Good morning Sam, Good to hear from you. We spoke on the phone on Saturday night so really this is just sharing our conversation with others. We are emphatically not a hotel, we are a student hostel which welcomes tourist guests during the summer (and other holiday times).
We are tagged on Booking.com as a hostel not a hotel. We are also priced as a hostel and not a hotel. We do not have 24/7 concierge etc, nor the most modern of rooms, but we are blessed have a team of very kind staff/volunteers, a happy community, quaint and grand public rooms and great food (at least that is what our guests tell us on the reviews on Booking.com).
I am not aware of any advertising that claims we are a hotel, although I accept that Booking.com (who control the content) could perhaps make this clearer. Fortunately many guests who have reviewed us on Booking.com add this information - feel free to search through the reviews on their site.
The mistake we did make on your arrival was that we could not find your reservation. My colleague on the desk that Saturday (who is a volunteer) called me and we were able to retrieve your booking and showed you to your twin en-suite room. Unfortunately you decided that we were not for you, and wanted to leave immediately.
On reflection and considering my advice where I explained that you would be unlikely to find somewhere else late on a Saturday evening in Kensington (certainly not anywhere near this price), you accepted this advice and stayed the night.
My colleagues on Sunday morning told me that you checked out and sought a refund. As I explained to you on the phone on Saturday, you made your booking and paid your money to Booking.com and not to us. We have received nothing from them (they would normally pay us in a week or two unless you contact them with a problem).
To be honest I am not really sure what we did wrong apart from we could not find your booking - which was resolved quite quickly. You decided we are not the place for you, and when Booking.com contact me to ask if I will accept their non-payment, I will probably agree (perhaps after subtracting the first night). We therefore lose the money despite trying to resolve your dissatisfaction.
We bless you and wish you well and hope that you found something more suitable to your requirements.
Best regards,
James Fulford - Director Lee Abbey London.