Astor Kensington Hostel

I stayed here recently. Travelled to London and got badly travelsick and lost on my way to the hostel. The lady on the reception took me in very quick and uncomplicated. She was sweet and made me feel very quick safe and settled. The room was a bit too hot and the fan was lined up to only one bed. It would have been great if everyone would have got some of cool air. However, for being in a 8 room mixed dorm it was pretty clean and quite. I stayed only one night but would like to stay next time a little longer. Definitely coming back here soon again.

Do not stay here. Not sure where to begin but maybe with staff who will willingly lie to your face about stolen property. I had personal belongings stolen by staff working at the hostel. Despite me raising my concerns with management I was continually stalled in the hopes I would forget it. Staff are not great. On multiple occasions we witnessed staff complain and curse about co-workers in front of guests or hurl abuse down a corridor. The bathrooms need to be cleaned more frequently and thoroughly. Location of the hostel was its only saving grace. Consider somewhere else first though!

As a first time female solo traveler, I was very hesitant to stay in a hostel in a foreign country I'd never been to before. However, I'm very pleased to say that I had a FANTASTIC stay at Astor Kensington! I stayed 6 nights in a 4 bed female dorm. Overall, I feel like I got great value for what I paid. The hostel was very clean comfortable, and the staff were very friendly. I would definitely stay at Astor Kensington or another Astor property again! PROS: Extremely friendly staff that made my stay feel extra comforting and inviting! Located in a good area; <5 min walking distance to nearest bus Underground stations. I felt safe despite being a solo female traveler. The front door also has keypad entry. Bathrooms, hallways, rooms were frequently cleaned. Although the building/interior was a little outdated, it was definitely very clean and well maintained. Free coffee tea all day : Tons of other amenities like free hairdryers, a kitchen space, towels for rent, a laundry room, to name a few. My room didn’t have an en suite bathroom but it did have a sink which was really nice! CONS: No elevator, so I had to haul my heavy suitcase up 2 flights of stairs. To be expected with older buildings in London, though. Staff would on occasion burst in unannounced to clean/perform random maintenance tasks. I acknowledge that privacy is a trade off of staying in hostels, but this happened more frequently than I would’ve preferred. The last night of my stay, I came back to the bottom bunk I'd been sleeping on for the past 5 nights stripped my things moved to the top bunk. Not the biggest issue, but also could’ve done without this change.

Dippy staff on checking in, i think he was stonned. I was given a ground floor room. The room itself is clean but I assumed the window left wide open is what made it very cold, I was wrong, It is very cold anyway. The window faces an outdoor space containing kitchen basement vents that leads up the centre of the building, facing other windows in the same building. I was told the common areas are off limits because of lockdown but the reality is that common areas are off limits to guests so that the staff have space and facilities to host parties until 5am, keeping everyone awake. The toilet they used for their party was directly next to my room. So between midnight and 5am I had to deal with party noise in addition to noise related to being sick and spitting from the toilet next to my cold room. I disputed the problem last night and was told i can get a refund. Today i was told completely different. I was told that the manager wont be in until Monday (the same day as I'm due to check out). Apparently only the manager can authorise refunds. Now because my complaint has hurt staff feelings, I had to leave and consult the manager on Monday regarding my refund and why they value staff feelings over customer rights to get my £51 back. I'm not keen on drama on television let alone in my life as well. If you dislike drama, don't consider staying here. If you want a good nights sleep, do not stay here, the staff have absolutely no respect for guests. If you do find yourself having to stay here, pay only 1 night at a time.

I stayed here for 2 days just as I arrive to London. the staff was friendly and helpful, they even borrowed me an adapter so I could charge my laptop. as for the room, they 're not the most comfortable. I think 9 people bedroom is a bit too crowded and climbing to the third bunk bed is challenging and even dangerous. the bed ladder is very narrow with not much to hold on the side. Luckily for me the top bed where I was supposed to sleep was dirty so instead the staff replace it with the lower bed. (which also had a stain on it). the beds are quite simple with a very thin mattress, no place to charge a laptop near the bed, and only a USB plug for the phone. there is one fan in the room that only reaches the lower beds and not much space to place a big suitcase under the beds. The bathroom is small but clean, the place also has equipped kitchen and a living room, which is the only place you can charge and work on your laptop simultaneity. I think the biggest advantage of this hostel is the price and location.