Britannia International Hotel 163 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SJ

"I got a room at very short notice at a fantastic price. Was warned on booking that the room would not have a window. No problem for that price, and I was staying on business, so not actually spending much time in the room. I was warned again at check in, and then upgraded to a larger room with a view for free anyway. Check in was friendly and efficient, the decor in the room was no- thrills and a little dated (so I only gave 3 stars) but it was clean, had kettle, tea/coffee, ironing board, hair drier and everything I needed. I think WiFi was extra, but didn't need it. Very pleased with my stay, especially for the price in a very useful location for Canary Wharf."

"Me and my wife have just returned home from a long weekend. We arrived early for check in Friday, about 4 hours. But no problem we was allowed in to our room which was a double executive. Large wardrobe, large bathroom with good shower over bath, hairdryer, tea/coffee making facilities. Check in was very pleasant, reception staff very helpful. 2 types of restaurants and staff very very friendly and helpful. Only one downfall a lack of electrical sockets only one spare. First night room was not over warm, reported to reception and as promised a temporary heater was delivered promised a temp to our room within 10 minutes. We will return soon for another short stay with no problem"

"Avoid this run-down and poorly-managed hotel at all costs! The hostel-priced hotel was one of the worst mistakes I've made as a traveler. The reduced fare is not worth the atrocious management. Our initial room had rubbish in the rubbish cans, a heavy window just barely secured with coffee stirrers through holes that once held a lock, a non-functioning AC unit that kept the room at 26*C, broken and scratched furniture, and a carpet that was last washed when there was only one Star Wars trilogy. We tried calling the front desk to ask for someone to help us with the AC but the phone was dead, so we went downstairs and asked for a change of room to one with working AC, only to be offered to have some staff open the window for us (you know, removing the sticks). After threatening to ask for a refund we were offered a room upgrade, with the manager constantly reminding us how much more expensive this suite was than the one we had booked. The new room was bigger, so the still non-functioning AC was a bit more tolerable at 23*C, but we still had to ask for the window to be opened. That was a mistake because the DLR runs every 15 minutes really close to the property. The toilet had a faulty tank and a staff member had to show us how to jiggle and wiggle the lever to make it fill the tank after flushing. If you want towels or toilet paper you have to go and pick them up from the front desk yourself, as no amount of complaining will make housekeeping come to your room (apparently something all guests painfully learn judging by the number of other guests/victims who were complaining every time we went there). Of course, a change of bedding was impossible during the whole week. On the bright side, it has a very convenient location. Everything else is terrible. It's not worth the low cost, for that money a good hostel would be an infinitely superior choice."

"A run down hotel with terrible service. The staff are not at all friendly or welcoming, verging on rude. Check in took an age. Four staff on duty, only one serving the growing line of guests. Rather than a smile and an apology for the wait, simply barked at - “next”. Very much given the impression, that I was interrupting something more important. The young lady charged the wrong rate for the room, which mean that I was blocked out of the room the following day. As far as I was concerned, that was not my mistake, and with the appalling quality of the room actually rather fair. I was treated as though it was my fault, no apology, no attempt to meet me in the middle or compensate me in any way. My key was taken away from me and I was bluntly informed that I could find a new hotel for the night. Eventually we got a new room, not that it was much better. The first room had a fair amount of mold in the bathroom. The carpet was filthy. The AC was old and difficult to use. And the old spring beds creaked and rolled back and forth without much help. A window was also open, which resulted in the rain during the night coming into the room. No handles on the window but lots of holes where they might once have been. Eventually we got it shut and managed to secure it with a screw which we found lying on the window sill(!!). The second room was cleaner and had a more modern AC that seemed to work better. The bed was quite but the end of a metal spring stuck through all the covers and could have badly cut my feet if I had not noticed. With the steam from the shower it was also possible to see the half hearted way the large mirrors are cleaned. WiFi is advertised as free, but that is only in the lobby and bar. In the rooms it is an additional £7 per day. Sockets next to the bed are old 15amp sockets – so it is not possible to plug in a smart phone or any other device to charge. Not recommended."

"Room was good, that's where it stops to be honest! 45min queue to check in didn't go down well after travelling and just wanting to get into your room and relax. Breakfast was appalling to be honest. Good selection but the quality of the food was poor at best. Only the cheapest of ingredients and that's exactly how it tasted. The orange juice was watered down so much it had no orange flavour at all. We left Breakfast and then took the lift which broke down between floors. We tried getting attention with the alarm button to no avail. Mobile phone signals were poor and when we did manage to call the hotel no-one answered. 25mins of extremely hot and claustrophobic conditions before the manager forced the doors open. He was only alerted to our predicament because we managed to call the fire brigade who turned up and informed him!!! Never again"