whimsey21

Just got back from a great stay at the Conrad St. James. I stayed there a few years ago and wasn't overly impressed, and then tried various other London properties, with my last few stays at Bankside. As I wanted to be north of the river on this trip, I decided to give the Conrad a try again, and am very glad I did. The hard product was excellent-- I had asked for a quiet room, and was given a 6th floor interior room that was absolutely silent. I asked about upgrades on check-in and was told they could give me a slightly larger room, but it would be in a noisier location, so I opted against it. My room was very comfortable, the aircon worked perfectly even though it was quite warm in London, and I knew from flyertalk that I could request different bath amenities so I was able to try a few different brands until I found one I really liked. The exec lounge was mostly good-- a decent selection of sweets in the afternoon, and then a mix of self-serve cold options (mostly cheeses and charcuterie) and warm appetizers brought to your table. The later all sounded good on the "menu sheet," but didn't quite live up to the description. Having the canapes brought to the table was a bit awkward (especially as some rude people kept grabbing the lounge staff to demand food), but the staff were quick and efficient, and I mostly stick with the cheese and alcohol. Bankside's evening lounge food offerings and self-serve setup are much more to my liking. I was very happy, however, with the self serve alcohol selection, as I drink single-malt and they had the Dalmore 12. FWIW, since I remember someone (maybe Wizla?) asking about Jack Daniels-- no JD, but they had Jim Beam and Buffalo Trace as their bourbons. Prosecco was also in abundance along with white and red wine and plenty of gin. The lounge was quite crowded during my stay, with nearly all tables full. My one complaint there was that the coffee machine in the lounge was broken all week, and the lounge staff didn't seem to have any options (one mumbled something about how I could call room service, but it would take a long time...) I had breakfast in the restaurant all week; the selection had greatly improved since my last visit. The buffet now includes a range of hot items, a wide selection of fruits, pastries, and cheese, yogurt (the same brand as at Bankside) and the cereal selection. There was also a table of "Tastes of London" items, including small sticky-buns, mini donut bites, bagels, and muffins. As with the lounge snacks, these didn't quite live up to the hype (I have no idea whether they really qualify as tastes of London either). I stuck with the buffet, but a note in the room outlining my Diamond benefits said that items ordered off the menu during breakfast would be 12gbp each. My big disappointment on day 1 was that the granola was not the same as that at Bankside - this discovery almost ruined my morning. On the second day I discovered a small bowl of Bankside granola next to the yogurt, meant as a topping, I believe. I co-opted some of this as my morning granola, and was much happier thereafter. Service in the restaurant could be improved- one morning my cappuccino arrived almost as I was finishing breakfast. My only other note is that I spent the week attempting to get a Monty dog for my daughter. I asked at the front desk twice a day, every day, during the week. Each time I was told that they were out of dogs, would likely get some soon, and they'd let me know (they took my room number). I never heard back from anyone regarding said dog. Finally, the night before check-out I called down to the desk, and magically a dog was delivered to my door around midnight. Overall, given that the room was extremely comfortable and breakfast and drinks were good, I'll definitely stay here again if I'm getting a reasonable rate.