London · England
Palmers Lodge - Swiss Cottage
Bed bug reports
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Confirmed Google Maps
Do not stay here. There's bedbugs 🪲🪲🪲🪲
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Confirmed Google Maps
Safety and cleanliness were my top priorities, and Palmer’s Lodge got the safety part spot on! I definitely felt safe. It was mostly clean but, not gonna lie, pretty sure I was bitten by bed bugs or something else. Also, the bathroom in the women only en-suite needed a serious deep cleaning. One thing I was really looking forward to when booking was the helpful people who work there that could offer advice or recommendations, that did not happen. I don’t think the people working there had any knowledge of anything related to transportation, shopping, dinner places or really anything else. I felt as if I was being annoying just for asking. I see they are showing as closed now, not sure what that’s about but I gave them 4 stars because I did feel safe, and it’s a hostel not a hotel.
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Confirmed Google Maps
One of the worst hostels I have stayed at. The rooms are not prepared for the heat, specially for the hot summer nights in London, there was 1 fan in the room but wasn’t enough to keep the room cool. Also, during my entire stay I noticed everything was super dusty, including curtains and mattress. I couldn’t stop sneezing during the entire time there. I’m pretty sure I got a skin rash because of it. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s bed bugs in there. The common areas, such as the ‘lobby’ is poorly equipped, all the charis and sofas are dirty, most of them have stains and is quite scary sitting down. Another thing, my food got stolen multiple times in the kitchen. I told reception but they didn’t seem to care. Specially the guy with the long hair in a bun. It’s frustrating because most of the times I would leave food to have for dinner and then it would be gone and there wouldn’t be anywhere else around to dine in. Even when they were labelled. Also they charge for towels and they are in poor condition too they even smell bad. I wouldn’t recommend staying here at all, it’s not worth it.
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Confirmed Google Maps
I would only come back if I didn't have a better option. The doors are heavy, which means you gonna wake up every time someone goes in or out of the room. The staff was friendly and they clean the hostel daily, however, my room was smelly, I was bitten by something, not sure if it was bed bugs or another insect. The kitchen is really small and has curfew. The sofa in the common area was dirty and the hostel is big, with people around all the time, so you can never have some peace and quiet, even to send a voice message in the hallways. The breakfast was well served and the area is good, close from the tube station and shops. Overall it was ok, but there are better hostels for the same price or less.
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Confirmed Booking.com
Unfortunately the third day I wake up and I had bites all over my body. I looked like bedbugs,mosquitos can not do that.
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Possible Booking.com
j’ai été piquée par des punaises de lit et j’étais au deuxième étage. Soyez prudents , car les piqûres n’apparaissent pas immédiatement.
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Confirmed Hostelworld
Not bad, but not as nice as in the photos (I think the saturation is turned up). Fairly big. I saw a bed bug unfortunately. Also seemed to house “long term” residents
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Confirmed Booking.com
Bedbugs omg after the stay, red rash on my back and arm due to bedbugs. I took pictures to prove it, I will definitely leave review on google with pics not to make it happen to others :(
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Confirmed Booking.com
I booked for 4 nights but I had to to leave after 2 due to bed bug bites all over my body. I have stayed here before and left with an overall good impression, but this was one of my worst hostel experience. The shared bathroom was quite far from my room. And there were creepy people lurking around the reception and in the building. It felt more like a temporary accomodation rather than a hostel for backpacker tourists.
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Confirmed Booking.com
Bedbugs
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Confirmed Booking.com
No fan , no AC in the room; felt very stuffy; we had to leave our door always opened to let air in. Showers: horrible design; no ventilation; you can take shower all day long and still feel sticky. First morning I took the shower, i fell very badly bc how slippery it was due to lack of air circulation. The bed: on the day of my check out i noticed multiple red itchy dots all of my body, that looked like bed bugs bites. I reported this issue to the front desk, but no refund or partial reimbursement was offered for this “little inconvenience “. Over rated hostel; would not be back for sure.
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Confirmed Hostelworld
Woke up one morning to a bed bug crawling across my bed. Left immediately after. The staff seemed indifferent and did nothing to rectify the situation, only saying that I would be refunded for the night that I cancelled (which hasn’t happened yet). The hostel is somewhat dirty and rundown and smells of smoke. Weird atmosphere as the people are mainly in their 40s and 50s. Beds were comfortable and the blackout curtains were nice. Their breakfast was the only particularly exceptional aspect.
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Confirmed Booking.com
When I walked into the female dormitory room, it smelled like sour sweat. The odor was very strong and didn't go away during the whole stay since there was not enough ventilation in the room. There were very suspicious small red marks in my bed sheets and little holes which might be signs of bed bug infestation. I checked the mattress thoroughly and thankfully didn't find anything, but according to other reviews about bed bugs, I don't think I would feel safe staying here again. Plus, I didn't get any sleep due to the person on the top of my bunk snoring the whole night. Yes, it's a dormitory which can be hard for light sleepers, but expect to be put in a room with at least one or two people snoring very loudly that keeps a few people awake literally the whole night.
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Confirmed Booking.com
I was told by reception staff somebody below my bunk reported that they bought bed bugs in my room so I had to leave and wasn't allowed back as I was bitten but the person who coordinated my stay at this hostel argued against this being true and wouldn't simply call up the hostel to confirm so the knock on effect of that was I slept back on the streets a few nights. The hostel didn't even say sorry and refused a refund or discounted room as I was not allowed to stay
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Confirmed Booking.com
BED BUGS, my bed was infested by bed bugs they refused spraying it with insecticide, they told me that a free wash would be enough, bed bugs don’t die easily, so it would be not. I had severe allergic reactions, I slept on the hallway, it was cold. I did not get any of my money back. They were extremely rude. The kitchen is small dirty and crowded. Horrible. Avoid at all cost
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Confirmed Booking.com
BED BUGS, I spoke with them a month prior asking to reunite my booking, they said that they did and have not. The bed had bed bugs, I spent most of my time sleeping in cold on the hallway. They refused to clean or announce the other people in the room. They did not use any insecticide. They did not move me. I got no compensation for this horrible nights. I spent more on medicine and insecticides than the accommodation itself. Avoid at all costs.
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Confirmed Hostelworld
Ravaged by bedbugs in 109. Bed curtains are good for privacy but not for cleanliness. Makes it easy for them to hide.
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Confirmed Booking.com
The staff were very pleasant and skillful on the day to day bases curring out the work.
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Confirmed Booking.com
- Bed bugs!!! - Giant fan in the room was making noise 24/7. Hard to sleep - Smal kitchen — fits 2 people max - Wifi is unstable
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Confirmed Hostelworld
During my stay here i had found what could MAYBE have been a bed bug. I notified staff immediately and they responded on the issue much later. They did not seem concerned, as this is very disappointing considering the high rating this hostel has. The breakfast was very sweet and we were not able to get unused breakfast pass refunded.
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Confirmed Hostelworld
This place has bedbugs. I am still trying to get rid f it.
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Confirmed Hostelworld
This hostel was overall great!! Spacious dorms, comfy beds, privacy curtains. Bar staff were super friendly atmosphere was amazing. Until we got bed bugs. The staff paid for us to wash all our clothes and stuff but then told us that it wasn’t bed bugs and no compassion was given. I was told to email the manager in which the same this was said and they blamed our airplane or the tubes for giving me 80+ bites all over my body and my partner then also got many bites that showed a few days later. I gave up trying to get any compensation as the staff were rude blunt and unhelpful. A shame this happened as the actual place was amazing
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Vibe Analysis
Palmers Lodge - Swiss Cottage is set in a beautiful old London building near Swiss Cottage and Finchley Road transport links. The old-house look is a real part of the stay: dark wood, big common spaces, an outside area, and a bar that can make the place feel busy rather than quiet. Bunks may have curtains, sockets, and small lights, which helps privacy in dorms. Staff can be warm and helpful, check-in is generally smooth, and breakfast can work as a simple start to the day. The tradeoff is that the hostel is big, crowded, and uneven. The kitchen is tiny, bathrooms and showers can feel cramped or poorly laid out, and dorm sleep can be rough because of music, doors, thin walls, heat, poor airflow, smells, and late noise. This is best for a London bed in a striking building with useful transport nearby, not for a calm social hostel or a polished comfort stay.
Signals to check
- The kitchen is very small and may not work well for proper cooking.
- Dorms can be noisy, hot, stuffy, cold, or short on usable space depending on the room.
- Cleanliness is inconsistent, with recurring issues around bathrooms, dust, smells, bins, showers, and bedding.
- Basement and lower rooms may have stronger noise or smell issues.
- Storage can be awkward: under-bed lockers may be too small for backpacks or carry-ons, and towels, locks, or luggage storage may cost extra.
- Tall travelers may find beds, low ceilings, showers, and bunks uncomfortable.