A hotel room investigation has unearthed this ridiculously tiny hotel room in London. Photo / Which?
A hotel room investigation has unearthed this ridiculously tiny hotel room in London. Photo / Which?
Room 19 in this central London hotel is making headlines for all the wrong reasons, as these startling pictures show.
An undercover investigation of London's hotels has unearthed what could be one of the most ridiculously tiny hotel rooms in the world.
The Corbigoe Hotel in Westminster, central London, offers a minuscule room that barely fits a single bed, and where the bathroom is so small you can wash your hands while still sitting on the toilet.
And while the room is smaller than a prison cell, it's not that much of a bargain, priced at a fairly steep $97 a night during the April to October high season.
The hotel room investigation by UK consumer group Which? found while the tiny room is advertised on Booking.com as measuring five square metres, almost half of that is taken up by the bathroom.
"When we visited with a tape measure, we found that the bedroom sized up at just three square metres — meaning 40 per cent of that is the bathroom," Which? said in its report.
"The rectangular box is almost completely taken up by a narrow single bed, from which you can simultaneously touch the walls on either side.
"The only window opens into the interior landing and the en suite is so small you can wash your hands while still sat on the loo."
The Which? report said the size of the room was roughly half that of a standard carparking space in the UK, which is about 11 sqm.
"It's also smaller than the recommended minimum for a UK prison cell — seven square metres," the report read.
Well, this takes "cosy" to a whole new level. Photo / Which?
"Book through the Corbigoe Hotel's website and this may come as a shock: no dimensions are listed and there are images for almost every other room, bar this one."
On the plus side, the room is a stone's throw from some of London's most iconic attractions, including Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and the Tate Britain gallery, and right near Pimlico Tube station.
But reviews aren't great for that room.
"Do not book room 19. The room is no wider than a narrow bed," a traveller from Spain wrote on Booking.com.
Anyone keen for breakfast in bed? Photo / Which?
"There is no external window. You can either put your suitcase on the floor or on the bed. If your suitcase in on the floor you cannot get to the so-called 'bathroom'."
Another traveller, from the UK, wrote: "Every movement has to be planned out in advance."
Someone else wrote: "It was so small I could hardly even turn around! The small piece of carpet I had was dirty and there was a smell in the room possibly the carpet and bed cover. The bed was ancient. I was literally in a stair cupboard."
The hotel overall has a rating of 5.1 out of 10 on Booking.com, which is considered "passable".
In its defence, the Corbigoe Hotel is in an unbeatable location in the Westminster area of London. Photo / TripAdvisor traveller
The Which? report focused on the rise of "micro" hotels, where basic, compact lodgings are offered for travellers who don't need the space and comforts of traditional hotels.
But its investigation found many of them weren't worth the cheaper prices — especially when they ended up being even smaller than they appeared in photos on the booking site.
"Hotels need to be completely upfront with customers about just how small their rooms are at the time of booking, so guests don't unexpectedly find themselves in a shoebox," Which? travel editor Rory Boland said.
"Micro hotel rooms can be great for a short stay, but don't assume you're always getting a micro price.
"In truth, you'll probably find a more spacious stay nearby for a better price."
