Having heard of the kempinski brand before, I was quite excited about my stay. Alas, it can only be described as a disaster, made all the more poignant by the fact that the room was ridiculously expensive. It started with the hotel reception and personnel who - while not rude - were certainly very indifferent. Upon checking into my room I found a litany of little nuisances - my shower head fell off, the bath plug wouldn't close, and there was a giant dirty stain on the carpet. But worse was yet to come. Sleep was an impossibility that night because my room was adjacent to an archaic elevator which made an awful squeeky wheel sound each time it passed my room. The sound was intermittent, so each time I went out of my room to investigate, I couldn't pinpoint the problem. When I finally figured it out, they promised to stop using the elevator for the evening, yet started it again at 6 am, at which point I'd had a grand glorious 4 hours of sleep. The next day they moved me to another room, but once again there was an issue - TV reception was bad. The breakfast buffet was also of a low quality, particularly the smoked salmon which tasted very low grade. In complaining to the hotel about these issues there never appeared to be any manager on duty, or the ones that were on duty had no power to remedy the situation. In short, if you are looking to pay 5 star prices for a 3 star (at best) experience, then this place is ideal. Otherwise, I'd steer well clear.

Booked again through lastminute.com Check in was very efficient and we were upgraded free of charge. The staff were very polite and helpful. The room was lovely, spacious with a large bathroom. Outside the hotel is Liberties and Carnaby Street, with Oxford Street and all the other West end attractions on your doorstep. This hotel is famous because it was once a 'Courthouse' and they have tried to keep some features. The bar is lovely - very trendy yet tables far enough apart to be private. Have a look inside the old 'cells'. you can sit in there and have a drink too ( I think you have to book this tho) Overall the hotel was very clean, very attractive and modern. Cannot comment about the food as we didnt eat there - but did have some wine in the bar - which if you are willing to pay ?20 or thereabouts for a bottle of house wine, is much more relaxing then the many bustling bars outside.

Stayed here with my husband for a night in May, lured by a good price on Lastminute.com as well as the opportunity to try something new. Overall, the building's history and the excellent location balance what could probably be best described as a bland experience otherwise. There is no 'wow' factor here, and the staff, although friendly, are only just that. Our room had nice decorative details, like a frosted window between the bathroom and the main room, but the space was small and quite cramped even with minimal luggage. We also had to close the door between the room and the entrance to keep noises from the corridor out. Housekeeping passed by within 15 minutes after we arrived, to check on the minibar after the previous guest. Admittedly, we had checked in an hour early, but this seemed a bit extreme. The in-room internet connection also failed overnight, reportedly due to a server error. We were promised a refund of the charges, but nevertheless had to remind of this at check-out. These were small details, but add to the feeling that we might not choose this hotel again.

Luxurious hotel, nice room/bathroom although could be bigger, great location. We've stayed here 3 times now and each time has been a good experience. Book direct for a weekend rate of ?175 with full english breakfast. Used the spa a couple of times, which isn't that big but we've been the only people in there each time so it has been fine. Bar is expensive (but I guess it's normal for a good london hotel) but is funky and has an unusual setting i.e. the gaols. Would definately stay again