Background
I needed a hotel in the city with convenient transport links. While I appreciated comments about Uber and other taxi services being quicker (and sometimes cheaper) than the Heathrow Express, I decided to give the HEX a go any way.
That being the case, I opted to stay at the Hilton London Paddington, as it was connected directly to the train station, meaning that I wouldn't have had to carry all my luggage for a long distance or transfer onto the Tube, which would be a nightmare with all those steps (and worse if it were raining).
For those who have followed the Hilton forum, this particular Hilton recently opened a new wing called the "Tower Wing" or GWR (Great Western Railway [the original operations at Paddington Station, now known as First Great Western], in tribute to the original GWR Hotel) Tower. I opted for a room there as it offered all-executive level rooms guaranteeing lounge access - which I needed as I was going to be spending a lot of time in the hotel working. I also preferred a more modern room.
Hope this report provides adequate factual information for those contemplating a stay there. Just to start with my conclusion, I do recommend this hotel for business travellers, whose main aims aren't to visit the tourist sites, but to have a place to work or have meetings at, and need good access to LHR and the Tube. FYI, Paddingon on the Tube is at the northwestern corner of the most central zone (Zone 1). Most destinations within central-central London could be easily reached with one or two changes.
So here goes...
Arrival
The main entrance to the hotel, though probably not the most used one
I arrived via HEX, so that was not the entrance I went through. Instead, after arriving at Paddington and walking towards the main terminal area, I passed through the glass doors into the indoor shopping area. After following directions and going up either the escalators or the lift, I arrived at the walkway connecting to the hotel.
This entrance was more a back entrance, so I passed through the entrance to the restaurant and the lobby before arriving at the check in area, flanked by this wonderful statue of Paddington Bear
Check in was to the immediate right of this bear, while there was a special concierge area for GWR Tower guests behind this bear and by the stairs.
After a quick check in, I was led to my room by a member of staff.
To get to the GWR Tower, there was an entrance next to the check in desk (also leading to the meeting rooms). Upon entering through the first set of double doors, there was a lift to the left.
After arriving on the 2nd floor, the way was then well-marked with signs.
This particular door always gave me creeps when passing. While all the doors had symmetrical 'wood' patterns, this pattern just made it look burnt.
A GWR Tower room key was needed to open this door.
Once through, occupants of rooms of 22XX headed along the corridor, while others turned right to a set of lifts to the appropriate floor.
Lift lobby decoration
The room
The room was well-furnished and had adequate lighting. My only gripe would be that it was too warm with fiddly air conditioning controls.
Standing in the entrance, the bathroom was to the right, a large set of wardrobes to the left
Standard wardrobe amenities for a business hotel
Minibar opposite with coffee maker and complimentary tea and coffee. I found this rather redundant as better tea and coffee were available at the lounge
A large TV opposite the bed, with the fridge below inside the cupboard. The armchair was comfortable enough
A good sized desk next to the TV
The bed with generous lighting to allow reading in bed
The room had adequate power sockets for this day and age, and the one next to the desk deserved special mention for the USB port for PED charging! I wish they had one next to the bed so I could charge up my phone overnight easily yet have it next to me
Out the window, unfortunately, was nothing worth mentioning
A key feature advertised by the hotel is that these rooms have well-appointed bathrooms. Personally, I thought that the amenities were average, but it was huge for the room.
Separate shower and tub
Pretty standard Hilton bathroom amenities from Peter Thomas Roth
Shower stall with rain shower
Fancy looking tap
The Tower Lounge
This lounge was on the 7th floor of the GWR Tower. Access was limited to GWR Tower room guests, who also had access to the main lounge on the ground floor overlooking the railway station. Having been to both lounges on the same day, the food was similar, but I did prefer the GWR Tower as it was newer and less crowded.
To the left of the entrance was a seating area with a good amount of comfortable seating
The lounge was never crowded enough to warrant sharing of tables
To the right, was the 'dining' area, with the bar chairs doubling as a good meeting area
Selection of small bites for tea. Those cream cakes were amazing
Evening selection of cheeses, crackers and other nibbles. The salmon on rye bread was also great
Hot selection including mini beef pies, prawn 'tempura'
Open bar during happy hour. At other times, the alcohol was gone, but the rest was still open
I helped myself to plenty of food
and a glass of Bailey's
Breakfast
Breakfast could be had at either of the Executive Lounges or at the main restaurant. I'm not sure whether the restaurant option was available as I was HHonors Gold or whether it was open to all in executive level rooms anyway.
Really good eggs
I thought the selection was really good for a UK hotel. Hot options were basically everything needed for a full breakfast (minus the kidneys, which I would have skipped anyway). There were also a salad bar, a pancake maker and a good pastry selection.
Hot food selection, including beef or pork sausages, black pudding, mushrooms, hash browns, roasted tomatoes, baked beans, bacon, and eggs of various types (omelettes cooked to order)
Gym
The gym was located on the first floor of the main wing
Towels and water were available
There was also a shower available, though I don't know who would use it if they had their own one in their rooms
All-in-all, this was a good hotel for its price, and definitely one of the better Hilton branded options in London. Improvements would include better air conditioning and maybe a change of hot food selection in the executive lounge - there was an overload of fried goods. Location was alright for me, though it would really depend on the purpose of a visit and the areas of London that were to be visited. I was certainly happy with my stay and would go again.