Middle Eight, Covent Garden, London. iPrefer not Preferred at Middle Eight, London.

The spectacular view from our room at The Middle Eight

by Andrew Chalk

The dozen hotel loyalty programs that I use store your room preferences. My reply is always the same: high floor, away from the elevator, extra pillows, individual toiletries (not the disease-spreading shared containers). The Preferred Hotels iPrefer loyalty program website is too lamentable to do so, leaving the user to sort it out with individual hotels.

The Room

Middle Eight in London’s Covent Garden didn’t contact me and I didn’t follow up. Maybe that was why I got low floor (2nd), behind the elevator, and shared toiletries. Worst of all, was the view. An air conditioning unit 10 feet from the window. The room was tiny as well (250 sq. ft?), and the bathroom had virtually no storage space, being smaller than the bathroom in the typical USA motel. The room did have good a/c and they bought me a desk when I asked. 

My conclusion is that iPrefer reservations are treated as the least wanted here. The hotel wants direct reservations, not Preferred Hotels referrals.

Breakfast Summary 

Breakfast is 21GBP for the buffet, and a waste of money. Go out to the dozens of local bakeries, coffee bars and restaurants in this fantastic area (just north east of Leicester Square, east of Chinatown, and west of Lincoln’s Inn fields. It is close to the heart of west end theatreland and Sadlers Wells Opera). If you do buy the hotel breakfast here is what to expect:

The juice is canned;

The paltry selection of three meats is tasteless ham, supermarket grade chorizo, and so-called Italian sausage. No smoked ham. Having just come from Madrid and sampled the breakfast at the Rosewood Villa Magna, the contrast was dramatic;

Cheese: Again, a paltry selection. The brie was respectable, the goat’s cheese as dull as a supermarket own brand, and the sliced firm cheeses forgettable. There seems to be no active culinary intelligence at this place. The UK is one of the top five or so cheese producers in the world. Why not turn the cheese selection into a celebration of the diversity of local varieties from the island?

No smoked salmon. No kippers, smoked halibut, not even sardines, Like catering in the modern  airline lounge, luxury ingredients have been abolished. ;

Pastries, like so-called Danish, had no fruit, or other recognizable filling. Pain au chocolat had virtually no chocolate. 

The fruit and cereal selections were meager as well, especially compared with the Rosewood.   

I didn’t go for the á la carte hot cooked-to-order dishes as they were more expensive than elsewhere and, based on what I had found with the buffet, would use poor quality ingredients. 

Once I was seated, my waiter was impossible to pin down. Another waiter whom I asked for milk (from a cow. For some reason they have new-age plant pseudo-milk on the buffet, but no real milk) never returned until after I had paid and was walking out. “Oh, did you get your milk?” he lamely asked. F***ing useless. Why is he there? A broken down machine would deliver the same output but not need to be paid.

Most galling of all was the sharp practice of charging a 12.5% service charge at breakfast and then leaving the slip open for a tip! I don’t even know what the 12.5% delivered (apparently nothing). The only thing that arrived ahead of schedule was the bill (about one-third of the way through breakfast). This hotel seems to be run by accountants.    

We went out for dinner rather than risk the disappointment of the hotel’s dining.

Good things? 

The check-in was superbly classy, and came with an offering of welcome soft drinks.

The corridors show some clever design. The hotel’s problem is that they have an old building with corridors on the room floors (at least the second floor) that are too narrow. They have cleverly disguised this with a combination of artwork, surfaces, and colors that makes them appear exotic. Very clever.     

Conclusion

Overall, in this town with over 50 5* hotels, The Middle Eight does not deserve this classification. The poor room, unfit for purpose bathroom, and lousy catering all make it a candidate for a wholesale change of management.

Sharp Practice: The Middle Eight adds a service charge but leaves the slip open.

FTC Disclosure: I paid my own bill in its entirety.