London - Westminster
Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?
Yes, very much so
Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked Classic at 30K points per night, received Studio Suite with full benefits. Luckily timed my stay for the Grand Opening party which was an awesome event.
How are the rooms?
Very nicely appointed, large bathroom with separate tub and shower. The bed and sitting/desk area are separated by a desk and TV on a swivel. I loved this feature as I could turn the TV away from the bed. The back side of the TV is a painting. So I had the very rare pleasure of staying a hotel room that effectively, and aesthetically, did not have a TV in the bedroom!
There is a slightly complex, feature rich media hub in this room. All the outlets you could want including a 5V USB charger. The best feature is that you can Bluetooth sync your mobile device to the TV which has nice speakers and is tied to the speaker system in the bathroom. So you can play your personal music throughout the suite, but you are not required have to have your smartphone physically cabled to the system, as it is in every other hotel I've been to. Also HDMI and USB connectors on the TV so I suppose you could play your own movies through the TV, but I didn't try that.
How is the exec. lounge?
Normally it is not an RA benefit here, but all guests were given access on the evening of the party. I found it very high end, with excellent service and food.
What was your welcome gift?.
Large still and sparkling water, fruit bowl and fudge candies. I also received a bottle of Laurent-Perrier Champagne from the hotel manager, but that may have been related to the party.
How was the mini-bar?
Food not included for RA's, which is kind of rare in Europe. No wine, nor Red Bull, but a good set of Vodka, Gin, Scotch, Cognac and beer, etc. Nespresso and a nice set of teas. Refreshed daily.
What was good?
Nice suite upgrade, cool high tech media hub
Mini-bar, movie, etc., RA benefits on award stay
Great service throughout including the maid addressing me by name! I can't recall that happening too often at other hotels.
The hotel bar is very nice. One of the top in London with a very extensive selection and great service.
And of course the fabulous grand opening gala event.
What was bad?
Slight leakage from the shower with water coming out a bit into the bathroom.
No Red Bull or Wine in mini-bar. However there is no shortage of shops right out the front door to purchase these items at a reasonable cost.
The fitness center is not yet fully equipped and does not feature steam or sauna, nor a changing room. But it at least has some good treadmills with iDevice ports, water and towels.
The Internet access gateway has a bizarre behavior for laptops plugged directly into the Ethernet port at the desk. It times out quickly when you aren't working and you have to log in again each time. It doesn't remember your device. The WiFi worked fine though.
Value for $ or Priority Club Points?
Certainly an awesome value for RA's at 30K points per night. Even if I had no status it would have been a good value for a luxury hotel in central London.
Would you return?
Yes. On future London visits I will review the prices here at the Park Lane, think about which location happens to be better and make my choice. It might end up 50/50 for me, but we'll see.
Photos posted in the property thread.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/inter...01-2012-a.html