Zedwell Underground Hotel Tottenham Court Road

I already visited the Piccadilly location a few years ago and enjoyed it. For this location, I like the subterranean aspect. I chose knowing what to expect and was not disappointed! My husband and I stayed in a cosy cocoon. Our room was clean with ample towels. The room felt safe and private. Ear plugs were provided as this location is not far from Tottenham Court Road Tube station. The construction methods soundproofed the hotel well as the tube noise seemed very much in the distance. More quiet than a soundproofed on-airport hotel! Lovely hotel that I would recommend to those who want a no-distraction hotel stay in the hustle and bustle of London.

Rooms are lovely, comfy bedding and pillows. There is a smell when first coming into the building which I'm not sure what it is. Rooms are windowless as it is underground but it is perfect for the price and I feel the tranquility away from the hustle and hustle of the city. Rooms do not contain an iron or hairdryer but they do have a large communal room with hair dryers and irons/ironing boards for you to use. You do hear the rumble of the tubes on the odd occasion but it hasn't disturbed me. Earplugs are provided. The night time door/security are lovely but the the afternoon / evening staff aren't as friendly. They act like they've been trapped down here for days on end; no customer service skills or even social skills. No greetings even when I have said hello to them and no manners either. I think they need a glass of cold water thrown at them and a strong espresso because they look like they are going through the wars.

First of all: If the you want is a comfortable quiet place to sleep in the heart of London, close to theaters and bars, and nothing else, then this might be a good fit for you. Note the ENTIRE hotel, including the lobby, is in the basement. You enter through a nondescript door and go down 4 floors to reception. The rooms are quite small, and very basic. They put spin on this by describing them as 'sleeping cocoons with no distractions', but I found the dim lights, lack of chairs, no cups, no tea kettle, no table, no TV to just be rather austere. The beds were comfortable, the WIFI was strong, and the rooms were quiet (you can hear the distance rumble of the tube sometimes, but I found that nice). The temperature control was consistent. The rooms stayed comfortable and cool, and smelled freshly, despite being deep underground (-4 and -5 floors). However, the hallway was hot and smelled like scented cat litter (I imagine they have issues with moisture), and in order to get a cup or coffee/tea in the morning you had to go up to the lobby. The carpets in the halls and foyer were quite dirty, and really need to be shampooed or replaced. If this review was exclusively about the room & hotel itself it would be only 3 stars, but the service I received was so good it bumped it up. I had a travel emergency while I was there, and needed a lot of help in order to resolve it and the staff was kind, patient, and helped me figure out whatever I needed. The manager in particular during the mornings I was there was excellent and I appreciated her support so much.

This is my first time writing a negative hotel review. I booked Zedwell from Oct 2–7, thinking it would be a safe choice after a good experience at Zedwell Piccadilly. However, on the first night, our room was filled with a strong sewage smell just one hour after check-in. I requested a room change, hoping to solve the problem. On the second night, we experienced five separate fire alarms while staying on Level -5 (five floors underground). Twice, we had to climb up five flights of stairs with no clear instructions or communication from staff. Each time, we were left confused and scared. When we asked what happened, the staff couldn’t confirm the cause, yet still told us to return to our room. Later, the receptionist said there was “no actual fire” and that we could wait in the lobby “if we felt unsafe.” This response was completely unacceptable. Staying underground with repeated fire alarms and no safety assurance made us genuinely fear for our lives. What disappointed me the most is that after I filed a complaint through Booking.com, the hotel never responded to their inquiry. I believe even after posting this review, the hotel will take no further action. So all I can do is share my experience here — I do not recommend this hotel.

Booked this assuming a room without windows wouldn’t be a problem. Think again. I checked out again after an hour and went to a different hotel. The lack of windows isn’t even the biggest problem. Getting to your room is walking through a maze. All corridors look the same. Good luck getting out of there with an emergency. As there’s no street noise, all other noise can be heard. You’ll hear the metro under/next to you, your neighbour (rooms aren’t very sound proof), the plumbing, etc. Toilet and shower make weird noises, possibly because the sewer is higher than your room so they need to ‘suck’ the water up. Although it looks rather new and ‘trendy’, cleaning isn’t optimal considering some mould in the bathroom. I felt totally depressed in that room and felt rather relieved when I walked outside again. Will never come back. Staff is friendly; they can’t help it. Only book when you like being underground.