Goldsmid House are dorm rooms for University College London, that are opened up in the summer for visitors (not just students -- people of all ages). It's basically a single en-suite room, 8 rooms per floor, with a shared kitchen. The room decor is very basic, and I ended up buying my own big pillows nearby at Argos for £14 as the one in the room was pretty tiny. I stayed about a month, and the price was only £43 a night which is incredible for this part of London.

Even the horrifying easyhotel down the street, much worse room & tinier than this dorm room, is £65, and basic hotels in the area are typically three times the price. The security was very good too e.g. 24-hr staffed desk, gated/swipe key entry etc. And being so central is great, i.e. 100m from Victoria Station, there's a Sainsbury's and plenty of restaurants nearby, nice walks down Vauxhall Bridge Road to whichever Thames riverside walk you want to do etc.

Stayed here in June 2010 for a long weekend. Check in was easy and staff very friendly. Secure but not cumbersome entry. Rooms were basic but clean and spacious; couldn't expect more considering the price. Good location as it's only a few mins walk from Victoria station and shops/restaurants.

I stayed here for a few days and found the room good value for the price. Clean and quiet. However, because of the tall buildings around/location, my cell phone had no signal in my room. No in-room tel. either so isolated in case of emergency. Security is poor. My room was broken into and suitcase rifled through when I stepped out for dinner. At night theres nobody around and reception is unmanned. So you are pretty much on your own with no tel in the room if you need it. I wanted to call the police but with no cell signal, no telephone, reception anyway closed all night, was in a difficult situation. Fortunately the thieves didnt return though spent a sleepless night wondering if they would. Unless there is better security I would avoid this place even though the price is good.

The room was big enough, the ensuite shower and toilet were excellent, the location couldn't be bettered. Double glazing made it very quiet at night. No television but who needs it?