The Cadogan, A Belmond Hotel, London

What a wonderful way to start 2025. I checked into this little gem of a hotel on December 31st. The GM welcomed me as I arrived , a very charming chap. The reception team whisked me up to my room on the 1st floor . The wooden staircase is very homely. My suite had a spacious living room. Fresh flowers. An enormous bed. Three different kinds on marble and stone in the gorgeous bathroom. Loved the lighting options throughout. Full height mini bar was very practical and cute. The Bamford bath salts , pillow sleep spray and geranium body products were delicious. Dinner sat on the pass at the La Lee restaurant was great. Inventive European menu. The veal tartare !! Yummy. The NYE tasting menu was superb value. A brilliant sommelier whose sparkle marched her wine choices. Attentive staff. Smashing breakfast the morning after. Would stay again in a shot. Quiet , calm luxury . Marvellous.

This hotel has a lot of good reviews and until December, I was one of its loyal admirers. But, good grief....what a horrible stay at this hotel on December 26, which used to be my favorite small London hotel. The stay was not terrible, but very poor. I discovered this hotel two years ago and thought I hit the jackpot with a great affordable hotel in London. My first stay, started a bit weird as the front desk staff never returned emails. No problem, I contacted the then general manager, who promptly assisted. Fast forward two years and the reception staff still ignore emails to the point of being downright insulting. It is interesting that they behave in this manner as they literally sit at the reception desk for hours, without many guests, yet they still fail to respond to emails. This is outrageous. But never fear, I simply email the GM, who generally responds within a few minutes. This stay was no different, I needed a room for December 26. So on December 25, I reached out to the hotel to see if they could confirm an early arrival. Of course, true to form, reception ignored my two emails. As the matter was urgent, I reached out to two other hotels, who quickly responded. My last attempt was copying the GM, he responded within minutes and confirmed the room would be ready for my early arrive. Of course, it was not ready, but after I was escorted to the restaurant to order a breakfast I did not want, the room became available. When I went to my assigned room, I was shocked. Not only was it one of the smallest at the hotel, but the hotel ignored my mobility issues, of which they were well aware from my previous stays and my notes in the reservation. The room had stairs from the entry door to the small living area. I found it every difficult to navigate the stairs, almost falling on two occasions. There was also no work desk, which I had informed the hotel and its GM many times was very important. Instead, I had a small table with a small low to the floor chair. It was difficult for me to sit down, get up or bend over the small table to work. Strangely as well, the housekeeping team put a plywood board on top of the mattress, not under the mattress or between the box spring and mattress, but literally on top, and then covered the wood with a thin sheet. They intended me to sleep on a board. What on earth could they be thinking? I then struggled to remove to board and carry it up the stairs into the hallway. There was a member of staff in the hallway, but they offered no assistance with the board. If I wanted to sleep on a board, I would not pay $1,300 a night. I was suppose to receive an upgrade to at least a Deluxe room, but no upgrade was provided, and to add insult to injury, the welcome amenity was one piece of chocolate. The bathroom was tiny and there was no proper shower door. The water from the shower created a sleek danger zone int he bathroom, just what someone with m