The Gatwick White House Hotel

nice hostel. good location (45 minute walk to airport) and by cute town of horley. room reeked of cigarette smoke despite there being no smoking signs everywhere. my room had no towels/toilet paper when I arrived, but the front desk owner was quick to get me some when asked. very expensive for an average hostel, but makes sense since it is near the airport.

I DO NOT recommend this hostel. I have never felt so unsafe as the night I almost stayed there on Weds 1 Feb 23. Firstly, the hostel is not right next to the airport. It is 3km away and it is not walkable as it is all major roads. I arrived at 11pm at Gatwick. Google maps said there were local buses but there weren't any. There were also no taxis when I arrived. I needed to call the local taxi number. Secondly, there was no one at reception when I arrived at the hostel just past midnight, despite numerous emails and calls about my late arrival. The hostel says “you will receive a code to let you in to the outside gate” when you book, but I never received any code in my booking confirmation from Hostel World. Thirdly, the manager / man on reception duty was very creepy and unprofessional. He gave me the local taxi number so I could get there from the airport but when I arrived, 30 mins later, he looked drowsy and said “as you can see, I was asleep.” He appeared annoyed at being disturbed. He didn’t do my check in properly. He didn’t ask for my ID or payment. He didn’t have a record of my booking anywhere. I had booked on Hostel World a “single private ensuite”. He said they were fully booked but I was “lucky” he had a room. When I saw the room it had 3 single beds right next to each other in a small room. He gave me the room key, but not the outdoor gate key, so I couldn't have got back in if I went out. He said “I’ll show you to your room because you’re tired” even though I said no need. We went up the stairs to the room, he held the door open and insisted I went in first which I didn’t want to do. He said he would show me how to shut the door. When I said I don’t feel comfortable, he walked off in a huff. I decided not to stay as I was not feeling safe. Luckily I found a decent hotel around the corner and did not return to the White House hotel.

Tired and very basic for the money . No friendliness. Communal areas were very dated and not welcoming at all . The room was functional at best