Pictorial Review:

Before the stay

Most that know me here on FT will know I tend to stay at Hiltons when in London, however, having earned a whack of points recently with Accor and wanting to stay several days in the city, we decided to try the Pullman as it looks quite modern (something we both like) and is located in a part of London we hadn’t explored much before.

The room prices were a bit inflated in my opinion, mostly due to the Christmas period and tourists that would be in the city but as mentioned, we booked using a combination of points and cash. I believe the Junior Suite was a rather steep 344 (including breakfast) before points.

I did look at the Sofitel as well, which is located much more centrally, but it was even more expensive for this time of year for a basic room so we decided to try the Pullman.

I can’t remember when or how I received/saw the e-upgrade offer from the hotel but I believe it was about a week out from the stay and was offering a suite (the only level higher than the Jnr. Suite here) for an extra 60 (saving 40). I decided not to take up the offer as I was hoping that we would receive the upgrade to the suite as a plat. member.

I did check in online, using the app, as you can see the screen shot below to try and save some time and hassle later when at the hotel. One aspect that I dislike about this with Accor is that it knows my home address (which is in the UK) and therefore automatically suggests I am British (as UK hotels need to see passport details if you are a foreigner and visiting only but not if you are resident). If I selected my true nationality, the app required all the address info again…or, you can go back to saying you are British and it remembers your UK details and uses those. If they built in this info that foreigners need to put in more info…why can’t they get it right with knowing that resident foreigners don’t have to do this. Needless to say I was British for the purposes of this trip!

Online Check In using the App...

e check inbyBA_pics, on Flickr

Getting to the hotel

Living outside London, we tend to drive to the outer M25 perimeter and then take public transport into the city, this saves a lot of hassle and money with the congestion charge and parking. If anyone is coming from the West or North with a car and staying more than a day, it is worth knowing you can park at the Denham rail station (near Uxbridge) for 4 a day or 22 for a week. The TFL (transport for London) travel cards can be bought at the station (there is an automat) and are valid for travel on Chiltern Railways line from Denham into Marylebone station and then the tube and bus network. The train from Denham into Marylebone takes about 30-40 minutes but there is generally plenty of seats and it is punctual. Once on the tube network, the nearest stations are Euston (Northern and Victoria line) or the obvious King’s Cross St Pancras (several tube lines). It is worth mentioning that on weekends, many lines have engineering work being done so there may be some lines not running or only in some parts…you can check the TFL site for more details. Of course, if coming via (overland) train then the station is the same.

As the hotel is a bit North of the ‘main’ tourist attractions, you may need to take more than one tube line to get from / to the hotel during the day. While this is easy enough it does add some hassle. We found it most convenient to use Oxford circus as the hub to take the Victoria line to St. Pancras station rather than trying to use the circular routes. YMMV.

Check In

We arrived at the hotel around 4 PM and from the outside the hotel is not very aesthetic, just another concrete lump in London but once inside it does look quite nice as you can see from the pictures. There is no ramp to get up the few stairs at the entrance but there is generally always a doorman that is willing to help out if you would have several pieces of luggage or need assistance. Not sure how they handle disabled guests? (the restaurant also has an entrance and that may have been level with the ground). The main entrance is on Ossulston St. with the restaurant entrance on Euston Rd.

The check in area is to the right as you enter and there are always several staff available as well as some kiosks. We were greeted immediately and check in was quick and efficient.

I did have some issues during check in though and this is a general reflection of the Accor chain hotels (with Sofitel being an exception IME)…no mention was made of my membership number or status so I had to ask if they had that info, hoping it would prompt some further info about drinks voucher, lounge or upgrades…None. So, I asked if they had any upgrades available as a plat. member, which the staff member then went to discuss with the manager and came back and apologised and said that there were only two suites in the hotel and they were both already taken. Fair enough. No mention of drinks voucher or lounge. I didn’t ask about these to be honest as I was a bit frustrated at being able to pay to upgrade earlier in the week but then not get anything at check. I don’t know if they have a lounge to be honest.

My preference is for a high floor and the Jnr. Suite mentions something like ‘stunning views’ from a higher floor…well, the 4th floor is higher than some but as there were at least 12 floors here it wasn’t particularly high or good views. The amenities were already in the room so they had prepared it in advance and could have surely put us higher up?

I will try to be fair here and say that there was a massive issue with St. Pancras station having overrunning engineering works which caused several thousand people some travel delays or cancellations and it was during some peak tourist times between Christmas and New Year so MAYBE it was due to these reasons that there were no real tangible Plat. benefits offered to me.

Entrance / Check In Area:

View to EntrancebyBA_pics, on Flickr

Note the nod towards London with the bowler hat stand:

Quirky Bowler hat nodbyBA_pics, on Flickr

Chandelier Design in Lobby:

Nice chandelier designbyBA_pics, on Flickr

Lobby Seating Area:

Lobby Seating areabyBA_pics, on Flickr

Lobby / Restaurant Design Pattern on walls (detail):

Design pattern walls of Ground FloorbyBA_pics, on Flickr

Restaurant Area (Coffee Section):

Attention to detail Coffee area arrangementbyBA_pics, on Flickr

Floor Plan 4th floor:

Floor planbyBA_pics, on Flickr

The Room

There are two elevators over to the left, opposite check in (with the bar and restaurant further straight ahead as viewed when entering the hotel). It was cold during our stay in London, atypical of the place with temperatures down to -2 at night, so maybe this is why the hallway on the fourth floor was freezing! I found this quite surprising as it was truly uncomfortable to walk in the hallway with just some jumper or fleece on. Anyway, after going through about 4 doors, reminiscent of a travel lodge, we finally came to the room. Thankfully the room was heated and was a lovely room.

The room is very large for a London hotel and had plenty of room to place luggage or even a third roll away bed if needed. I do not know if the sofa (2 seater) could be made into a bed. There were windows on two sides providing some view to the Station (as you can see below) and the corner room was nice. I have to say the room reminded me of the best of the Accor chain, in terms of design details and flair and was very modern. The bathroom, with its red and grey colours and dual sinks was a refreshing different take on many hotel bathrooms. I think I read somewhere that there are no bathtubs in the hotel, only showers, which is fine for me but my wife likes a bath and so this wouldn’t be a good choice for us for more than a day or two.

The bath amenities were nice and the room was very quiet, we didn’t hear any traffic noise or hallway noise (maybe due to the several fire doors they have!) We did find it a bit dark in the hallways, not sure if the lighting is just low or if some bulbs were burnt out.

The bed was lovely and the TV had some German channels which was good for my wife.

One quirk is that there are some bedside plug ins, however, you don’t see them at first glance…they are on the side and facing the mattress, so you have to feel around to find them. There are two plug ins (and the appropriate UK switches to turn them on) You couldn’t get an iPad charger to fit but a slimmer iPhone plug would just fit with the USB cable facing down. Otherwise you’ll need to use the desk power points to charge items.

There was plenty of lights to get the right level of lighting in the room for anyone.

One nice touch was that the toilet paper was a very nice 3 ply roll which I find many hotels go cheap on but this was another indication that details were not overlooked in the room.
Room:

View towards bed:

View to Room2byBA_pics, on Flickr

The main Attraction:

King Bed Jnr SuitebyBA_pics, on Flickr

Nice design details everywhere in the room and hotel: (here the bedside table lamps)

Bedside lamp detailbyBA_pics, on Flickr

View towards Entrance from Bed area:

View towards Entrance areabyBA_pics, on Flickr

View to the entrance and bathroom from sofa:

View to Entrance doorbyBA_pics, on Flickr

View from Window out front of hotel: (not quite the postcard view!)

View to street not greatbyBA_pics, on Flickr

Better view towards the library and station:

View to Library and Rail StationbyBA_pics, on Flickr

Wardrobe Contents:

WardrobebyBA_pics, on Flickr

Platinum Amenities:

Plat amenitiesbyBA_pics, on Flickr

Nespresso Corner:

Nespresso AreabyBA_pics, on Flickr

Bathroom:

Dual Sinks:

Dual sinks nice designbyBA_pics, on Flickr

Bath Amenities:

Bath AmenitiesbyBA_pics, on Flickr

Shower Area: (no bathtub here!)

Bathroom shower areabyBA_pics, on Flickr

Loo Area:

Bathroom loo designbyBA_pics, on Flickr

The Lounge

Can’t comment, see above. I am not sure if there is one. Would be a bit upset to find out there was and wasn’t told about it to be honest, especially as a first time visitor to a Pullman so not aware of what is and what is not available generally in this chain. Maybe someone can comment on this in the thread?

Breakfast in the Downstairs Restaurant

We had paid to have breakfast ( 15 each, which is another thing that I find irksome about the Accor chain compared to Hilton or other chains…top tier guests shouldn’t have to pay for breakfast).

Although busy (as mentioned the hotel was very busy) we were greeted warmly and a table found immediately and the service was very good. The buffet provided a good selection of food and choice and the quality of the food offering was of a high quality, better than what I see at Hilton for example.

They made proper speciality coffees for guests or you could get a Nespresso to your liking as well. Several fresh fruit juices were available and always topped up and the serving staff were always going around trying to keep up with the demand and keep the items topped up. My wife loved the breakfast and quality of the food, however, she is more of a continental breakfast lover and I have to say the hot cooked items were okay but not the best I have seen in a hotel restaurant. The design of the restaurant and bar is very nice and very pleasing aesthetically, I wanted to get some pictures but there was always people around and I don’t like taking pictures with people where I can avoid it.

Overall impressions..

A great hotel, very nice rooms with attention to detail for design and small touches, this extends to the breakfast and generally to the staff.

If you have no status or are not Gold/Plat. then this hotel is excellent as you wouldn’t expect any extras. If you are Gold or Plat. and only book the entry level room, I also think you will be pleased for the quality for money and upgrades that are likely to be given.

If you are Plat. and have already booked the Junior Suite, well, don’t expect anything over a standard paying guest and you won’t be disappointed.

The location was good for some people that are needing to be in the area or arriving in St. Pancras. However, for those looking to visit London for the first time as a tourist, I would suggest other sites for the location and food choices.

We did find some excellent restaurant choices by walking about a mile from the hotel towards SoHo. (Charlotte street) Andreas Restaurant (Greek) was particularly good for a smaller group and independent offering.

http://www.andreas-restaurant.com

I don’t mean to complain about this hotel, it was quite nice and we liked the design aspects of the hotel and details. We just found it quite pricey compared to other chains in the area and little to no benefit as a top tier status holder with the chain. I do hope people will try the hotel out as it is nice but just be very reasonable about your expectations as a member of A Club. YMMV.

Hope this helps.