159 Knightbridge Hotel

Although the lobby is presentable enough -- natural stone tiling is paired with a black lacquer reception desk and an alligator skin stair banister -- things start to change as you head up the stairs to the first floor. The carpet on the stairs has literally been worn all the way down to the wooden step from use -- even the alligator skin mysteriously disappears off the banister and the original worn wood reappears. Hallways are dismally dim, the fixtures are dented and broken, and the wallpaper is peeling in places. This would acceptable for a low-budget London residence, but certainly not for a 4-star hotel, which this property purports to be.

Knightsbridge is primarily an affluent, toffee-nosed shopping and residential area, populated by well-heeled locals, Middle Eastern leisure and business guests, and the working immigrant class. Home of some of London’s wealthiest residents, such as Chelsea football club owner Roman Abramovich, this is also the famed hangout spot for Middle Eastern racers who reportedly fly in their expensive cars for the summer and spend their days and nights racing around the local streets.- 4-minute walk to Knightsbridge shopping district including designer shops and Harrods

• 2-minute walk to Hyde Park
• 12-minute walk to the Victoria and Albert Museum
• 13-minute walk to the Natural History Museum
• 15-minute walk to Sloane Square shopping district and Saatchi Art Gallery
• 15-minute walk to the Science Museum
• 9-minute tube ride to Piccadilly circus and the theatre district
• 11-minute tube ride to Covent Garden and more theatre district
• 13-minute bus ride to Notting Hill Gate and Portobello Market
• 15-minute tube ride to Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, London Eye, and scenic walks along the Thames
• 16-minute tube ride to Trafalgar Square, National Portrait Gallery, London ICA, Tate Modern and the Southbank

• Rooms are decorated in chocolates, beiges, creams, and grays.
• Many rooms are worn and in serious need of refurbishment: There have been reports of worn and broken fixtures, torn furnishings, cracked ceilings, and non-functional appliances.
• Some rooms are in good condition, with attractive details such as wood floors.
• Kitchenette in certain rooms
• Gilchrist & Soames toiletries

• No on-site restaurant, but a room service breakfast is available. (Expect basic items such as cereal, yogurt, and toast).
• Bar service to rooms available from morning to night
• Business center