PubLove @ The Steam Engine,Waterloo

Horrid. squalor of humanity crammed into overheated rooms with no respite

It was close to the subway and good pubs nearby and places to eat. But I arrived in a heatwave. And there was NO aircon or even any opening windows in the bunk rooms so we literally sweated all night even with fans. Was very hard to sleep in a pool of sweat. Also the bunks were clean, but very close together so impossible to even sit up in them. Felt a bit like coffins lol. Bathrooms were unisex and pretty icky, very dirty and rubbish and towels everywhere, loos were gross, pee on the seat etc, which unfortunately is what you get when sharing with males. Showers were hot and good pressure. The downstairs was nice decor but no food available until 9am so no breakfast, and only limited menu. Staff were okay, checking in was smooth. Couldn't give me an extra pillow although I asked nicely, and seemed pretty blase about hostel side of things. All up not the nicest hotel I've stayed in but ok if not in a heatwave.

The hotel staff culture and processing is terrible

The location is great with many bus and subway transportation options. The female staff that checked me in was so unfriendly to the point that it made me hesitate to go down to the pub for drinks. I did end up visiting the pub a few times and the other staff were fine. Expedia listed optional English breakfast for £9.9 but it was £11. The room was very crammed but fine for the price. The bed seemed clean but I got bug bites on my legs. I really hope they aren’t bedbug bites… There is only one light switch for the entire room of 12 with no individual bedside lighting. The lockers are pretty small and you need to bring your own lock or buy one from them. The bathrooms are not super nice but again, fine for the price. You may be uncomfortable as a female though bc the two bathrooms are gym type showers for both genders. The amount of showers was decent, but definitely not enough toilets and sinks for everyone staying. You have to bring your own towel or rent one for £5. The listing said they would have soap, shampoo, and hair dryers but they didn’t. The internet almost never worked. I ended up having to buy an extra eSIM bc of this. Overall it’s okay for the price and location, but I’ll look for somewhere else next time.

Great bar and clean room! Outstanding location