196 Bishopsgate London Myself and my husband have just returned from a weekend in London, we were visiting our son who is in college in Loughton so we need somewhere convient to Liverpool street station. I chose 196 Bishopsgate as I felt it meet our needs. I was by no means dissapointed. We checked in after 9 0 clock the receptionist was very polite and mannerly, the reception was clean and there was a beautiful aroma in the area. Our room was on the third floor, we didn't use the lifts, we used the stairs instead, every flight of stairs was immaculate and the smell of polish wafted in the air. The studio apartment was equally as clean and tidy, there is everything that you could wish for in it,. flat screen TV, DVD player, CD player, trouser press,hairdryer, radio alarm clock. The kitchen was well equiped with all the usual aplicances. The bathroom is tiny but still fairly well equiped, withh eated towel rail and plenty of towels. The apartment was cleaned on the Saturday and fresh towels were provided. There were no major faults with these apartments that we could see and we will most definetly return as we will be travelling to London quite a lot.

Flats are nice and bed is comfy but the experience is really overshadowed by arrogant and incompentent staff. I had to make a change in my booking to shorten my stay, something I did within the required 24 hours cancellation time. When I checked out in the morning of my last day, I had to pay the full stay, being told that the refund of the days I cancelled would be done "later". In addition, I could not get an invoice or even a reciept of my payment (eventhough I really insisted). Instead I was blamed for having rebooked (eventhough it was within their own cancellation policy). Even disregarding this experience, I never got a smile and for every inquiry (asking for the way to the gym or a restaurant) at the front desk I felt like I was being a pain in the neck for them. I would not recommend this place for anyone who wants to feel welcome.

We based ourselves here for the marathon weekend as I was running it and wanted facilities to prepare my own food, as what I ate was really important. We were upgraded which instantly put us in a good mood, and we weren't disappointed when we got to our room either. The finish was great we had a balcony and a great day bed that doubled up as a sofa, although this probably made our guests feel a little uneasy! The informal nature of the accomodation meant all our friends felt comfortable popping in for tea, which made for a much more relaxing stay for us (and economical, because we didn't have to go out for lots of meals and coffees). The mini dishwasher and washing/dryer were great because I could take my running kit home all nice and clean. I was a little disappointed that we didn't have a bath, especially given the nature of our stay, but the great TV, DVD player and cosy chairs made up for it. Our party hired out two other rooms at 196 Bishopsgate and they were absolutely massive, and they both had baths. The location was also really great. Just down from a great Tesco metro, opposite Liverpool Station and all its amenities, and near the charm of Spitalfields. I recommend this accommodation heartily.

The apartment's living room/diner was airy and spacious - a very nice room in which to work and eat. Plumbing was poor: cheap fittings, drain which barely worked; feeble shower. Bedrooms were cramped. But location is terrific: 50 metres from Liverpool Street station. Decent value and incredibly convenient. Worth visiting for these reasons alone.

Just wanted to write a few words to emphasise what good value this place represents; have stayed here twice, once on a Friday night and once on a Saturday and Sunday. On a weekday night the noise is appreciably louder due to the areas large workforce and if you are unduly troubled by a little street noise then a room at the back and on the upper floors is recommended. The apartment itself,(1 bed both times), is roomy, apart from the bathroom,(no bath, only shower, very small!), well maintained, and whilst minimalist in style has everything you need for a most comfortable stay. Given the location and having paid the same rate or more for substandard hotel accommodation, of which there is quite a bit in London, this represents great value and i think some of the revies have been a little churlish in not recognising this. Will definitely stay again and would recommend to anyone.