The Laslett: Notting Hill charms?

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Can I be honest with you?  Sometimes, I am spectacularly lazy when it comes to my vacation.  In this case, nevermind the sheer amount of sightseeing and activities London has to offer, with less than 48 hours in the city, I wanted to concentrate my time.  And by concentrate my time, I mean, eat well.  Thus, I found myself looking for a Notting Hill adjacent property and stumbled on The Laslett.  With such a crunch on our time, I didn’t want to spend the entirety of our trip in or on transportation.  Friends recommended Hotel 41, as well as the Athenaeum, however, given the proximity to Core by Clare Smyth and The Ledbury, I decided it would be best to stay within walking distance of both restaurants.  Sure, London has excellent public transportation, but with such a limited amount of time, I decided we would rather enjoy one neighborhood, instead of trying to do everything at once.  Even though we managed to cover quite a bit of ground (I did have a few sites to visit, in honor of my novels), there will always be another time to visit London and check out other opportunities.

Pros

• Location, location, location.  I cannot stress how well situated The Laslett was.  Close to a Tube stop?  Yes.  Easy for our Blacklane drivers to find?  You got it.  Walking distance to plenty of reasonable food options?  Yes, again.  We lucked into some great weather and enjoyed our strolls around the city.  Notting Hill has a distinctly posh neighborhood feel, and I found the entire area relaxing and safe.
• Decor.  All the points for cool here.  As The Laslett is a hotel by Living Rooms, extra attention is spent throughout the property.  Even though the spaces are small (this is London, after all), the design speaks to high levels of detail.  All public areas feel more or less ready for some location scout and use them in an upcoming film.  Our room was the epitome of boutique hotel design, with original artwork and other small touches to differentiate itself from larger chains.

Cons

• Service.  Now, admittedly, I am used to the standards of the Middle East, however, I think there are minimum standard requirements for customers staying at a specific caliber of hotel.  Be it large or small, and all things being equal at a property, what is the thing that brings us back to a place?  In my mind, it’s service.  I’m not talking about staff ratios of 3 to 1 or anything crazy like that, more that any level of engagement is appreciated.  Here are three interactions I could not overlook.  Yes, I’m a bit high maintenance, however, for GBP350+ per night, I think I have a right to reconsider staying or recommending the hotel based on below.
  • The wait.  Of the most significant errors, I think the one I understood the least was waiting and eventually never being offered a drink.  The Laslett is home to a charming veranda, full of seating and is a perfect place to meet up for a cocktail.  Deciding we would like to enjoy a drink, Hubs and I walked outside and sat down.  And waited.  And waited.  And waited some more.  Was the porch busy?  No, it was not.  Basically, it was almost like being invisible.  So, we sat, and no eye contact was made, no recognition of our presence was ever acknowledged by the servers, who made their trips in and out.  Of course, in the scheme of our lives, this oversight isn’t a big deal, but after twenty minutes we took ourselves down the street for cheap sushi and beer takeaway.
  • No questions.  Although I’ve never officially worked in hospitality, to me, there are a few standard questions that come to mind when interacting with a guest.  For example, when checking out, AT A MINIMUM, there are two questions (besides, ‘how was your stay?’), these questions are: ‘do you need any help with your bags?’  Now, Hubs and I are fortunate to be able-bodied, capable individuals, however, there are plenty of people who have issues with mobility and baggage.  No hotel should ever assume that a guest does not need help.  The second question, is ‘do you need any help getting to your next location?’  In our case, I had booked a car, however, whether we were going via public transportation or needed a car or taxi, the final interaction with a guest should be one of support.  As one additional observation, when we mentioned we were going to Core by Clare Smyth, the hotel staff noted many of their guests were interested in the venue.  It would’ve made a lot of sense to follow up the next day and ask “How was your experience there?”  Whether the staff cared or not, it’s these small details that matter.
  • Five and twenty.  I write this because of consistency.  On our first morning, we ordered off the breakfast menu (delightful, with plenty of options), our avo toast with eggs was delivered promptly within 5-7 minutes.  For reasons unknown, the second morning (i.e. when we were waiting for our driver), the exact same breakfast took nearly twenty minutes.  Was there a breakdown in service?  Something wrong in the kitchen?  I guess we’ll never know.

Observations

• As you can imagine with above, I was less than pleased by our experience at The Laslett.  After all, while I might not always have the best record with restaurants, I tend almost always get hotel bookings correct.  Thus, upon our return to the UAE, I felt the right decision was to post an honest review on Trip Advisor.  I suppose I could have addressed the above issues at the time when they happened, but Hubs and I were exhausted from our travels, and didn’t feel like calling anyone out.  Not even 24 hours after posting my review, a manager from The Laslett reached out to me about my experience.  In shades of Bulgari, a decision was reached that to me, was a correct resolution of our experience.  However, I didn’t write my review with any expectation that I would be compensated.  I wrote it because I thought others had a right to know.  It’s good to know that management is monitoring TripAdvisor, however, better training at the hotel would’ve prevented any of this from happening in the first place.
• Avoid the ground floor rooms.  While our room was definitely on the larger side and upper category, given the porch of the hotel was directly outside our room, that meant people outside our window.  With a bit of jet lag, I would’ve preferred a bit more privacy/less noise in the evening.
• Managing (my) expectations. On reflection, I wonder if all of this because I’m reasonably used to going to places where people are expecting me.  Where I’m going to get the best service, every time (at least in the UAE).  Am I used to getting special treatment too often?  We paid for all our hotels and meals on this trip, and it was a good reminder of why I work on this blog.  Meals, hotels, and travel all cost money (duh).  However, in spending hard earned money, what exactly should we expect?  In all these transactions, when do we look at the final bill and agree that this was a good use of our budget?

Would I go back to The Laslett?  Even with the generous and prompt response of the management, I do think I would do more research for the area before booking again (or really, just find something on Airbnb).

Who is The Laslett best for?  Those looking for an excellent location, and a charming atmosphere.  I honestly believe the service issues we experienced were not the usual levels delivered at the hotel.

What is your favorite hotel in London?  Have you stayed at the Laslett?  What would you have done in this situation?