Falcon Hotel

Facing a small park and housed in a row of town houses, the Falcon Hotel has hanging plants, window boxes, and decorative wrought-iron enlivening its white masonry facade. The entryway lobby is brightly lit, with a functional reception desk, a computer station, and free coffee and tea. A few steps up from the lobby is an outdoor terrace, possibly the hotel's most attractive space, with black wicker tables and chairs, plants, and lanterns; one corner of the terrace is available for smokers. One flight down is a breakfast room lit by fluorescent lights. The space is humble and homey with round tables and chairs in light pine. Rooms are reached via a narrow, carpeted stairway. Some doorways are framed in pretty pediment and grooved moldings. Pale-blue and beige florals or geometric prints are used throughout the property, lending it a domestic feel. Most guests are budget travelers, especially couples and families. 

The Falcon Hotel is located a four-minute walk from Paddington Station, convenient for the London Underground, commuter rails, and the Heathrow Express train. A stop for a Hop-on, Hop-off tourist bus is across the street from the hotel as well. Hyde Park is a 10-minute walk away. From Paddington Station, it is a five-minute ride to Oxford Street. Visiting the Houses of Parliament, the London Eye, and Big Ben, are all about a 20-minute drive or 25-minute ride on the tube. The Heathrow Express train connects to the airport in about half an hour, while reaching Heathrow Airport by car takes 37 minutes. Gatwick Airport is an hour and 20 minutes away by car, or just over an hour away by train.

In general, rooms at budget hotels in central London are tiny, and the Falcon Hotel is no exception. What this hotel does offer, however, is flexibility. Rooms range from snug Single Rooms to bigger Family Rooms that have beds for four people. Adjoining rooms are also available. The palette in rooms is dominated by creams and pale blues with embossed wallpaper adding texture. But the bedspreads, curtains, and wood furniture feels a bit dated and mismatched. Each room has a flat-screen TV (sometimes not in the best-viewing location), a hairdryer, free Wi-Fi, and tea- and coffee-making facilities. While the hotel stresses that each room has its own private toilet, some are on another floor from the room itself. All of the rooms have sinks and stall showers en-suite. Towels are provided, but toiletries are not (though there are some for sale in the lobby).

The hotel's computer station allows guests to check emails or museum opening hours. Photocopying and printing is free at the hotel, a useful feature for guests who need to print out boarding passes. A large map of the London Underground opposite the reception desk, a display of brochures of London attractions, and train and bus time tables in the lobby help orient guests, and various books to borrow on shelves in the lobby and breakfast room can give guests reading material on bus and tube rides. The lobby also has a niche where guests can make free coffee and tea, which can be taken out on the furnished terrace with a space for smokers. A buffet breakfast with continental items is included in room rates. The hotel provides a front door key for each guest so late-night revelers or very early risers can be independent. Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel, and paid parking is available in a lot a five-minute walk away.