2.
Every review site, out of 100
27 Google reviewers ticked "Quiet", yet 43 guests complain about noise, and Praed Street runs 49 m away.
If room condition matters to you
Here, 39 of the 40 guests who mention room condition complain. These nearby hotels do better on it.
More hotels in London
The nearest first, with our score for each.
How we know
294 reviews counted · 100 photos checked · updated 12 October 2026
- We collected this hotel's 803 most recent reviews from Google, Tripadvisor and the Booking network. 294 of them describe a stay in the last 2 years and are the ones counted here; the rest were 137 older, 120 in other languages, 250 with a score but no words and 2 about the restaurant rather than a stay.
- The hotel replied to 0 of its 200 newest Google reviews.
- 8 in every 100 reviews thank a staff member by name.
- 1 review mentions a free upgrade, a cake or a gift.
- We looked at 100 photos: the first 40 of the hotel's own and the 60 newest from guests.
- Every number on this page is counted, not estimated. Anything in quotation marks is a guest's own words.