Meliá London Kensington member of Meliá Collection
4-star hotel · South Kensington, London
Long Weekend score
StrongNo serious reports. in 206 reviews
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 78% of London hotels
- 84% of guest comments are praise
- 98% of guest photos show no damage
How this score is made
- Rated higher than 78% of London hotels. Compared with 5,640 hotels in London. Counts for 50% of the score.
- 84% of guest comments are praise. 423 praise, 81 complain. Counts for 30% of the score.
- 98% of guest photos show no damage. 59 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.
- $286 a nighttypical for two, before tax · from $184
- 3 min walkto Gloucester Road station
- 206 guest reviewsfrom the last 2 years
- 60 guest photostheirs, not the hotel's
At a glance
For
- A station within walking distanceGloucester Road is 245 m away
- Staff155 praise · 17 complain
- Location108 praise · 0 complain
- Beds14 praise · 2 complain
- Food11 praise · 0 complain
Against
- Room sizecomplaints rising: 7.9 in 100 a year ago, 11.2 now19 complain · 11 praise
- Value7 complain · 7 praise
- Complaints the hotel left unresolvedcomplaints rising: 3.2 in 100 a year ago, 12.5 now14 of 206 guests
- Unexpected charges and refundscomplaints rising: 3.2 in 100 a year ago, 11.2 now13 of 206 guests
What guests reported
What guests say
206 reviews from the last 2 years. Most praised: staff (155 guests). Weakest: room size, where 19 of the 30 who mention it complain.
Location1080Strength
Fantastic hotel in central London.
Google, May 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
Great location in my favorite part of London.
Google, April 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
Food110Strength
Loved the lemon drop and espresso martinis!
Google, July 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
The bar and food were excellent.
Google, April 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
Staffcomplaints rising: 4.0 in 100 a year ago, 15.0 now15517Strength
The hotel lives up to its setting: comfortable and clean rooms, courteous and helpful staff, and a good and varied breakfast.
Google, August 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
Very friendly staff, I recommend having more choices at breakfast, which is currently a bit below expectations.
Tripadvisor, August 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
Server doesn't clear tables, took ages to bring ketchup.
Google, September 2026, rated 3/5 by this guest
Beds142Strength
The room is cute, comfortable bed, and thankfully air conditioned.
Google, August 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
Good location, friendly people and comfortable beds.
Google, July 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
The beds are the worst I've ever seen.
Tripadvisor, May 2025, rated 1/5 by this guest
Cleanliness509Mostly good
The rooms are extremely beautiful, clean and cozy…
Google, September 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
We had a great time at the hotel, the room was a little small, but otherwise everything was super clean.
Google, January 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
The rooms could be better lit, as they are very dark, and the bath towels were rough and stained every day.
Google, September 2026, rated 3/5 by this guest
Breakfastcomplaints falling: 5.6 in 100 a year ago, 2.5 now419Mostly good
The breakfast was very good.
Google, December 2025, rated 5/5 by this guest
Breakfast was lovely too, they have omelettes available to request and it was really good
Google, May 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
We expected more for the breakfast as in other Meliá hotels we have stayed it was tasty, but here not so much variety and also the attention of the breakfast staff was a little bit uncomfortable.
Google, July 2025, rated 4/5 by this guest
Quiet at nightcomplaints falling: 7.1 in 100 a year ago, 2.5 now1711Mostly good
The room was beautiful and so quiet for Central London.
Google, May 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
No one comes near to quiet city hotels like this one.
Google, July 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
The only downside I experienced was that it was an off-landing room, meaning it was located in the fire escape area, which can sometimes be a nuisance due to noise from people going up or down, especially on the first floor.
Google, November 2025, rated 4/5 by this guest
Room condition97Split
Quite amazing as it must have been in the condition l found in, for many, many months if not years.
Google, August 2026, rated 3/5 by this guest
Decor is slightly dated but in general is spotless and fresh.
Tripadvisor, September 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
Very old hotel on an ugly and busy street.
Booking network, August 2025, rated 2/10 by this guest
Value77Split
This place is expensive however I think it’s worth paying the extra for what you get in London 10/10
Tripadvisor, August 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
Boutique hotel in great location.
Google, February 2025, rated 5/5 by this guest
Room sizecomplaints rising: 7.9 in 100 a year ago, 11.2 now1119Weak spot
Even though the rooms we had were small they comfortable…
Tripadvisor, April 2025, rated 5/5 by this guest
The room was a bit small.
Google, May 2025, rated 5/5 by this guest
I was basically in a very expensive closet!
Booking network, October 2025, rated 8/10 by this guest
Too few mentions to judge: views.
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 770 Google ratings
Problems guests raised
Raised most: complaints the hotel left unresolved, in 14 of 206 reviews.
Complaints the hotel left unresolvedcomplaints rising: 3.2 in 100 a year ago, 12.5 now14 of 2061 in 15 reviews
But it's not great that we have to fight with them when the room was clearly not up to par.
Google, April 2026, rated 2/5 by this guest
We had to endure 3 nights without anyone showing any interest in understanding the problem or trying to find a solution.
Google, July 2026, rated 2/5 by this guest
Unexpected charges and refundscomplaints rising: 3.2 in 100 a year ago, 11.2 now13 of 2061 in 16 reviews
The insurance was not refunded and there was no response to me regarding the refund.
Google, October 2025, rated 1/5 by this guest
I asked for concierge for a Taxi to take me back to LHR and was greeted by a gentleman who wasn’t a London Taxi but a car service provided by the concierge who then proceeded to charge me £200.
Tripadvisor, July 2026, rated 1/5 by this guest
Problems in the bathroom6 of 2061 in 34 reviews
The bathroom flooded after each shower due to very tight spaces.
Tripadvisor, December 2025, rated 3/5 by this guest
Showers are cold and no body wash.
Tripadvisor, December 2024, rated 3/5 by this guest
A slow check-in4 of 2061 in 52 reviews
First he tells me that the room was ready and after 10 minutes he tells me that he was not ready to call me on the phone.
Tripadvisor, November 2025, rated 1/5 by this guest
Instead, I was asked to pay £45 and, because I refused, had to wait until 3 p.m.
Google, September 2026, rated 1/5 by this guest
Serious reports
None found in 206 reviews.
Photos, checked
1 of the 60 guest photos we checked show damage or dirt (2%).
What it advertises, against the photos
Guests’ photos confirm: bar (7).
The hotel says it has no swimming pool, spa or hot tub.
Price, place and rooms
Price
$286 is a typical night, from 302 dates checked in the coming year.
Weekends cost 10% more than weekdays
A typical night, month by month
Cheapest month: Feb 2027, $222Dearest month: Jun 2027, $350
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.
- Super.com$325
- Vio.com$342
- deals.goseek.com$342
- deals.etrip.net$342
- trivago.deals$347
- traveluro.com$347
- catchit.com$356
- evendo.com$361
Lowest advertised nightly rate for two adults; taxes and local fees are not included. Shown in US dollars.
Nearby
Gloucester Road station is 245 m away by road, about 3 minutes on foot. There are 4 bars or clubs within 200 metres.
- Nearest main road: Cromwell Road69 m
- Nearest station: Gloucester Road3 min walk245 m by road
- Nearest shop: Waitrose3 min walk258 m by road
- Buckingham Palace3.5 km
- Big Ben4.7 km
- The British Museum5.5 km
- Tower Bridge8.7 km
The lines are 5, 10 and 15 minutes on foot.
Distances follow the streets, not straight lines.
Rooms
11 room types, from 11 to 43 m².
- Classic Single Room11 m²Sleeps 1
- Room (Cosy)15 m²Sleeps 21 Double bed
- Premium King Room21 m²Sleeps 2
- Family Room (2AD+1CH)23 m²Sleeps 31 King bed + 1 Sofa bed
- Junior Suite (2AD+1CH)26 m²Sleeps 31 King bed + 1 Sofa bed
- Junior Suite26 m²Sleeps 31 King bed + 1 Sofa bed
The other 5 room types
- Honeysuckle Suite (2+1)40 m²Sleeps 31 King bed + 1 Sofa bed
- Honeysuckle Suite43 m²Sleeps 31 King bed + 1 Sofa bed
- Family RoomNot statedSleeps 31 King bed + 1 Sofa bed
- Strawberry Thief Master Suite (2+1)Not statedSleeps 31 King bed
- Strawberry Thief Master SuiteNot statedSleeps 31 King 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 9 out of 10. 78% of the 5,640 hotels in London are rated lower, and a typical one is rated 8.2.
Every review site, out of 100
37 Google reviewers ticked "Quiet", yet 11 guests complain about noise, and Cromwell Road runs 69 m away.
If room size matters to you
Here, 19 of the 30 guests who mention room size complain. These nearby hotels do better on it.
More hotels in London
The nearest first, with our score for each.
How we know
206 reviews counted · 100 photos checked · updated 12 October 2026
- We collected this hotel's 428 most recent reviews from Google, Tripadvisor and the Booking network. 206 of them describe a stay in the last 2 years and are the ones counted here; the rest were 142 older, 6 in other languages, 72 with a score but no words and 2 about the restaurant rather than a stay.
- The hotel replied to 135 of its 200 newest Google reviews.
- 27 in every 100 reviews thank a staff member by name.
- 13 reviews mention 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.