Safestay London Kensington Holland Park

If I could give this place a negative review I would. This hostel is absolutely disgusting and if I didn’t have to be here with my group I would’ve went to any other place. We have 13 people in one room both males and females, one shower, and no bathroom in the room. We have a shared communal bathroom that is absolutely disgusting and share it with other people outside of the group. I walked in multiple times to the other toilets being clogged, having feces around the rim, and just so disgusting. Then going over to the other bathroom the door would be half open and half closed and a man would just be standing in the bathroom, older as well as it’s supposed to be a youth hostel. Then when all toilets were clogged, we notified the front desk and then they didn’t help at all or offer any assistance. On top of that again, everything was DISGUSTING. The bathroom floors, smelled terrible, and it was all just so disgusting. Going back to the room. The room was disgusting, hot, and crowded. The girl sleeping under me woke up the next night with bug bites on her and we didn’t want to jump to conclusion but with the bites growing it looked more like bed bug bites. Now we have to worry about cleaning our stuff properly when we get home. There was also gum under another persons bed it was just purely disgusting. I wouldn’t recommend this place, pay the extra money to go somewhere way nicer it is so disgusting and not worth it.

I'd known Safestay from York but I hadn't stayed at the one in Holland Park before. My only worry at first was finding the entrance of the hostel and getting there safely since I was arriving late. I ended up getting at Holland Park at 3am, thankfully the staff had already advised me on letting the taxi driver know to drop me off at the end of "Duchess of Bedford's Walk" and the entrance to the hostel was less than 100 meters from the end of the road. And entering/ leaving the hostel is pretty safe with that locked door. My other concern was the bad reviews which I happened to read two days before my arrival (I was just looking on Google maps for the entry to the hostel) and many past guests mentioned the existence of bed bugs. I encountered NO SUCH THING. Our room was pretty clean, the cleaning crew came round after a guest left. We probably had the best room. Female 6-guest en-suite room with a small private balcony /veranta that was a nice surprise. Too bad the beds don't have curtains around the frame of each bed for more privacy and for blocking out the light, especially in the morning. They have those at Safestay in York and they are really helpful. And for other guests, please mind your heads when getting up in the morning if you are in the lower bed bunk bed. There is not much room for sitting up. I'm choosing a top bunk bed next time :). Overall, great location for a hostel, great meeting people from around the world, amazing gardens near the hostel to walk in, not too far from Holland Park Station. Highly recommended!

I didn't like the size of the room, the height of the beds which doesn't allow me to sit on them with my height of 160 cm, I constantly hit my head on the upper tier of the bed, the lack of chairs, the lack of any towels: there is nothing to wipe your hands with after washing in the toilet, there is nothing to wipe yourself with after showering :( If you want to dry yourself with a towel after showering you can buy a green microfiber one for 6 pounds at the reception, which is quite strange in my opinion. The water in the shower is too hot and not adjustable, you have to constantly hold the button with your finger for the water to flow. The lockers for storing things do not have locks, you need to have your own or buy one at the reception for 4 pounds. Be prepared to wake up at night from the noise and banging of other hostel guests' doors as well as from the loud sound of the fire siren at 6 am. They write about breakfast available until 10 am, but when we arrived at 9:00 there was almost no food, as well as dinner until 9 pm, when we asked about any food at 6 pm we were told that there was nothing left. In general, if you can find something else in this area, then it's better to go there. I do not recommend anyone to book and live in this hostel and especially to families with children, we were just lucky that there were no bedbugs in our room 112a, or we did not see them, because if all that I listed above were added to the infection, and tick bites of me and my family, then it would be a real disaster. I do not recommend it. Do not make the mistake we made, do not waste your time and money on this hostel, it will not bring you any joy and pleasure. Take care of yourself and your family.

I didn't like the size of the room, the height of the beds which doesn't allow me to sit on them with my height of 160 cm, I constantly hit my head on the upper tier of the bed, the lack of chairs, the lack of any towels: there is nothing to wipe your hands with after washing in the toilet, there is nothing to wipe yourself with after showering :( If you want to dry yourself with a towel after showering you can buy a green microfiber one for 6 pounds at the reception, which is quite strange in my opinion. The water in the shower is too hot and not adjustable, you have to constantly hold the button with your finger for the water to flow. The lockers for storing things do not have locks, you need to have your own or buy one at the reception for 4 pounds. Be prepared to wake up at night from the noise and banging of other hostel guests' doors as well as from the loud sound of the fire siren at 6 am. They write about breakfast available until 10 am, but when we arrived at 9:00 there was almost no food, as well as dinner until 9 pm, when we asked about any food at 6 pm we were told that there was nothing left. In general, if you can find something else in this area, then it's better to go there. I do not recommend anyone to book and live in this hostel and especially to families with children, we were just lucky that there were no bedbugs in our room 112a, or we did not see them, because if all that I listed above were added to the infection, and tick bites of me and my family, then it would be a real disaster. I do not recommend it. Do not make the mistake we made, do not waste your time and money on this hostel, it will not bring you any joy and pleasure. Take care of yourself and your family.

This place is a criminal health hazard. It’s not a hostel; it’s a dump run by thieves. DISGUSTING HYGIENE: Water leaking from the ceiling, filthy rooms, and I woke up covered in insect bites (bedbugs). Absolute biohazard. THEFT & SCAM: Duringa power cut , then went into our rooms without permission and stuffed all our belongings into TRASH BAGS. During this 'process,' £500 WAS STOLEN from me. PATHETIC MANAGEMENT: The staff is incredibly nonchalant and lazy. They couldn't care less about the theft or the state of the building. They are arrogant and completely useless. TOTAL CHAOS: Constant noise, zero security, and zero respect for guests. STAY AWAY. These people are scammers. I am reporting them to the London Health and Safety authorities. This place needs to be shut down immediately. Note : ★☆☆☆☆ (ZÉRO ÉTOILE EN RÉALITÉ) C'est un véritable scandale sanitaire et criminel. Cet endroit ne devrait pas être ouvert, c'est un enfer sur terre. HYGIÈNE DÉGOUTANTE : L'eau fuit du plafond, les chambres sont immondes et je suis ressorti couvert de morsures d'insectes (punaises de lit). C’est un nid à infections ! VOL ET AGRESSION : Pendant une coupure d'électricité, ils ont bloqué les portes. Ils en ont profité pour s'introduire dans nos chambres sans autorisation, vider nos vies dans des SACS POUBELLES et les jeter dans un coin. Résultat : on m'a VOLÉ 500 €. DIRECTION HONTEUSE : Le personnel est d'une nonchalance révoltante. Ils s'en foutent totalement, ne cherchent pas de solution et vous regardent de haut quand vous signalez un vol. C'est de la complicité pure et simple. NUISANCES : Entre le bruit assourdissant toute la nuit et l'insécurité totale, c'est une zone de non-droit. N'Y METTEZ JAMAIS LES PIEDS. Ce sont des escrocs et des voleurs qui profitent des touristes. Une plainte est en cours. Cet établissement est une honte pour la ville de Londres.

I was supposed to stay here for 5 nights. I lasted 3. The rooms do not look anything like the pictures. No curtains on the shared room beds. The sheets were stained yellow. The lockers do not lock when you place a padlock on them. I am covered in bed bug bites. In all my life and travels, all the hostels I’ve ever stayed in, I’ve never had to deal with bed bugs. The bathrooms were disgusting. Every night I was there, they were trashed. Urine and feces on the toilets, mold in the toilet bowls, no toilet paper, spit on the floors, vomit in the sink. When I went to hand my room card back in, they didn’t even ask why I wanted to check out two days early. I’m sure they don’t care because I already paid for my stay. When I said the room had bed bugs, I just received a blank stare. I stayed here 18 years ago when it was a YHA. They should have kept it that way. I get that it’s a hostel and a budget accommodation, but you didn’t even meet baseline standards of hygiene. Prisons do a better job.

I like that the place feels modern, but I don't understand how there's bedbugs popping out of the beds. I saw reviews condemning this situation but I expected would be resolved by the time I arrive. However, the situation still persists. Per location, level of security and how warm it feels inside, they deserve more stars, but for the bedbugs issue I give 2 stars. Hope the situation gets resolved.

The dirty bedding upon arrival Why would there be blood and food crumbs on clean sheets???

This was one of the worst and most distressing experiences I have ever had. The location itself is already extremely problematic. The place is hidden inside a park, very difficult to access, isolated, and completely unsuitable for any kind of tourist accommodation. From the moment I arrived, I felt something was very wrong. This place does not function as a hostel at all. It operates as a shelter for people experiencing homelessness, and that reality is impossible to ignore. I shared rooms with elderly men and women, pregnant women, intoxicated individuals, and visibly unwell people. Many of them had not showered for days, there was a strong smell, and the overall environment was deeply uncomfortable and upsetting. People were constantly arguing, complaining, and expressing despair about their situation, openly talking about having nowhere else to live. This created an atmosphere of tension, fear, and emotional exhaustion. As a solo woman, I did not feel safe, welcome, or protected. To make everything worse, I was bitten repeatedly by bed bugs. I still have visible marks all over my body, which is not just disgusting but a serious health concern. No accommodation listed on a platform like Booking should ever allow guests to be exposed to this. I left feeling violated, shocked, and emotionally drained. If this place is being used as emergency housing, it should absolutely not be advertised as a hostel or hotel. This is not tourism accommodation, and presenting it as such is misleading and irresponsible. This experience affected me both physically and emotionally, and I would never recommend this place to anyone. It should be removed from Booking immediately.

It's far from train and bus station. Quite difficult to locate, especially at night. But the environment is serene and quiet

I am currently living in this accomodation as i booked for 4 days. There was a hygeine problem in female dorm toilets as the toilets were left dirty the entire day on 2nd january 2026. Finally I took some photos at night to show the mess. Bed bugs as evident in the photo (cannot post the video) is clearly an issue. I will be sure to wash all my clothes once home. A large group of french students left this accomodation after witnessing the bedbug situation, which makes sense. The breakfast is not exactly how it is advertised when you pay for it. The eggs were not available most of the breakfasts. I wish they are listening to improve themselves and take the issues with some professionalism 🙌🏻

They have bed bugs.

DO NOT STAY. Bedbugs everywhere! I booked it because it looked cute and near Hyde Park and I regretted it

It needed to be cleaned more, and there was some cases of bed bugs

Oh the bed bugs Extremely rude staff, they don’t care at all. Also, there’s no microwave (no kitchen at all), so you’ll have to eat cold stuff.

BED BUGS!!! DO NOT COME HERE. Manager DOES NOT CARE, will lie to your face and promise a refund if you get bitten (they won’t refund you) even if you show bites and proof. Worst place I have ever stayed. This is an ongoing infestation that they have continuously not fixed, they should be shut down.

This place is pretty cool. It’s in a park so it takes about 15 minutes to walk here from the station. There’s a side gate you need to use to enter. I did get bitten both nights I stayed there in room 112b on bed F, but the bites didn’t stay long. So maybe it’s fleas instead of bedbugs.

Bed bugs!!! Creepy older people. Showers stopped working. Fire alarm woke everyone up. Dirty toilets.

BEDBUGS!

What did I like? One dorm mate who told me (only the next day, though) to never request or accept a bottom bunk, because bed bugs have less travelling time between you and the two centimetres to the floor. Plus, when you pull the red, velvet, black-out curtains together, you get showered with bed bugs, because they hide in dark fabric folds during daytime.

Staff were all lovely and helpful but the hostel has bed bugs so I wouldn’t recommend anyone stay here until they have sorted that out.

if you are a young person (especially female solo travellers) DONT stay here. I stayed in the 15 bed mixed dorm for 2 nights with my friend (we're both girls). Don't be fooled by the youth hostel label. Our entire dorm was 35+y.o men except 1 other girl who also felt super unsafe. entire place is disgusting. bathrooms are all mixed, feral with black mould & stink like pee. We felt so unsafe in the bathrooms that we brushed our teeth outside and we didn't shower our either night. The lockers don't lock unless you have a thick pad lock (not the wire ones that most hostels use). there are no privacy curtains in the dorms so old men will watch you sleep. Be prepared for men to start screaming in the middle of the night and for the fire alarm randomly go off. The luggage storage costs 3 pounds and the security for it is rubbish anyway. the rumors of bed bugs are unsettling. the whole place smells and feel super unclean and unsafe. Spend a little more on somewhere else. Its not worth the risk.

I wanted to like it. The rooms were spacious, the location is excellent, and the property is beautiful. Too bad it''s crawling with bedbugs and management seems to have a policy that you need to have a photograph of an actual bedbug in order for them to take remediation steps. How are you supposed to find them, exactly? The carpet is a deep, dark red. Every table I passed in the lounge area was talking about the bugs the whole week and yet the staff couldn't do anything except offer you a free wash for your clothes if you didn't come up with a photograph of actual bugs.

1. Bed bugs! When I checked in I already addressed it, the staff said there was no bedbugs. I've bitten on my neck on my second night, then both arms then on my stomach and back, they were really itchy and big red marks and they took very long time to vanish, so embarrassing. I had to spend more money to buy medications, the money is OK, but my health is more important and I was afraid to sleep because traumatic with the bed bugs. All the girls I know in room 311 on the first week then 312 on the second week also got bitten with the bed bugs. The management should quarantine and close the whole floor because they can spread to the other rooms. After we made the complaints the staff didn't refund the nights we couldn't sleep because of the bed bugs, they only can refund the night we won't stay if we check out immediately. 2. Floor in the dorm was not cleaned properly, plenty of hair and dusty. 3. Because of autumn the front park gates were closed early, so we have to take the longer time through the back gate, not acknowledged verbally, only a poster on the main entrance door 4. Very low bed, can't sit down on the bed. Health and safety risk. 5. On my second week I asked for extra sheets to prevent me from the bedbugs but denied by the staff, thus I've got bitten starting from that night, cheers! I checked out after second night.

BED BUGS INFESTED! STAFF NOT QUALIFIED IN HEALTH AND SAFETY. THIS PROPERTY WAS REPORTED TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH OFFICER FOR THE LOCAL COUNCIL THE DAY I CHECKED OUT. ENDED UP SLEEPING ON THE FLOOR WITH ONE CLEAN SHEET.

I honestly do not understand the positive reviews about this hostel. My stay was absolutely awful from start to finish. On the very first morning, I woke up covered in bites all over my body and found live bedbugs crawling on my pillow and sheets. I went straight to reception around 8 a.m. to report it, and the staff member told me that I had to pay extra to get clean sheets. No help was offered — no bed change, no cleaning, and no hygienic action at all. I also sent a message through Booking.com right after, but the hostel only replied around 6 p.m. on Friday, simply telling me to “go back to reception”, where I was told that no manager was available during the weekend. I was only moved to another bed on the third night, and still in the same dormitory, which was obviously still infested. During my stay, I saw that other female guests in different rooms had exactly the same problem. The staff were clearly aware of the infestation, not surprised at all, and showed no concern. It’s obvious that this is not a cleaning issue, but that the entire building is infested. The housekeeping staff are not to blame — they are doing their best — but the management allows people to sleep in an unsafe and unhygienic environment. I have photos and videos showing bedbugs on the bed and my belongings, as well as pictures of the bites on my skin. The access to the hostel is also unsafe: to reach it, you have to walk through a dark wooded path inside Holland Park, which is not safe at night, especially for women travelling alone. I also spoke to another guest who had been placed in a dormitory with a homeless man and all his belongings with a very bad smell. Additionally, the luggage storage system is totally insecure: • You have to pay £3 per bag, • You don’t get any receipt or ticket, • You just write your name on a small tag, • And when you come back to collect your luggage, no ID is checked.

There were bedbugs in the room, the bathrooms were disgusting and the atmosphere was not nice. The worst hostel experience I have ever had. Do not stay here, it’s not worth it

The toilets were in a bad state due to the customer's use and having no respect for others. The rooms were average and noisy from the snoring and people using their phones without headphones. People slamming the doors and general lack of respect for others. I got bitten by bedbugs 2 nights in a row this lead to no sleep. Therefore this really ruined my London stay. I contacted them and only heard back once about this.

Repetition of the comment above: The location of the hostel is fantastic — nestled in the heart of a large park, it offers a really pleasant and relaxing setting. However, a friendly word of advice: in this area, avoid showing off your phone — especially if it’s one of the latest iPhone models — as thefts have become quite common in London over the past few years. Thieves often arrive on e-scooters, snatch the phone right out of your hand, and vanish in seconds. I’m speaking from personal experience! Now, back to the hostel. It’s generally clean, although I did encounter a few bedbugs in the toilets (apparently, they’d also booked a room for the night). Another tip: avoid putting your belongings in the lockers on the floor — some tiny residents might decide to follow you home.Additional lockers are available for rent for a few pounds a day, which is definitely worth it for some extra peace of mind. That happened, and let’s just say, they don’t pay rent! NO NEED TO PANIC though: just check your things carefully and use a proper product to get rid of them. After all, even bedbugs love to travel — but better not offer them a free return ticket!

I would never recommend this place after my last visit. Previously I would have, but it was far too dirty and insecure feeling this time. The staff response to my complaints and request for a refund were very poor. Refund should have been given after I was forced to leave. Clean the bathrooms, remove the black mould from the shower blocks (extreme lack of ventilation, damp and spores), open some windows, hoover the floors, dust on the top of the lockers, thick dust is inexcusable. The risk of bed bugs is massively increased by not cleaning after guests. I have been there before and it was far better. The vibe has shifted and it is now very dirty. Other guests were complaining as I was, and they told me more in the garden about similar complaints about rooms and dirt.. The local cafe told me the same that the quality has dropped hugely. No provacy curtains, weird guests, smelly rooms. Lots of stairs with luggage. The location is very nice especially in the daytime, but it can be scary walking to it in the dark at night. I'd consider returning only if they massively improved housekeeping and cleaning. There is no point in a good location etc. If you cannot sleep due to the durt and talk of bedbugs making you paranoid, lying there with the snoring and stress of the situation ang getting no sleep. I will not be back.

literally the weirdest place, hidden in a park, sketchy, coyotes around, the rooms and bathrooms are GROSS and i’m 99% there are bedbugs bc i have bites

Cheap but with costs👎 if u tell them about bedbugs they will say we will refund u which is i don’t think so

Bed bugs in the bed, I could also see some on the bathroom floor

Bed bugs

Bedbugs, poop smeared on the stairs, toilets completely clogged and full the the brim of excrements, 15 min extremely steep uphill walk from the nearest station to get to the hostel which no one warns you about, my £50 charger getting stolen, wet bedsheets for some reason, extremely inconsiderate people with a lack of hostel etiquette loudly on calls at 2am in the middle of the night. Never have I ever stayed at a hostel this bad. It MIGHT be worth it for the ≈£10 a night only if you don’t plan on using the washroom facilities there, you don’t bring any luggage with you and have absolutely nowhere else to sleep for the night.

Think there are bed bugs in some dorms!

BE CAREFUL THERE ARE BEDBUGS!!! now i have bites all over my body, also, the washrooms are nasty!! The location is good but the cleaning is BAD! so If you dont want to get bedbugs bites dont stay here. There are a lot of grown men instead of youth people as it said

Dirty, bedbugs and no wifi in the room.

Bedbugs. Loud slamming door. Rude staff. Filth on the toilet cubicle walls. Awful food. Avoid avoid avoid.

Bad hostel with no wifi and bedbugs.

Avoid this hostel at all costs. The rooms are full of bed bugs, and it’s impossible to sleep without being bitten. I woke up covered in red, itchy marks and even saw bugs crawling in the bed. The staff did nothing when I reported it – they clearly don’t care about hygiene or guest safety. This place is dirty, unsafe, and a health hazard. People are in real danger of taking the bugs home with them. Do yourself a favor and book somewhere else – this hostel should not be operating until the infestation is gone.

I normally don’t leave reviews but feel like i should in this case as i got bedbugs from this hostel(!!!). In general the hostel was slightly stingy hygiene wise and the room (13p. dorm) wasn’t well ventilated. Staff was alright and nice to me but they did let male employees into the women’s dorm without knocking first which was kinda weird esp. since we had two hijabi women staying with us so it came over as being very disrespectful… As a young woman; there were a lot of older and uncomfortable men staying at the venue and sitting outside in the garden and common areas late at night which made getting back home a little uneasy feeling. In general most people here were 35+ and sadly not the best roommates (people spitting their mucus in the sink and coughing while walking around the room in the middle of the night, not wearing headphones, turning the big lights on during the night, etc.- just a general disregard of hostel etiquette. obviously that isn’t Safestay’s fault but important to keep in mind) Sad as the location and building are beautiful (if a little inconvenient as it’s on too of a very steep hill inside a park that you can basically only reach by foot).

Bedbugs, not clean beds 😤 and not working electrical socket, not clean bathrooms

I booked here because it was rated as a 4 stars Hotel but in my opinion it’s a 1 maybe 2 stars. Bed Bugs and unsafe environment made my stay shorter.

Bedbugs all over the place, plus hostel management is playing around with refund. I haven't stayed there even 1 night. Had booking for 6 nights, but due to bad bedbugs infestation I have cancelled the booking, now I cannot get my money back. Pure ignorants.

Bed bugs! Giant ones, but this was in September 2025 so not sure how it is now.

No bed bugs but a bit disappointing. An impressive historical building in a nice part of London. The rooms was drab and smelled. Poor ventilation. The curtains didn't close so woke at 6am to sunlight. When I mentioned this to reception, they didn't believe me and said I'd have to pay to switch beds. Showers are also a bit grim. Ended up staying at a different hostel for my last few nights.

Bed bugs and dirty sheets. Bathrooms have no ventilation at all not even a window. Room was tiny and cramped. Guy had an alarm going off every 15 minutes from 5am, he complained to staff that i told him to turn it off and the staff warned me saying its shared accommodation and i have to put up with it.

Bedbugs in Room – Avoid Until Issue Is Resolved! Unfortunately, I had a very bad experience at Safestay Kensington. After my first night in Lo don at this Hostel, I woke up with multiple swollen, painful bites all over my body. Clear signs of a bedbug infestation. When I informed the staff, they confirmed that there had been previous complaints and refunded me for the nights I didn’t stay, but they could not offer me a different room. I had to leave immediately and deal with the stress of disi

BEDBUGS ! PLUSKWY !