Thistle London Hyde Park Kensington Gardens
4-star hotel · City of Westminster, London
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 42% of London hotels
- 82% of guest comments are praise
- 86% of guest photos show no damage
How this score is made
- Rated higher than 42% of London hotels. Compared with 5,640 hotels in London. Counts for 50% of the score.
- 82% of guest comments are praise. 601 praise, 129 complain. Counts for 30% of the score.
- 86% of guest photos show no damage. 49 of 57 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.
- $190 a nighttypical for two, before tax · from $118
- 4 min walkto the nearest station
- 296 guest reviewsfrom the last 2 years
- 57 guest photostheirs, not the hotel's
At a glance
For
- A station within walking distanceA station is 266 m away
- Location174 praise · 3 complain
- Staff170 praise · 10 complain
- Beds33 praise · 5 complain
Against
- On a main road: Bayswater Road37 m from the building
- Room size33 complain · 14 praise
- Value16 complain · 12 praise
- Room condition14 complain · 4 praise
- Complaints the hotel left unresolved22 of 296 guests
What guests reported
What guests say
296 reviews from the last 2 years. Most praised: location (174 guests). Weakest: room size, where 33 of the 47 who mention it complain.
Location1743Strength
Amazing location right across from Hyde Park and 5 minute walk to Kensington Palace.
Tripadvisor, August 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
Decent budget hotel right across from the park.
Tripadvisor, July 2026, rated 3/5 by this guest
It's beautiful and quiet, but a bit far from the well-known places in London, although the bus stop is very close.
Google, August 2026, rated 4/5 by this guest
Staff17010Strength
Super large King bed , reception and restaurant staff were excellent and friendly .
Booking network, September 2026, rated 7/10 by this guest
Great hotel with friendly staff and excellent location.
Tripadvisor, June 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
expensive breakfast, unable to use travel cot as it didn’t have a soft mattress staff were not helpful with this situati
Booking network, June 2026, rated 6/10 by this guest
Beds335Strength
Wifi works great, water pressure is the best I've seen in modern times, bed is comfortable, a bit hard if you're really picky, haven't tried the frill but will come back, the only negative is the fridge in the room which is lukewarm, otherwise great
Google, July 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
Bed very comfortable..On a bus route to central London.
Booking network, June 2026, rated 9/10 by this guest
There was a petrol station under the hotel, the mattress was dipped on one side, the room was very small and view of the car park and no luggage rack so no where to open your suitcase except the floor or bed.
Booking network, August 2026, rated 7/10 by this guest
Breakfast6312Mostly good
reception team pranjal , mohmmad and hasan are very helpful person and from breakfast team , , restaurant and bar team are amazing .
Google, September 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
Breakfast was good quality and staff were keen to help.
Google, June 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
Small room., but very clean and tidy, breakfast was included but a bit mediocre, staff were lovely and gave me a complimentary toothbrush as I had left mine at home.
Google, June 2026, rated 4/5 by this guest
Cleanliness7917Mostly good
Great location, clean, modern, comfortable and the air conditioning was a selling point given the weather :)
Booking network, July 2026, rated 8/10 by this guest
Rooms full of dust, walls unclean, AC filters not changed..
Tripadvisor, September 2026, rated 2/5 by this guest
The room wasn't clean and the air conditioning wasn't maintained.
Google, August 2026, rated 1/5 by this guest
Views267Mostly good
And nice view from room of hyde park.
Google, August 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
Room had a lovely view over Hyde Park,great shower and nice fluffy towels.
Tripadvisor, August 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
I paid extra for a Deluxe King Room with Garden View, but the room actually overlooked a road and had no garden view.
Booking network, August 2026, rated 4/10 by this guest
Quiet at night167Mostly good
aircon was perfect.not noisy.Good choice at breakfast.Good location opposite Hyde Park and handy for tube .
Booking network, July 2026, rated 7/10 by this guest
Great room, super breakfast and a location with a lot of local restaurants and pubs, silent neighborhood but still close to everything with public transport,
Tripadvisor, September 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
Noise pollution when sleeping in the corridors
Booking network, May 2026, rated 6/10 by this guest
Food105Mostly good
The breakfast was very good, and the bar and restaurant were excellent as well.
Google, July 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
Very helpful staff and very good restaurant (especially the bacon burger, which is amazing).
Google, September 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
Bar - drinks were disgusting.
Booking network, July 2026, rated 8/10 by this guest
Value1216Split
I felt for the money l paid that bottles of water and tissues could have been provided in the room
Booking network, July 2026, rated 10/10 by this guest
Very expensive for our 3 night stay.
Booking network, August 2026, rated 7/10 by this guest
2-star lodging for the price of a 5-star hotel.
Tripadvisor, September 2026, rated 1/5 by this guest
Room size1433Weak spot
The room was extremely small, much smaller than expected.
Tripadvisor, June 2026, rated 3/5 by this guest
The air conditioning was excellent and the room was clean, but the rooms are quite small.
Booking network, August 2026, rated 8/10 by this guest
The rooms are compact, the lifts are small, breakfast is ok.
Booking network, July 2026, rated 8/10 by this guest
Room condition414Weak spot
It is a bit if an older hotel so it doesn't have smart tv's, screen casting or smart tv's.
Booking network, July 2026, rated 8/10 by this guest
The price-performance ratio unfortunately does not match at all; only the location is good, otherwise it is a worn-out hotel with little active staff.
Tripadvisor, June 2026, rated 1/5 by this guest
There was signs of aging in the bathroom.
Tripadvisor, October 2026, rated 4/5 by this guest
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 1,903 Google ratings
Problems guests raised
Raised most: complaints the hotel left unresolved, in 22 of 296 reviews.
Complaints the hotel left unresolved22 of 2961 in 13 reviews
I asked for milk for my room and it was never received and I knew when I asked the receptionist they were not bothered that is why I down marked 😔 I was told it would be dropped up to my room in 10 mins disapointed.
Booking network, July 2026, rated 9/10 by this guest
The television was not functional, and there was no change even after reporting it.
Tripadvisor, June 2026, rated 3/5 by this guest
Heating and air conditioning19 of 2961 in 16 reviews
Lovely staff friendly and efficient, room far to hot
Booking network, May 2026, rated 5/10 by this guest
Ac was not good in the rooms allocated.
Booking network, May 2026, rated 4/10 by this guest
Not as shown or booked16 of 2961 in 18 reviews
Paid for a deluxe king room with garden view but had no view whatsoever
Booking network, June 2026, rated 9/10 by this guest
The room 902 wasn’t what we expected as a junior suite.
Booking network, June 2026, rated 9/10 by this guest
Something broken in the room14 of 2961 in 21 reviews
Stayed during the summer heatwave and the air conditioning in our room was completely broken.
Google, May 2026, rated 1/5 by this guest
I explained the fridge was not working he replied nothing I can do until the morning
Booking network, September 2026, rated 5/10 by this guest
Problems in the bathroom8 of 2961 in 37 reviews
The first room I had had a problem with the ceiling, the second one you couldnt have a bath,only a shower ,since the plug didnt go down fully...
Booking network, August 2026, rated 6/10 by this guest
Even with a 5 minutes shower, water overflew and flooded into the room.
Booking network, August 2026, rated 6/10 by this guest
A booking not honoured6 of 2961 in 49 reviews
Confirmed this at check in, but it was a double.
Booking network, July 2026, rated 3/10 by this guest
We booked an accessible room but on arrival were told they do not have accessible rooms.
Tripadvisor, June 2026, rated 1/5 by this guest
Serious reports
2 in 296 reviews, most common first. Shown beside the score, never averaged into it.
Someone fell ill1 of 296 reviews
My wife came contracted food poisoning having consumed badly prepared scrambled eggs.
Google, September 2026, rated 1/5 by this guest
Something stolen1 of 296 reviews
I had a very upsetting experience at Thistle Kensington Gardens.My bag was stolen **from inside the hotel while we were having breakfast at the breakfast table.
Google, August 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
8 of the 57 guest photos we checked show damage or dirt (14%).
Guest photos showing damage or dirt8 of 5714%
Of 57 guest photos, 8 show damage or dirt: stains in 6, peeling paint or cracks in 2, rust or limescale in 1 and broken fittings in 1, and some photos show more than one. Of the hotel's own 40, 0 do.
What it advertises, against the photos
Guests’ photos confirm: restaurant (3), bathtub (1).
The hotel says it has no swimming pool, spa, gym or hot tub.
Price, place and rooms
Price
$190 is a typical night, from 304 dates checked in the coming year.
Weekends cost 5% more than weekdays
A typical night, month by month
Cheapest month: Feb 2027, $129Dearest month: Jul 2027, $273
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$182
- traveluro.com$198
- Vio.com$200
- deals.goseek.com$200
- deals.etrip.net$200
- trivago.deals$201
- stayforlong.co.uk$202
- evendo.com$208
Lowest advertised nightly rate for two adults; taxes and local fees are not included. Shown in US dollars.
Nearby
The nearest station is 266 m away by road, about 4 minutes on foot. There is 1 bar or club within 200 metres.
- Nearest shop: Little Waitrose1 min walk13 m by road
- Nearest main road: Bayswater Road37 m
- Nearest station4 min walk266 m by road
- Buckingham Palace3.8 km
- The British Museum4.3 km
- Big Ben4.8 km
- Tower Bridge8.6 km
The lines are 5, 10 and 15 minutes on foot.
Distances follow the streets, not straight lines.
Rooms
7 room types, from 16 to 33 m².
- Standard Double Room16 m²Sleeps 2
- Standard Twin Room16 m²Sleeps 2
- Deluxe Double with Garden View18 m²Sleeps 2A view, going by the room's name
- Family Room20 m²Sleeps 31 Twin bed + 1 Double bed
- Deluxe Twin with Garden view20 m²Sleeps 2A view, going by the room's name
- Deluxe King With Garden view20 m²Sleeps 2A view, going by the room's name
The other 1 room types
- Deluxe Family Room33 m²Sleeps 41 Double bed + 1 super-king bedBathtub
From the hotel's own room descriptions, checked against each room's photos.
How it compares
How it ranks
Guests who booked rate it 8.1 out of 10. 42% of the 5,640 hotels in London are rated lower, and a typical one is rated 8.2.
Every review site, out of 100
23 Google reviewers ticked "Quiet", yet 7 guests complain about noise, and Bayswater Road runs 37 m away.
If room condition matters to you
Here, 14 of the 18 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
296 reviews counted · 97 photos checked · updated 10 October 2026
- We collected this hotel's 842 most recent reviews from Google, Tripadvisor and the Booking network. 296 of them describe a stay in the last 2 years and are the ones counted here; the rest were 152 older, 102 in other languages, 290 with a score but no words and 2 about the restaurant rather than a stay.
- The hotel replied to 198 of its 200 newest Google reviews.
- 15 in every 100 reviews thank a staff member by name.
- 13 reviews mention a free upgrade, a cake or a gift.
- We looked at 97 photos: the first 40 of the hotel's own and the 57 newest from guests.
- Every number on this page is counted, not estimated. Anything in quotation marks is a guest's own words.