Charles Hope London Battersea

This property should be removed from Hotels.com. It’s a lie! There are no property workers in the UK, and there’s no clear sign of where it is (they are apartments inside an atypical residential building). The receptionists of the residential building said the Charles Apartment have never visited, always mislead customers and create them headaches. Further, the brilliant gym that they picture ISN’T ACCESSIBLE BY TOURISTS. It’s residents only! The whole thing is a scam and a headache. Please, stay away. I wish I did.

The apartment was spacious and the neighborhood is nice, if you don’t mind the distance from central London. What we didn’t like at all was the communication with the host (which is mainly through automated ai responses). For a 4 night stay they provided us with only one toilet roll (!!!) and one set of towels per person. Yeah, kinda cheap if you ask me. There’s no daily housekeeping for stays under 7 days, so when we asked for a fresh set of towels we were reminded over and over again, that there’s an extra charge, which we were willing to pay for. So we kindly requested for a fresh set and asked what the charge is. We were ghosted- no one ever replied, after we were reassured they’ll get back to us. The ai agent kept apologizing for the miscommunication though when I messaged that we were left with the same used towels - bless it. Um, it’s a no from us. Never again. X

I can’t begin to describe how many things went wrong with this property. First of all, the apartment is located in a residential compound — I think the operator rents flats there, and there’s no dedicated reception. It was really hard to find, as there’s no sign for “Charles Hope” and no direct taxi access. We had to drag our luggage for a couple of blocks, and it took us 15 minutes of asking staff at several buildings just to find the place. The number listed on Hotel.com is actually a number in Egypt, and when I googled the hotel, the address led me to a building site. Then the check-in process was bizarre. First, they emailed asking for a photo ID and other details for “pre-registration” — and even when I showed up in person, I was told reception couldn’t check me in until I’d completed it. To make things worse, there’s no signal in the building. Once I finally completed the registration, the guy at reception asked me to repeat my name, address, and date of birth out loud. This felt less like checking into a hotel and more like being interviewed at a police station. Then there was the room. It wasn’t clean at all — dirty marks on the floor, the carpet, and the walls; food debris on the sofa; a dead bug on the bathroom door; hair (and who knows what else) on the sheets. The only clean item was the towel. And for shower gel? They’d left us hand wash instead. This is the worst experience I’ve had with any property. Do not stay here.

I was looking for a place to stay within reach of the Royal College of Art's Battersea campus, and this seemed like a great choice. I originally needed to add an extra night to my reservation. While support at Expedia was very helpful, it wasn't possible to do so without cancelling my original booking. To avoid this, I booked the additional night directly with Charles Hope London. They were very accommodating and upgraded my stay to a Deluxe Studio at no extra charge, so I wouldn't have to change rooms between bookings. The apartment was clean, spacious, and had a modern feel. There are wonderful restaurants, grocery shops, and cafes within walking distance, and a Tube station just 10 minutes away (Battersea Power Station). Must try the Salad Project at the Battersea Power Station! I walked to the RCA through Battersea Park every morning — a wonderful way to start the day.

The staff was fantastic. Very helpful. The room was very nice. I highly recommend.