St Hugh’s College

Date: July 24^th, 2014
Room: No. 107, Dickson Poon, Building, China Center, St. Hugh’s College
First: the good things. The Instructions upon arrival were fine for the B&B style of the Oxford College experience. An able Porter provided me with a map and fine instructions on where things were and when and where I could get breakfast, etc.
Next good things: The building and room were clean, as in brand spanking new clean, but with still some construction dust.
The furniture is adequate, if a little monastic, a single bed, tiny bathroom, a single cheap chair, some shelving, a closet, etc. Give that a three stars out of five…
Bathroom is tiny, shower is okay, plenty of water pressure and hot water, etc., but a little plastic and cramped. The toilet was school/​prison/​public bolted-​to the wall hidden-​tank variety that screams «CHEAP» but okay, it is a dorm room. The toilet seat was cheap flexible plastic, so if you weigh more than Kate Moss expect it to bend under your fessocks.
Towels are nice, generous even, good cotton.
Which brings us to the bad news…
AND IT IS VERY VERY BAD!!!
On my hall were two stairways, one a fire exit stairway. THIS FIRE EXIT STAIRWAY WAS LOCKED AND THERE WAS NO WAY TO OPEN IT. IN A FIRE I WOULD HAVE DIED!!!
Second, the Dickson Poon Building is made of GLASS and has inadequate ventilation and a SOUTHERN AND WESTERN EXPOSURE. Therefore in the summertime, it is an OVEN!!! I recorded a temperature of 34 degrees C in my room (94 Fahrenheit) using my iPhone.
Third, there was absolutely no way to get any air circulation in the room. There was a «fire door» every ten feet, that hermetically sealed off that chamber. Each room had a tiny inadequate air duct, which no air went in or out of (I put tissue paper up to it, it did not budge either way).
Overall, it is an entirely negative experience. I’ve lived in Europe for 20 years, and stayed plenty of times in the summer with places that do not have air condition, This is different. This is an oven, not a «problem» or «a little warm.»
Glass places like this at least have fans, if not air conditioning. To design a building made of glass with no interior circulation is the height of stupidity. I blame the engineer and architect of the building, they are morons.
In short, never ever ever ever ever stay at St. Hugh’s College. They do not know what they are doing, and have a bad building to put you in.
Oh, and it was 96 pounds a night. A ridiculous price for how mediocre to horrible it is.