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Marriott Bonvoy hotels in London, UK

Marriott Bonvoy hotels in London, UK

Old Sep 4, 2003, 5:22 pm
  #151  
 
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Yup.

RATE INFORMATION:
Rate(s) Quoted in: GB POUND
Arrival Date: Nov 30 2003
Room Rate: 73.00 per night. Plus tax when applicable
Rate Program: MV MARRIOTT REWARDS

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Old Sep 13, 2003, 10:21 pm
  #152  
 
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Did anyone notice a difference between the two properties as to whether they recognize marriott elite status?
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Old Sep 14, 2003, 8:56 am
  #153  
 
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The County Hall is awful for upgrades. I'm Platinum and what they do is ask if you'd like a River view for 25GBP a night, or some such nonsense. I always say yes, get it confirmed then say "I assume it will be free as I'm platinum" At that point they can't say (Which amazingly they have tried!!) We have none available.
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Old Sep 14, 2003, 9:44 am
  #154  
 
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So is the concensus that Chancery Court is better at honoring status and comp upgrades?

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by SteveinA2:
The County Hall is awful for upgrades. I'm Platinum and what they do is ask if you'd like a River view for 25GBP a night, or some such nonsense. I always say yes, get it confirmed then say "I assume it will be free as I'm platinum" At that point they can't say (Which amazingly they have tried!!) We have none available.</font>
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Old Sep 14, 2003, 1:27 pm
  #155  
 
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It is interesting to read everyones opinion on these hotels.

I've been staying at Marriotts in London for over 60 nights in the past months, so I can hopefuly provide a very basic comparison between the 3 top hotels:

1) Renaissance Chancery Court
This hotel is the most magnificent building you can imagine and really offer you a 5* experience, from check-in all the way through !
+ large avg. room size
+ excellent room-service with long menu, good for a long-stayer like myself
+ turndown service with ice-service
+ excellent location, walking distance to West End
- no swimming pool
- the breakfast buffet in the restaurant has been replaced by a menu-only service that is not that good !
- Airconditioning in room is not strong enough for warm summer days
2) Marriott County Hall
This hotel is nothing spectacular in terms of service, but does have a decent location. I don't like it and will never stay there again.
+ swimming pool (lots of walking to get to it, especially since you need to pick up the access code on another floor
+ nice breakfasts
- lounge is nothing special and does not even have a window !
- very average service
- average room service menu
- long walks if your room is at the far end
- long walk from the Tube station (walking across the bridge takes 10 mins when it's flooded with tourists; it can be windy in the evenings)
- no choice of restaurants in the neighbourhood (I don't consider McDo an alternative !)

3) Marriott Park Lane
This hotel is brand new and offers boutique-style service. When you mention your status you can get upgraded.
+ beautiful large pool with colour projections on the roof; very very nice !
+ big, nice lounge with great amenities
+ Welcome gift for MR Gold in your room !
+ I got upgraded to a suite once !
- smaller rooms
- small room service menu

If you ask me to make a final choice, I'd do the following:
First place: Renaissance Chancery Court: 9/10
Second place: Marriott Park Lane: 8/10
Third place: Marriott County Hall: 7/10

Oh, by the way, I didn't mention the Marriott Marble Arch, which is very very basic and does not compare to the above-mentioned hotels !
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Old Sep 14, 2003, 2:47 pm
  #156  
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Having stayed at both the Chancery Court and the County Hall, I would just take issue with 3 of John69's laments:

1). No hotel in London, or for that matter Europe, is prepared to weather a heat wave like Europe recently experienced. Their air conditioning simply is not designed to American standards vis a vis BTU's, etc., so if there is a heat wave, invariably wherever you stay most probably will come up short.

2). Others have mentioned another bridge that one may take across the Thames to the County Hall from the other bank near the Embankment Tube stop, and I personally have walked the 5-10 minutes necessary to get to London Waterloo staion and tube stop (where the Eurostar arrive from the Continent) and it is not bad at all.

3). Moreover, if one were to walk that way, one would discover a number of small eateries behind the County Hall -- at least 4 - 5 -- and they range from a Yo Sushi conveuor belt restaurant, to a Turkish-Mediterrranean resto, to an excellent Fish Restaurant known appropriately as "Fish", to a take-away/takeout noodle place, to a pub.

That hardly amounts to just McDonalds, and having eaten the food from the noodle place -- which delivers -- and at the Fish Resto, I must heartily disagree.

Although I agree that at the Chancery you probably will get more bang for your $$/MR points, if you are a first time visitor to London, then I would not suggest the Chancery, and instead suggest the County Hall or either the Park Lane or the Grovesnor, both of the latter are in the tony and posh area of Mayfair -- as well as perhaps considering the 47th ST Park property.

Finally, the Saatchi Gallery has just moved to the County Hall, and what with the London Eye next door to the County Hall, the Tate Modern and the Globe downstream, and the Houses of Parlliament and Big Ben across the Thames, this is a great introduction to London, for those who are not so jaded, or who are otherwise there on business.
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Old Sep 14, 2003, 4:07 pm
  #157  
 
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NJUPINTHEAIR,

Interesting to read your different view, I understand you're staying in London on business, so what makes County Hall stand out for you ?

Cheers,

John69
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Old Sep 14, 2003, 5:14 pm
  #158  
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John69:


Actually, I was not on business and this was an unusual stay as I was upgraded to a balcony suite at the County Hall -- if you can get one, by all means do so as they are exceptional and there is nothing like them anywhere in London. To have your own private balcony to sit on and watch the river traffic with Big Ben as your backdrop across the river.

That said, those "suites" -- really large rooms -- but quite nice and they were fairly big, esp. by London standards -- are quite expensive.

I do agree with most of what you said, just that the County Hall is not as bad as you had experienced and that for a first timer, or someone who scores the type of room that I got, or for someone with kids in tow, it is really quite good. Esp. for kids, it has the McD's the swimming pool, etc.

If I did not get the room that I had gotten, I would go by price, and for the most part, the Chancery Court wins hands down, as it is a stunning building, with a lobby to match, and the rooms are quite nice.

The location is ok, but it is exceptionally close to the Holborn tube stop where 2 tube lines cross -- one is the Picadilly, and so if you are coming from LHR and wish to be a cheapo -- like me -- it is a very long but simple ride to the hotel. In addition, it is quite close to the theater district and Covent Garden, so all in all, I would rate it the best in my book, for London Marriotts.

I am waiting, however, for my friend Zakami, to give us a brief report on the new Kensington Marriott because it is recently refurbished, it is in Kensington (?), and the price seems quite decent.

For my points, I would choose the Chancery Court for all the things noted, but as I said, some of those who are new to London might choose some of the other properties.

But, on the whole, I could not agree more with you that the Chancery is it. Although the PArk Lane sounds nice, I have the suspicion, that unless you are a Plt, or have booked a really expensive room (on business, not on your own dime!), you might not get a nice sized room, or a park view, so I would rather choose the Chancery over it.

Anyway, looking forward to others reports on other hotels, and Marriott may pick up some of the former Le Meridien properties in London, so there may even be more choices in the future!!

One final note, if you are planning to use your points, London is one of the best places to do so, because the GBP is stronger than the $, the avg. room rates are high, and the British VAT @ 17.5% is huge. With a use of points, you don't pay anything, even the VAT, so the use of points in London, if that is what you would like to do, is a very good use, indeed!
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Old Sep 14, 2003, 7:50 pm
  #159  
 
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I'm going to throw in my vote for the Maida Vale property as I have yet to cough up the money or points for County Hall or Chancery Court. I stayed at the Maida Vale in February for a week, and I was struck by the extraordinary service, particularly the affable bar keep, and the recent renovations are quite smart. I paid with points, and the Maida Vale is the only Category 5 hotel in London proper, which amounted to a significant point savings. Although it is a bit further out, it is a two minute walk from the Kilburn Park tube stop as Cornroaster mentioned in an earlier post, and only three stops from Paddington Station where the Heathrow Express drops you off. As for the safety of the neighborhood, I was out well past Cornroaster's 11pm bedtime (I was with my friends in their early 20s) and never felt threatened.

Although I have never stayed at County Hall, I would consider spending the money on my next trip in January for two reasons. 1) The view can't be beat. 2) The County Hall is home to, in my opinion, the greatest bar in the world: Shino's. It's located on the embankment near the Dali museum, and has relatively cheap beer and fantastic jazz. Highly recommended.
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Old Sep 14, 2003, 7:51 pm
  #160  
 
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Thanks guys! This is very helpful. Which hotel (Ren or County) has the better concierge lounge? As a gold, should I expect to have access to it? If so, what is the breakfast like? Assume it is a continental breakfast.
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Old Oct 4, 2003, 6:54 pm
  #161  
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best London Marriott

Have only stayed at the Marble Arch in the past.. What's the best one both in terms of quality of the property and location?


Thanks!
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Old Oct 4, 2003, 9:25 pm
  #162  
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Very helpful post, Do any of these seem to be a better reward redemption (for value and what you get for your points) than if you paid for the room

I've never been to London and don't mind walking etc, as whatever hotel will be a place to crash, store my bag and hopefully be somewhat close to some good pubs
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Old Oct 5, 2003, 11:12 am
  #163  
 
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<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by TrojanHorse:
Very helpful post, Do any of these seem to be a better reward redemption (for value and what you get for your points) than if you paid for the room

I've never been to London and don't mind walking etc, as whatever hotel will be a place to crash, store my bag and hopefully be somewhat close to some good pubs
</font>
You can refer to my earlier post as well, but if all you are looking for in a hotel is a place to crash and you aren't overly concerned with the luxury aspect of hotel living, then I really recommend the Maida Vale. It's the only Category 5 hotel in London (all the other properties are Category 6 and 7), which will amount to significant point savings. It was recently renovated, and the lobby and the rooms look great (they just aren't as fancy as County Hall or Chancery Court). It's only a block to the closest Tube stop (Kilburn Park), and although it is slightly more removed than the other properties, it's really splitting hairs IMHO as you can be right on the Thames in fifteen minutes. There are also several great pubs nearby and a number of places for cheap breakfast and lunch within a three minute walk.

Bottom line: save your points, stay at the Maida Vale, but make certain you stop in at Shino's, which is in the lower level of the County Hall Marriott right on the Embankment. Best bar in the world.
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Old Oct 5, 2003, 11:55 am
  #164  
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http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum63/HTML/002958.html

You can also do a search & come up w/ lots of other threads that might answer your question (which is too generic to really give a good reply).

------------------
Sharon
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Old Oct 5, 2003, 4:49 pm
  #165  
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Thanks son, that is exactly the info I was looking for and yes you hit the nail on the head as to what I desire from a room. A 3 night stay with a place to dump my bags, crash and hit the pubs over and over without killing my point balance, the one block to the tube is perfect, I don't mind walking.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by sonofapilot:
You can refer to my earlier post as well, but if all you are looking for in a hotel is a place to crash and you aren't overly concerned with the luxury aspect of hotel living, then I really recommend the Maida Vale. It's the only Category 5 hotel in London (all the other properties are Category 6 and 7), which will amount to significant point savings. It was recently renovated, and the lobby and the rooms look great (they just aren't as fancy as County Hall or Chancery Court). It's only a block to the closest Tube stop (Kilburn Park), and although it is slightly more removed than the other properties, it's really splitting hairs IMHO as you can be right on the Thames in fifteen minutes. There are also several great pubs nearby and a number of places for cheap breakfast and lunch within a three minute walk.

Bottom line: save your points, stay at the Maida Vale, but make certain you stop in at Shino's, which is in the lower level of the County Hall Marriott right on the Embankment. Best bar in the world.
</font>
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