I recently just came back from a trip to the UK and had the chance to stay at the new addition to the Marriott family: the St. Ermin's hotel.
While I usually prefer the JW Grosvenor House or the Renaissance St. Pancras, in the interest of trying something new, and giving back to my favorite FT forum, I figured I would spend a little extra out of pocket to give the St. Ermin's a go.
Overall here are my thoughts...
Location:
By far the best location of any Marriott I have stayed at in London. The hotel is a 30 second walk to the St. James tube station, a 5 minute walk to both Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament, a 8-10 minute walk to Buckingham Palace, and a 15 minute walk to Trafalgar Square. In addition, there is an
excellent Indian restaurant very close to the hotel called Quilon. All things considered, if you are in London for work, and desperately want to avoid the tourists, this may not be the best area for you.
The Hotel:
Overall, taking into consideration the service, room and food quality, and amenities, I would give this hotel an 8/10. The hotel is not in the traditional "Marriott Style", i.e. the reason it is an autograph collection. As a platinum, I was offered breakfast everyday in their restaurant, which had a very nice selection of hot and continental items.
Fun fact: during the 1930s and through the Second World War, the hotel was used as a meeting place of the British intelligence services, and was the birthplace of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) (MI5/MI6, James Bond stuff) and where the notorious Cambridge Five double agents Philby and MacLean met their Russian handlers.
The Room:
Upon arrival, I was upgraded to a Scotland Yard view, King bed room. The view wasn't anything special - just another building across the street. The room size was average, similar to those at Grosvenor Square if you are familiar with that hotel. The bathroom however was quite small. All in all, it was comfortable and enjoyable.
...and finally, here are some pictures. Please let me know if I left anything out.
The front of the hotel:
Again at night:
Outside of the entrance, a nice mosaic:
Hotel lobby:
Another lobby view:
This is the restaurant where breakfast is served daily:
Hot food buffet:
Continental selection:
Upon arrival to the room:
Room shot 1:
Room shot 2:
Bathroom shot 1:
Bathroom shot 2:
Something I found surprising, no Book of Mormon in this hotel:
That's it!
I'm always happy to answer any questions if there is something I left out.