The Montana Hotel

To be honest, this is certainly not my cup of tea. The south kensington area is nice though, but this worn down indian place rates no higher than two stars in my book. I must say that this is the last time that I allow my girlfriend to book the hotel.

Stayed here this past October for a full week plus one night and noticed quite a lot, so here it goes!
Front desk staff can be helpful, depends on who you ask really. There’s this young lady from Spain: she’s friendly, polite and helpful. A few others are quite courteous as well so overall service is adequate.
The included breakfast, which is served inside the hotel’s Indian restaurant, left something to be desired though. The provided toasts were so thin and insubstantial you’d hardly be full even if you finished a whole rack of them. Quality of the tea and coffee were disappointing as well. And instead of two containers of regular cornflakes they could have swapped one out for frosted flakes in order to add more variety to the mix. Apples, bananas, canned fruit pieces in syrup and yogurts wrap up the rest of the brekkie. Service was prompt and attentive, and we’re really impressed by the lack of smell of Indian cooking from the previous night. Restaurant is small so try to avoid the late rush.
We were initially given a basement room with, of course, no view whatsoever. So we requested to be transferred to a room upstairs. They moved us to the second floor, facing Gloucester Road. Wrong move! All these drafts coming through the windows made whoever’s sleeping right next to them shivering throughout the night. Quite a bit of noise came up from the street as well. I’d suggest if you’re staying here in winter, go for the the basement room. It’s more cozy, warm and quiet.
Something out of the norm also happened one night while I was showering. Their Indian restaurant chef and a hotel staff were knocking on our door, asking if our bathtub was overflowing. It wasn’t. Turns out they were having a leak downstairs on the ceiling of the kitchen and they couldn’t figure out why. Can’t imagine this ever happening in a ‘3-​star’ hotel. But oh well.
The area that this particular establishment really excels is their location. A stone’s throw away from the tube and Waitrose are big pluses. Also within walking distance to the V&A and Museum of Natural History etc. Guess that’s why people pick this hotel in the first place. We did.

I stayed here a couple nights, back in 2012 and I had a great time. The complimentary breakfast was great. The staff was very friendly and helpful, and the free wifi was a nice touch. I would recommend this hotel to anyone staying in London.

2.5 stars for this DATED hotel that needs an update, although the staff at the front desk is very nice! i guess for the price in London, I can’t be too picky
PROS:
–Conveniently located next to Gloucester Tube stop w/​a Starbucks, Paul, Tesco express, & waitrose nearby
–free WIFI
–nice staff let us take fruit on the go for breakfast when we didn’t have time to sit down!
–lift goes to every floor (but it’s small & slow)
–hair dryer, fridge, TV, kettle, & safe provided
–there’s an indian restaurant downstairs, but we never tried it! heard it was good though & hotel guests get a discount
CONS: (again ITS OLD & needs renovations)
–our first room had plumbing issues w/​a leading sink, but it was fixed immediately
–our second room had issues w/​the windows, we weren’t allowed to open them
–the décor & comforters need to be updated
–loud adjacent street w/​trucks passing constantly
I’m not sure if all guests get continental breakfast but it was a included for us: simple fair including toast, bananas, apples, canned pears/​peaches, honey dew, yogurts, granola, cereal, milk, coffee, & juice

The previous reviewers were rating the restaurant and not the hotel (which is still really crap).
This hotel is disgusting. A friend stayed a few nights nearby and when they were full and couldn’t extend his trip he booked at Montana. Anyway, they led us him to his room and it was the size of a twin bed and about as clean as a functioning (and derelict) broom closet.
If you’re really broke and need a bed in London and would prefer to be central and possibly contract some diseases, stay here. Otherwise, avoid!

The Montana is a great little hotel in the Gloucester Road area. We stayed here twice during my visits to London before we moved into a flat.
If you don’t mind the occasional whiff of Indian cuisine from the restaurant that’s located downstairs, it’s a great place!
Rooms are a bit on the tight side — but hey — it is London!
You have the option to take a room with an en suite bathroom or shared; we always selected en suite so I can’t comment about the shared facilities.
Management were great, check in was easy. Great little place. Since we’ve moved away, we’ll definitely hit up this place for our next visit!

Superlative service (even for one businesswoman dining alone, which often leads to being treated like a second class citizen), sparkling clean tablecloths and friendly atmosphere (maybe the Best of Bollywood Dance Video playing on an infinity loop would not have appealed to everyone but I loved it), and every dish was delicious (event my favorite, spinach with prawns, which I’m very picky about.) Made me feel very cared for both physically and otherwise. NOTE: Restaurant is called «Light of India.»

The Indian Restaurant in the Montana Hotel is one of my favorites. The food is very good and the décor is tacky, but it’s the memories that make this place special for me. On a recent trip to London, my wife and I just enjoyed our time here very much. There is no shortage of quality Indian food in London, but this one somehow became a favorite of ours. If you’re in the area, please try it. I want them to still be there for our next trip to London.