Mama Shelter London - Shoreditch

Great location in east london - super close to Broadway market and Columbia road. The fantastic and friendly staff deserve a big shout out. Fab stay.

Basic

Yesterday, I booked and prepaid for a stay at the Shoreditch branch for my partner and I. My partner arrived before me, and was unaware that I had already paid so when he was asked to pay for the room, he did so. We bought this up at reception and I must say the staff member was prompt with issuing a refund, however I'm not sure sure why this issue happened in the first place. We were then offered complimentary drinks vouchers for the inconvenience which we took to the bar. We ordered a cocktail each but were then told the vouchers were only for house beverages. We were clearly holding the vouchers so not sure why we weren't told this a) as the vouchers were being issued or b) at the bar while ordering. We ended up leaving the cocktails (which seemed to be a waste). I must say, our experience at the restaurant itself was abysmal. We were disappointed to discover the sunday roast menu ends at 4.30, why is is so early? Check in is at 3 so it doesn't give much time for guests to settle as choose this as a dining option. I feel as though this is more of a lunch menu which should be specified; when I imagine a Sunday roast I think of dinner time, which could (and should) be served anywhere up to 8pm, or typical dinner times! As an alternative, I ordered the fried chicken burger which arrived cold and was still pink on the inside. I immediately returned it and was offered to swap - I went for the cheeseburger which tasted very unpleasant and didn't eat this either so unfortunately I went hungry. I've visted Mama shelter before, both in London and France, so I must say I was very upset with the substandard food and the whole dining experience. The room itself was not a pleasant experience either. We barely slept as all the noise from the corridor leaked into the room as the walls are so thin, so we kept being disturbed. The bed wasn't a double, it was two singles pushed together that kept getting separated during our sleep which is absolutely unacceptable and incredibly uncomfortable for what is meant to be a 4 star hotel. The room was also boiling hot and the lowest setting in the AC had no impact at all - I dread to think what the hotel is like in the summer months! The room also smelt strongly of bleach, which I suppose is better than it smelling foul but is also not pleasant to experience. Unfortunately, what was meant to be a well-deserved and restful celebration for my partner and I turned into a really disappointing experience, a lot of the time was spent with my partner comforting my tears as I was so upset with how our weekend away went!

Asked for pillows before checking in, and 4 times in two days. Never came. Breakfast was lame.