 I was surprised at being charged about 45 29pounds sterling for one local phone call lasting 15 minutes I made from the room s phone to a London friend When I questioned the charge at check out I was told that the rate was correct even for this completely local city call because the charge was per minute and explained on the smart TV hotel info I had not turned on the TV to do the research and the desk had not had the courtesy to warn me of this charge when I asked them at check in about making local calls they had only said everything about the hotel is explained on the smart TV There was no card or sheet explaining anything about the phone in the room itself so beware Asking generally was not enough to elicit a warning about this exorbitant charge Also when I asked about finding an early morning cab to take me to Paddington station to catch the Express Train to Heathrow the desk called a cab to negotiate a fare to Heathrow itself from the cab Do not fall for this I did not Cab plus train to Heathrow is half the price of a cab ride to Heathrow even a negotiated one and the train from Paddington is very easy and takes only 15 minutes I was happy not to have purchased the 12 pound breakfast offered at check in as this is served in a windowless basement room and there are plenty of lovely and less expensive breakfasts available everywhere just outside this hotel There is a huge construction site for a large building going up on the block immediately in front of the hotel s door so no cabs can drive you in further than a block away My 7th floor room was quiet at night as building goes up further views will be blocked I still had a view 
 This hotel has a very central city location close to many theaters and museums and therefore walking distance to most places that interested me on this trip The staff is international multilingual and businesslike but may not go out of their way to protect your interests 