I have recently had my first stay at this hotel, one of few in the London area that I've not visited before. There is a clear reason for this, namely that the room rate is often relatively high and so invariably I can stay at, say, the Metropole for a lower rate - therefore from my perspective it's often over-priced. On this occasion I got a reasonable rate, and then the main 3 advantages of this hotel come to the fore: location, location and location. It is one block from Marble Arch tube, almost next to Selfridges, Oxford Street, Portman Square, Hyde Park, Bond Street close on hand. So for a tourist stay this is ideal, you will be able to walk to many sights. It's also within easy reach of Paddington and therefore the Heathrow Express.
I booked the entry level queen room and was upgraded the day before arrival to a king room, a one step upgrade. This meant I was in room 324, floor 4 being the top floor. I asked for the digital key but that didn't get delivered until a physical check-in, which was swift enough and the usual cookie supplied. The floor plan:
with my room on the top right. This had windows which opened, and on a wet midweek evening, it was actually fairly quiet, I had no trouble sleeping. The top of the map is Portman Street, with Bryanston Street (which would be quieter still) on the right side, Seymour Street on the left.
The room wasn't too small by London standards and was clean as well as comfortable.
The bathroom was a reasonable size too, bath + shower combined. The usual facilities (iron, safe, kettle) were provided as well as 2 bottles of still water, and the tea tray had two packs of Border shortbread biscuits. I had a good night's sleep, no complaints.
Breakfast is in the basement, and as noted above there is no view. As a Diamond I was asked to pay £3 extra for hot options, only the continental buffet was free, which was made clear, in a polite way, as I entered the room. I was OK to accept this, and the waitress was keen for me to order some cooked to order eggs. I think this is the only UK hotel where I have had to pay a supplement for breakfast, but because the fried eggs were spot on for me, rather than left out on the buffet to dry out, I didn't really mind. There were the other usual hot items Isausage, bacon, beans). The continental options were also right on the DT specified minimum, whereas some of the other local DTs go a bit beyond this spec (e.g. DT Hyde Park).The one exception is that this DT had a pancake maker, which isn't that common in the UK.
Service at breakfast was good, always there when needed, without hovering. The waitress checked the coffee pot midway to ensure I had plenty left.
The gym is also in the basement, it's a medium sized space with half a dozen of the usual machines. About middle of the pack by London Hilton standards. No pool or spa.
The hotel is owned by an Indian family, and their lunch / evening restaurant, Fire and Spice takes over the breakfast area to become a full Indian restaurant. Website below includes the menu I've not eaten there but a friend on mine who lives locally says it is good value and tasty.
https://www.fireandspicelondon.co.uk/
Overall I can certainly see the point of this hotel. I think the rates are generally a bit high, but I would stay again if the price was right.