I just completed my stay at the Andaz, and I have to say that I was very pleased with the hotel. I'll add some photos at the bottom.
From LHR, I took the Heathrow Express to Paddington Station, where I then caught the tube to Liverpool St Station. Unfortunately, they were doing rail maintenance, so I had to take an extra train..
Upon arrival at the Andaz, I really enjoyed the layout of the lobby. It had some interesting mood lighting, which made me feel nice after my flight over in Y! Due to the fact that I was there @ 12pm, I had to wait around until the room was ready at 3pm. Luckily, Pizza Express was right around the corner, allowing me to get a much needed meal.
They were not ready @ 2pm, so I spent some time in the business center catching up on email, FT, checking in for my return flight, etc.. They have two computers and free color laser printing ^
The room was finally ready, so I got my room access card. At the Andaz, they do not use a mag stripe card for access. Doors to the guest rooms, business center, and the gym use a proxy card. When you enter the room, you are supposed to put your card inside a small box next to the door, and it will turn on the lights for you. When you leave the room, you grab the card and the lights will automatically turn off..
Bathroom was nice, and also included an electric tower warmer. Water pressure was excellent, and felt good to have a shower after the long flight over. The toilet uses a vacuum based system, so it sounds like the lav on an A320 flushing.. (much more spacious than an aircraft lav, though
)
Bose iPod sound system was included in the room, and sounded great with my iPhone. WIFI was pretty decent, and allowed me to upload my photos to my smugmug. Desk area was very nice. We also had a flat panel tv mounted to the wall. TV offerings were a bit dull, but I still found some interesting things to watch (Harry Potter
, Cops, The UK Version
)
Our room came with two twin/double beds, with excellent pillows and mattresses. I fell asleep almost immediately, and felt refreshed, even though I only got two hours of sleep..
As far as restaurants, the Andaz offers many options. I chose the
Miyako sushi place. They had pretty fresh sushi, and a nice atmosphere. I had a spicy tuna roll, and the chicken teriyaki..
On the way back to LHR, we used the hotel car service. They used a Jaguar XJ, and with three of us splitting the car, we felt as though the price was worth it. The driver was excellent, and took us on a little tour of London on the way to LHR.
Overall, I'd give the hotel an 8/10. It would have been nice if the room was available when I arrived, but everything else was just perfect.. Looking forward to staying here again^