Native Bankside

This is a fabulous hotel/apartment. The location is excellent — just blocks away from the river, the Globe Theatre, and the Borough Market. The rooms are beautifully furnished. It is obvious there has been a lot of thought given to details that make the guests stay comfortable. ||The staff was outstanding. We had a medical emergency and every staff member went above and beyond to help us and accommodate our needs. ||We will return again and again to Native Bankside.

I invested a LOT of time into picking an apartment hotel on our recent trip to London, so perhaps my expectations that Native Bankside would be as welcoming, well-provisioned, and "packed with personality" as the website advertises were too high. We were generally happy with our stay because the location was outstanding. Still, the overall vibe is of a rather impersonal establishment resting on past laurels and operating on autopilot. To ensure potential guests are fully informed and prepared for their stay, management needs to update the website to reflect that certain amenities are no longer available. Here are the downsides we encountered that made our stay less than we'd hoped for: + As others have observed, the bathroom area is poorly designed, and you can't shower without water leaking all over the rest of the floor. A small stool would have been welcome as there was nowhere to put the extra things one uses in bathrooms. + Apartment lights are controlled with an auto-dimmer system that leaves no flexibility for adjusting lighting levels in different parts of the apartment. For example, I couldn't read in the sitting area without turning on the ceiling lights in the bedroom and kitchenette--not ideal if one's spouse is still trying to sleep. Please consider putting a floor or table lamp in the sitting areas. + The gym is minuscule and awkwardly shaped, and the barbell sets shown online are no longer there. Since the onsite gym was one of our primary reasons for selecting Native Bankside over more spacious AirBnbs in the area, this is one area where we felt let down. The only free-weight options were a pair of 3-lb weights on the Peloton and two rusted 20-kilogram blocks. There's a cable machine, so I was able to modify some of my usual free-weight exercises, but there's not much floor space for body weight or HIIT work. The floor tiles needed a good vacuum and the empty hand sanitizer bottle was never refilled throughout our week-long stay. We also were never told guests could access the climbing gym nearby, which would have been a nice amenity. + Although the website promises a thoughtfully provisioned pantry 'loaded with all your go-to snacks & light bites to take to your room,' we saw no evidence of this. An employee at the desk acknowledged this was no longer on offer. The pantry was a feature we thought differentiated Native Bankside from other area lodgings, and its absence was disappointing. + The co-working space was dim and charmless. There's a small area for refilling water bottles and grabbing extra milk for coffee, but that's the only reason we visited it. + We were rarely acknowledged by staff, whether coming or going, although employees were helpful when we asked for additional towels and paper products. + Comments specific to our open floor plan one bedroom, room 309: We loved all the natural light in the room, especially since the skies were relentlessly gray during our visit. The kitchenette, while tiny, packs a lot of equipment into its small space. We regularly used the dishwasher and washer/dryer. More prep space would have been appreciated—a fold-down shelf set in the hall wall would be a welcome addition here. The furniture was comfortable, although there were stains on some of the dining chairs, as well as the carpet and gray bed blanket. The one towel hook was falling off the wall. With its prime location and potential for improvement, Native Bankside could truly shine if management recommitted itself to attention to detail. As others have noted, the price point is great, and the kitchenette is sufficiently stocked for eating a few meals at home (the nearby M&S Simply Food grocery store has some wonderful prepared foods, and of course, the Borough Market is a foodie Mecca). We found the bed to be quite comfortable, and the huge bathroom towels were welcome. A more engaged staff, who actively acknowledge and assist guests, could transform the hotel into a more vibrant and welcoming space, making potential guests feel more valued and appreciated.

Location is excellent. The room was well equipped with all electrical necessities. The wet room was not so good tho, the shower water runs out the door and the tap for the sink is to far into the bowl and behind the radiator needs a good cleaning . The staff at reception were excellent and well mannered . Our room was only serviced once in the 3 nights that we stayed so that is room for improvement and clean towels should be done daily as I needed to use one to stop water from the shower entering the bedroom. Would I stay again ? Not so sure

Really helpful staff as usual, great facilities in the rooms, amazing location. This time around my room didn't have an easy chair (compared to other comparable studio rooms at Bankside I'd always had before) but it was no big deal as I was only staying one night. I can't think of anywhere else in zone 1 that I'd rather stay at this price point.

We mostly enjoyed the hotel. The staff were nice and responsive. The location couldn't be beat. We walked along the Thames every evening. There are a couple of things that would have made our stay better. The shower gets too much of the floor wet. It seems that form was more important than function when making design decisions. It's not too late to address the shower problem. Maybe even an adjustment of the little retaining wall. The shower was also very slippery. The air gets down to 16 degrees. We were given a fan, but it could have been cooler. The room was beautiful. The bed was comfortable. We enjoyed having a washer/dryer in the kitchen.

We stayed at the Native Bankside in our first trip to London. We were very impressed with the room. We stayed in a Premier Suite. A very comfortably sized room with a full kitchen and modern bathroom. Very clean and well kept. The staff were friendly and helpful. The location of the hotel is outstanding. A short walk to the Burough Market provided multiple dining options and the London Bridge tube station made the entire city, and Heathrow airport, feel only steps away. We will be back and would highly recommend Native Bankside to anyone.

A great location and our premium studio had everything that you could possibly want for a short stay - it was superbly equipped and whilst our interactions with staff were minimal, they couldn't have been more helpful and friendly.|And, most surprisingly, just how quiet it is to stay at Bankside - no traffic noise of course, but even the building was so quiet. Judging by the amount of luggage that was being held around reception, there must have been many other guests - but it was very calm and peaceful.|It's not the cheapest place to stay locally - but for any special occasion, it is so worth the extra. I'll certainly be making the Native locations my first point of enquiry when looking to stay in the cities where they have a presence.

This is a very stylish aparthotel with a luxurious and modern design. The beds are unfortunately relatively firm, but okay for a few nights. Be sure to book a room that does not face the street as it can be quite noisy at night. However, the location is perfect if you are planning to spend time in Bankside.