I had a really pleasant experience at Empire Square and I would recommend this place for visitors, especially those with children. My husband and daughter and I stayed in a two-bedroom apartment and the place was very clean and spacious, and the two bathrooms and well-equipped kitchen were perfect for us. Everything seemed brand new. My toddler was able to run off steam in the large apartment at the end of the day and there was plenty of room for us to play with her. You can't beat the quality for the price, especially in London. And the Tesco downstairs was great. I was a bit worried about the staff after having read previous reviews about this place, but having stayed here for 6 nights I can say that I had nothing but very positive experiences with the staff - they were all very nice and patient with me when I couldn't figure out how to get the TV to work! And they were all very friendly with my daughter when we were running around the lobby jet lagged at midnight. When I had my hands full, they would always buzz me into the building, and I never saw them being anything but respectful to other guests. The only slight downside to this place is the location. While I didn't get nervous in the neighborhood at all (I went for a walk with my daughter at 11:00 at night a few times when we were jet lagged and it was fine), it is not centrally located to the tourist sights, although public transportation is nearby. This is a largely residential part of London and you won't find many other tourists here other than those also staying at Empire Square. I would have preferred to be closer to Leicester Square, Oxford Street, etc., but the size and quality of the apartment made up for that. There are lots of little restaurants just around the corner (pizza, Chinese, Indian) so you have lots of options. And of course there are lots of pubs in the area (very nice ones on the river, about 10 minutes walk away). Hope this helps!

Absolutely nothing to complain about at this great place. 5 mins from Waterloo by taxi or tube. Borough market tube 2 mins walk away then you can go anywhere. Spotleessly clean, spacious and very very relaxing. Tescos are downstairs so it is really easy to cater with everything you need in the apartment to cook a meal or a snack. Lots of little places nearby to eat and the southbank just ashort walk away. I would love to go again very soon.

Well, we went here for my boyfriends birthday and with all the good reviews I was expecting this to be worth the money. And to be perfectly honest, it really wasn't. Firstly it was a nightmare to find, the sat nav couldn't pick it up and once we finally got on Long Lane (the road it is situated on) there must have been a recent stabbing because there was a lot of flowers and people standing around a spot by the railings. The view that is shown on the website is NOTHING like the actual view which is council flats (one thing I specifically assked for) and a very busy very noisy road with Fire engines police cars and ambulances going past every 10 minutes. The only thing that make you have an inkling that you were in London was St Pauls Cathedral and and gherkin building far in the distance and the millions of cranes. We arrived at 2 o'clock. We paid up front in the Marlin Apartments offices, told that our room was ready and that if we saw the concierge he would tell us where to park and give us keys for the apartment. A lot of the workers are foriegn and it is extremely hard to understand what they are saying and after getting some very strange directions to the concierge from the woman in the office and walking in the rain for 10 minutes due to the building work, we managed to find the concierge who was the most useless concierge I have ever known. He flatly refused us entry into the car park or the apartment until 3 o'clock and just repeated that he works in a different company .......... After he finally talked to the Marlin Apartments Office he showed us directions to the car park. He literally drew a square on the back of a tiny bit of scrap paper for directions and expected us to find it. Luckily we knew the street name, Tabbard Street, so after yet another 20 minutes we found the car park, which unsuprisingly did not match up to his boxy map. On a plus side, the parking is very secure although it would be as they only let you in at 3 and expect you out by 10 and charge you ?20 for the privilage, you might as well go to an NCP! We then had to wait for the keys at front desk. We were told by another foriegn lady that our room was 44 on the third floor. Not suprisingly it was actually on the forth floor. So in the apartment. Please note a spare towel is in one of the many hidden cupboards within the apartment which we found out just as we were about to leave. Don't expect Sky, actually don't expect channel 4 and 5 either....... or any freeview as advertised on the net. Also cross off slippers and gowns,any decent sized toiletries (yes they are Molton Brown but there isn't enough soap in a bottle to wash one leg), luxury pillows or duvets (they are like my dog blankets). The rooms were new and refurbished but it seemed like they had been done on a budget. As sound proofing was rubbish, something I would have thought would have been a top priority with the location, the bath and the furniture although it looked good felt quite cheap. You do get your "luxury hamper" though........ with a melted kitkat and cuppa soups and rubbish tea. The people outside and around the hotel are extremely rude and intimidating. We bumped into a gang (which really filled us with confidence after seeing the memorial). We decided to go out for the evening and came back at 12 and found out that we were actually completely locked out and had to ring knock and shout through to the concierge.... in the pouring down rain, before we could get let in. To top it all off the ridiculous checking out time that means you can't have a relaxing stay hear as your booted out first thing in the morning. I'm not sure whether they treated us like this because we are quite young but I also noticed quite a few people struggling with the staff. I definately would not recommend this place. I would recommend the County Park Plaza near Waterloo. It feels like London and the staff are superb! And it's the same price. Forget this place!!! After all of this the concierge asked us if we had a good stay....... From what we learnt checking in, there's no point even trying to comment because he would either not understand or not listen.

We booked this apartment on a last minute whim the day before. We got an excellent rate for a deluxe 1 bedroom apartment. The apartment itself was incredibly modern and clean and the facilities were great. The rooms were all clean and well decorated with flat screen TV's in both rooms, the lounge had Sky + and a dvd player and the bedroom had Sky Multi Room. Our only disappointment was that we were only there for 1 night!!!!! It was excellent value for money and a great location for exploring an off the beaten track area around Borough High Street. The views were excellent and north facing so at night it was fab to see the London Eye, Oxo Tower and St Pauls all alight.