Had a room booked at the Central for 3 nights earlier this month. Tried to check in at 11am and was told couldn't until 12pm. So left baggage in bar, as I had to be somewhere by 1pm. I was assured the owner Max would call me during the day to confirm that everything would be ok with the booking. This I found a little strange, as I had a confirmed and PAID booking.

Got back at 11pm to be told the hotel was full and I and another lady would be taken to another local hotel. A friend of the chap who was arranging all this arrived to pick us up - he drove off so fast, I couldn't follow in my car! Having been told he would come back in 10 minutes, I waited for 50 minutes outside the hotel, the other guy was in the meantime practically ignoring my existence, for him to return.

In the meantime, 2 other people had found out there was no room for them either, so the other guy was taking me to "his family hotel" and them to another hotel. On the way, we stopped, as the 2 chaps were being dropped off at the hotel - unfortunately this one was full too and by the time they came back, the guy who was taking us had a "flat battery". So we took my car to his hotel - unfortunately this was full too, so he said we would be in an annexe near the station. At 12.30pm, we arrived and parked up and walked to a terraced house where we stayed in what was like a student house without towels or breakfast as booked. This is apparently what the Central uses when they are overbooked, which apparently happens very often.

The thing about my reservation with the Central was that they had taken a booking for a double room, as "there were no singles left." The 2 other guys, who didn't know each other at all, not only shared a room in the “student house“, but also a bed!

In fact it was good not to have stayed at the Central, as there was a loud disco both Friday and Saturday night and the place stank of dope. However, as a female, not really my cup of tea driving around Barking with 3 guys in my car who I don’t know at 12.30 at night going from one place to another.