I have traveled many places and have stayed in all types of accommodations, and the Avalon Hotel was the absolute worst place I have ever stayed in. It was worse than camping in a wet tent and more uncomfortable than sleeping in my car. Upon check-in we were asked to pay immediately. I have learned from this experience to always ask to see a room before paying. We were in a room with two twin beds at the very top floor. To get there, we had to climb a very narrow staircase, where duct-tape was literally holding one of the railings together (a serious safety issue, especially when climbing up the steep stairs with luggage). As we entered our room's hallway, I realized immediately we had made a terrible mistake. The wallpaper was stained and peeling as though the roof has a serious leaking problem. The ladder to the attic was hanging half way down in the middle of the hallway and we had to go around it so we wouldn't hit our heads and for some reason, there was a coffee pot sitting on the floor. When we stepped into our room, we found even worse things waiting for us. On each bed were two badly worn-out towels and a bar of complimentary USED soap. USED!!! Both bars were unwrapped, with grey and cracking edges -- the words imprinted on the soap were also worn down which is what happens to USED soap. The bedspreads were obviously unclean as there were pieces of dirt and other debris on them. The floor of the room was sinking in, and there were even weak places that felt like holes in the floor under the carpet. The carpet was not clean (more debris), and was terribly stained. There were 4 large mosquitoes flying around the room. The room felt damp and looked moldy. There was mold on the walls, especially toward the ceiling. The furniture had not been dusted or cleaned in sometime. The window would not open or close all the way properly (plus one pane had a huge crack/hole in it). For some reason, there was a plate and fork sitting on the dresser -- both of which did not look clean. The drinking glasses were also not clean, and one of them had dried toothpaste SPITTLE on it. The toilets, located across the hall, were just as bad -- doors wouldn't shut all the way, the linoleum was badly bubbled, and the tile was missing off the walls and the walls were moldy. The room with the tub was even worse; very unclean and stained. Apparently there was a shower somewhere on our floor, but we didn't even bother investigating. When we asked for our money back, we were told that it would not be given back immediately, and the management would decide about giving it back later (through the course of the conversation, we were led to believe no money would be given back). We were told that we should not expect much more than what we got because we were paying budget hotel rates (68 pounds, which was approx. $140 American dollars). The man was also not concerned about the used soap or unclean appearance of the room -- said that he can't help what the housekeepers do or don't do. Bottom line, after a lengthy conversation, we realized it was either stay here or sleep on the streets (there were no other hotels in the entire Russell Square/Euston Road area that had any vacancies -- we checked, believe me!). While all of the above is more than enough to send one running and screaming from an establishment, we were truly stuck. As if all of this isn't bad enough, I am pretty sure the sheets of my bed had not been changed after the last guest -- the sheets smelled of cologne which I do not wear. We slept, or tried to sleep, in our clothes so little of our skin would touch the sheets. At daybreak we got up, grabbed our luggage, and got out of there. We left a note for management with our complaints and also asking for at least half of our money back. I doubt very seriously we'll hear anything back from those people. I am embarrassed to say that I even stayed at the Avalon Hotel, because it made me feel dirty and itchy. It took me two days to get over the creepy-crawly feeling, and I still feel like itching when I think about it. Long story short, don't stay here. I am wondering if London has a government department that declares certain public places “condemned,” and if so, I’m wondering why this place hasn’t been investigated; the Avalon Hotel is dirty and creepy, but more importantly it is very unsafe what with the taped-up railing and holey/weak floors. I realize that old historic buildings are protected and certain things cannot be changed; I appreciate old, but I also appreciate CLEAN which the Avalon Hotel was not.