PLEASE BE ADVISED: Staying at this hotel could be hazardous to your health.
On the 21st May 2025, I sent a complaint to Aerotel, Heathrow, regarding my stay with them, fourteen days previously, on the 7th May, 2025, outlining four concerns, below: (1) dangerously dry air from their air-conditioning (2) a very uncomfortable uneven mattress (3) an extremely bright green smoke-alarm light right above the bed (4) an unflushable toilet due to lack of water In Aerotel’s reply on 5th June 2025, three of my concerns were completely ignored. Regarding the dangerously dry air, they stated that they “…found the air conditioning system to be functioning as intended…”. If I'm paying £207.20 for a one night stay in a tiny, windowless room, surely I'm entitled to a certain level of comfort? And if no comfort, surely I'm entitled to a refund? Not by Aerotel's standards, apparently. When I asked for my money back, they told me that they were “…unable to accommodate a refund…”. Please read my complaint below: On the 17th of March, I paid booking.com £207.20 for a one night stay at Aerotel, Heathrow, from 7th May until the morning of 8th May 2025. After checking in, I went to my room, which although small and without any windows, was clean and bright. Because I'd had a long day of travelling, and due to my age, I'm 71, I went to bed around 9.30pm in preparation for the next day’s travel. I was awakened around 12 midnight by the pain in my nose and the irritation in my throat and lungs which was caused by the extreme dryness of the air conditioning. I went down to the front desk to see if they could add moisture to the air conditioning. They told me that this was not possible for them. I asked if they had a humidifier which they did not. Breathing extremely dry air dries out the mucous membrane, a protective coating of the mouth, digestive tract, respiratory tract, etc. It safeguards the body’s inner surfaces from damage and infection by keeping them moist and preventing dehydration, acting as a barrier against pathogens, and trapping and removing harmful particles and microorganisms. This type of extremely dry air is dangerous for those with lung problems, for infant babies and toddlers, or for anyone with a nose or throat complaint and can also make breathing very painful. I returned to my bedroom and went into the bathroom and turned on the shower to hot. Closing the door behind me, so as not to set of the fire alarm in the bedroom, (which I was requested to do when I checked into the hotel due to the sensitivity of the alarms), I started to breathe in the steam that was created by the hot shower. After 15 minutes of breathing in the steam, the dryness in my lungs and throat and the pain in my nose was relieved. I went back to bed. At 2 o’clock, I was again awakened by the same nose pain and irritation in my throat and lungs and so repeated the process of breathing in the steam for 15 minutes. I had to repeat this process two more times, at 4am and 6am. Unfortunately, this was not the only problem I encountered in my room. The bed’s mattress was very uncomfortable to sleep on due to one side of the mattress being lower than the other. It was impossible to sleep in the middle, so I was forced to sleep on the very edge of the bed which made it difficult to turn which I do quite a bit during my sleep. There was also an extremely bright green smoke-alarm light right above the bed. I had to use the dry washcloth from the bathroom to cover my eyes in order to get to sleep. To add further discomfort, the toilet would not flush, so I had to fill the little rubbish bin next to the toilet with water, in order to flush the waste from the toilet when I used it. (There are several complaints on Trustpilot about the toilet not flushing and the very bright smoke alarm light above the bed) The next morning before leaving, I relayed all of my concerns to the day manager who apologised profusely. I have to say that the staff were excellent. Even though they couldn't do anything for me, they were always extremely welcoming and very kind. The day manager informed me that no-one had complained about the air conditioning before. I suggested that the reason that most people probably haven’t complained is because they may have assumed that they got a cold from travelling. He actually saw my point of view. I asked the day manager for a refund, and although very sympathetic, he informed me that I would have to contact Aerotel directly for a refund. Again, really great staff. This has been the worst experience I have ever had staying in any hotel in my 71 years. I therefore request a complete refund of my £207.20 payment for my one night stay in the Aerotel, London Heathrow.