Hilton HHonors - London Hotels - Category 6

I am trying to decide which Hilton HHonors Category 6 (or lower category) hotel in London to choose from. My main criteria for choosing a hotel is:

(1) easy access to public transportation - to/from Heathrow Airport, in-town travel and day travel outside of the city, and
(2) a lot of tourist/sightseeing spots within easy walking distance of the hotel.

The three hotels I have narrowed my search to are:

(1) DoubleTree Westminster,
(2) DoubleTree Victoria, and
(3) DoubleTree Tower of London.

For those of you that are familiar with these hotel locations, please let me know your thoughts on the best choice.

Also, if I have overlooked a better choice, please let me know.

Thanks.

Couldn't comment on the other 2. But, stayed at Victoria 3 or 4 times. The hotel isn't brilliant. Depending on which side your room is, it can be v noisy if ur overlooking the station. The hotel is also being renovated so no lounge or gym.

Personally I like the doubletree West End. Great location. Buses outside the door take u to London Eye, trafalgar Sq, piccadilly. Also Holborn underground is 5 mins walk. This will take u directly to Heathrow

Thank you for your input, I appreciate it. Sounds like I should avoid DoubleTree Victoria. I would like to stay at DoubleTree West End, but as a Category 7 hotel, it is out of my points range. Hopefully one of the other two locations will suffice.

I don't have personal experience, but know someone who recently stayed at DoubleTree Tower of London and spoke well of the hotel, mentioning the 12th floor bar as being particularly noteworthy for its views.

Hi rack him, some questions that may help to get better feedback would be:

-are you alone or do you have a spouse and 3 kids in tow with 2 pcs. checked baggage or just hand luggage?

-are you by chance gold or diamond?

-do you mind a bit of a walk or are you looking for as easy as possible?

-first trip to London or a regular? Do you want to visit landmarks or see theatre or just soak up atmosphere? Will you spend a lot of time at the hotel or just a place to put the head down?

--

I think you would be equally served with Westmister or Tower of London personally from the info you have provided. Both are about equal in terms of access to tube stations...they both require a 5 minute walk. If really pushed I would say I prefer the Westminster as easier to access by tube (but that is a subjective opinion and others may disagree) and if you happen to be gold or diamond I think you would be well served there. If you don't have gold or Silver then I would likely say the Tower of London as my impression (again subjective) is that the rooms are ever so slightly better throughout...I am not a fan of the Northern Line tube and find it more of a pain to access.

There is not much difference really, both should be great and you can see plenty of sites from both...I subjectively think you would find Westminster 'closer' to the sites most tourists want to see on their first visit but again, this is subjective and there is not much difference. Once you have a day pass for the tube you can get around anywhere you want and it is very convenient.

The service and quality should be equal and most people report good experiences at both.

If you can elaborate a bit more on what you are after and how many of you there are then that may help! ;)

Great insight, thanks all.

For additional insight into my situation, I am currently HHonors Gold, first trip to London. Tend to travel light - generally a roller bag and backpack. Looking at the hotel as a place to sleep rather than a place to spend a lot of time in. Prefer short distance walks, but don't mind a longer walk if the destination (or journey) is worth it the added distance. Interests are varied - touristy spots, (less expensive) theater, and soaking up atmosphere.

That does help, thanks. ^

You'll be fine in either of the two I mentioned in my opinion.

Gold benefits will help to ensure you get a good room in either and as the hotel is not so important I think you'll have a great time.

Get yourself a day travel card each day and use the TFL (transport for London) network to get around when you want to see something a bit further away or if the weather is not playing along.

With that light baggage and no additional people you'll have no issues getting to either location.

Westminster would be my choice for quicker access to the areas most tourists want (Westminster and Leicester square) for the first day...thereafter the tube gets you anywhere anyway.

Both locations have bars but the higher floor bar may have better views if you care...but you can go to a number of bars or scenic locations to get good views.

Hope this helps a bit more to decide...hopefully others will add points that are relevant for you as well. Have a good trip. ^

I vote for the Tower of London, nicest property of the three and the location works well. The Cat 7 Doubletree regent st. is also a very nice property often overlooked.

I vote for the Tower of London, nicest property of the three and the location works well. The Cat 7 Doubletree regent st. is also a very nice property often overlooked.

I stopped in the DT Tower of London at the weekend for the first time and I was very impressed. Excellent location (Tube/DLR only 2 minutes away), very modern hotel and fantastic staff. The rooms are fairly small - but fine if you are just going to sleep there - but they have the nice feature of an iMac in each room which doubles as a TV. The rooftop bar gives excellent views of Tower Bridge and the river, but just be careful with their price list.

If you are visiting at the weekend then be aware that because the hotel is so close to the Square Mile (Financial District) and is really a weekday business area, lot of the bars and restaurants nearby will close early or not be open at all. The upside of this is that you can get some fantastic rates at the weekend.

I would tend to avoid the DoubleTree West End. It's not really in an area that most London regulars would consider the "West End" and generally isn't worth the price.

It's not really in an area that most London regulars would consider the "West End" and generally isn't worth the price.

I believe it's the former Bonnington Hotel, and it's located in Holborn not 'West End'. Not the most exciting location for tourists though it's close to the British Museum.

Get yourself a day travel card each day and use the TFL (transport for London) network to get around when you want to see something a bit further away or if the weather is not playing along.

Rather than a paper ticket travel card, I'd suggest getting an Oyster Card - it's a pay as you go Smart Card, which automatically applies the cheapest fair. I think there's an up front £5 'deposit' for the card, but if you're in London for more than a few days it'll likely pay for itself, and be a lot more convenient.

http://visitorshop.tfl.gov.uk/

Thank you for your input, I appreciate it. Sounds like I should avoid DoubleTree Victoria. I would like to stay at DoubleTree West End, but as a Category 7 hotel, it is out of my points range. Hopefully one of the other two locations will suffice.

If you are down to the Westminster and Tower of London, then both are pretty similar as both were part of the same group (Mint Hotels, previously City Inn) before joining Hilton. This means the in-room are basically identical (not huge rooms, but perfectly functional, iMac as your in room entertainment) - public spaces are again similar although the roof bar in the Tower has better views due to its location.

Links to transport I would go with the Tower of London, as it is a bit of a hike (10+ mins, which is fine without luggage but not much fun if the weather is not co-operating) at the Westminster compare to 90 seconds at the Tower. Other than that, not much to choose between them. I think the area around the Tower is a bit nicer with more to do than the Westminster.

Also, keep a watch on the Cat 7 hotels if you are Diamond. I have found reduced point redemptions for them more than once. The Metropole occasionally has awards for less than the the normal rate so depending on your timing, you may find a redemption level similar to Cat 6 hotels.

Rather than a paper ticket travel card, I'd suggest getting an Oyster Card - it's a pay as you go Smart Card, which automatically applies the cheapest fair. I think there's an up front £5 'deposit' for the card, but if you're in London for more than a few days it'll likely pay for itself, and be a lot more convenient.

http://visitorshop.tfl.gov.uk/

That is a very good tip for the OP...thanks for mentioning it. ^