Here's my story: I looked at the discount sites and was ready to take the cheapest available until I read reviews online. The cheap ones seemed to be so bad that they were ruining trips. I settled on this hotel after literally days and days of deliberation. You may be having the same problem. So, this hotel isn't bad; that is, there isn't any specific complaint, but I wasn't impressed either.First, if you stay here - and you take the Gatwick Express to Victoria Station, for example, or end up at Victoria Station from Hethrow - DO NOT go just left of the station when you see a big Holiday Inn sign. That is the regular Holiday Inn (i.e. - more expensive). This hotel is a walk away.
I'd say it was a good 10 minute walk, even at a brisk pace. We were there in cooler weather and we were sweating by the time we got there.
All in all, the location isn't terrible (although we later read this wasn't a great section of town). Basically, it is hotel after hotel after hotel. You'll pass literally dozens of hotels on the way from the tube station, so one of those might be better as it would be a shorter walk to and from the tube.When we got there, the service was very very friendly. Although we arrived early, and there wasn't yet a room availble, they let us go downstairs and eat breakfast while we waited for the room (and they arranged for one to be made up while we waited).
The breakfast wasn't bad - toast, fruit, cerial, yogurt, coffee, tea, etc.Also, there may have been a computer for guests to use. We noticed it but didn't ask if it was for guests b/c we didn't stay long.The room, while clean, was TINY. And we're used to tiny rooms in big cities. Still, there was almost no room to walk. We had two beds (not our first choice but cheaper than just one - I don't know why), but unlike double beds as you'd find in the States, they were single beds.
Again TINY. But the two beds was an advantage b/c if it wasn't for the other bed, we'd have had no place to open our luggage. You've probably read to request a room away from the street and that is very true. It was very very loud and w/o AC we needed the windows open (altho it really wasn't that bad w/o AC - mainly we needed it after getting so hot on the long walk w/ all the luggage). The bathroom, however, was really nice. New, clean, spacious. The only problem was that the curtain easily went outside leaving literally over an inch of water flooding the entire floor.After we checked in, we called to arrange another hotel and only stayed one night in this one (not b/c it was really all that bad but b/c we were able to get a GREAT deal elsewhere by calling when we got there).In all, it wasn't a horrible experience.
If you can't find anything else, you probably won't have a bad experience to report either. But given the price, location, and amenities, I think there are better deals to be had. (See my review of Fuller's Sanctuary House Hotel).