mkuenne

Which airport is easier accessable to central london. Also is one hotel nicer than another? Rooms any bigger. Just trying to get a comparison for an upcomming trip and need to stay at one of the 2 due to certificate restrictions. Thanks for the help.

Merry

This question seems to come up alot:

TRAVEL:

Heathrow: 15 minutes to Paddington by Heathrow Express.

Gatwick: 30 minutes to Victoria by Gatwick Express. Also Thameslink to Kings Cross, Farringdon, City of London, Blackfriars & London Bridge. Plus Connex SouthCentral to Victoria.

HOTEL:

Heathrow: Slightly better overall standard than Gatwick, although very unfriendly, and the public area is in an atrium which is very clinical. Good (but expensive) oriental restaurant. Rooms are generally small.

Gatwick: More friendly. Generally larger rooms. Better bar. Cheaper food.

OTHER ALTERNATIVES:

If Hilton reservations tell you these are the only 'London' properties avavilable (for award stays), consider:

- The Sherlock Holmes hotel. This is a Hilton Associate hotel. Reservations often don't consider it.

- The Hilton Nationals at Olympia and Wembly. These are very inferior hotels, but much more central.

If you are looking several months into the future, you may want to wait until the Stakis hotels are available for reward stays - this will greatly increase room availability.

Nick

ajay

I want to know this ASAP. I am going to London for 8-10 days, I am deciding which Hilton I should stay at. I checked the rates for Hilton Kensington, it is quite reasonable for London. Want to know what is in the rooms, how are the rooms like. If it is compared to other hotels, how does it fare? How many stars is it?

Also want to know, if I want to go to Paris, can I make it a day trip.

If not, how should I plan it, I really would Appreciate a itenary recommendation.

Thanks,
ajay

Merry

Ajay: We have spoken about the Kensington Hilton many times before. In summary it is an OK hotel. The service is by no means top-notch, the rooms are by no means top-notch and the whole place is a bit shabby and dated.

In short it is a tierd hotel, which is certainly the worst Hilton International in London - although I would guess you would know that given the price?

Popping to Paris from London for the day is no problem. Your options are essentially the Eurostar which leaves from Waterloo station.

http://www.eurostar.com

Or flights from Heathrow, Gatwick or City airoprts. Flights from all airports take just under an hour and arrive at either CDG or ORY. The main operaters are BA,AF,BD,UK,CB.

To give you some idea of frequency from LHR there is a:
0640,0650,0705,0730,0815,0820,0830,0845....

However, day return tickets can be expensive Ł250 ($400) upwards for Economy is normal for the major carriers, as you are potentially eating into the business market. So it pays to advance purchase.

Nick

gabbysz

ajay:
I stayed at both the Kensington Hilton and the Sherlock Holmes Hilton last summer. I recommend the Sherlock Holmes every time. Rooms are nicer..staff is great and much better location. Much better atmosphere overall. It is funny about trying to reserve the hotel through central reservations..they almost never recommend it unless you ask. The other piece of advice I will pass along is....by calling direct you can usually get a better deal. The desk attendant told us that last year, and friends I recommended this approach to confirmed it as well.

Merry

Gabby: I think we may have discussed this before, but the Sherlock Holmes Hotel is not a Hilton. It is a Hilton Associate hotel.

In effect this means it is not owned or operated by Hilton International or their parent Ladbroke Group Plc. It is an independent hotel, who leverage off Hilton maketing.

Nick

gabbysz

True...but as I said before if it looks like a duck and walks like a duck.....so from the average guest's perspective...they can reserve through Hilton's central reservations, earn points and redeem certs...but again thanks for the reminder of the details around this property

Andrew Yiu

Hi, I am new to this Forum.

I will be travelling a lot very soon, I will mainly be travelling to Europe. Which hotel in London area is the best? I looked at a lot of posting and most of you say that you were able to obtain good rates after talking to the agents on the phone for a while. How is it done?

Thanks

Merry

Hi,

The 'best' Hilton in London is the London Conrad International, then the Hilton on Park Lane.

Nick

ed

I want to use my GLON awards (100,000 points for 6 nights anywhere but Premium hotels) for a trip to London in May. Does anyone have any advise for which hotels to try for or which to avoid? There are 10 Hiltons in London to choose from that are not Premium level. My wife and I will be traveling with our 13 and 15 year old children and will want connecting rooms. We want to be close to an underground station so it's easy to get around.

Thanks.

Tomphot

For May, you may end up having to take anything that is available. London is very hard to get an award room booked.
I've stayed at the Langham and Conrad Int., but they are premiums.
I've got the Kensington booked for Nov., they have confirmed 2 Queen Suites on an award stay. Not my first choice, but at least I've got some free rooms.

Baze

I used an award at the London Hilton Metropole last October. 5 minute walk from Paddington Station. 15 minute walk to the double decker tour buses. 1 minute walk to another tube station. Not in downtown. Was not a bad hotel. Some of the floors were going through construction at the time but it was not noticeable. Cab drivers knew it as the Stakis Metropole as that is what t had been for years before Hilton bought the Stakis chain.

ILuvParis

What ever you decide, do it quickly. I agree that London is very difficult so you must book VERY far in advance. Pick whatever one you can get into in the city proper and then keep trying for one you might like better.

Shareholder

The Kensington might be your best bet. It is near Sheppards Bush tube (Central line, 5-minute walk) or Holland Park (10-minutes in the other direction) and on several bus routes -- including one to/from LHR. In a quiet neighbourhood, it might be good for a family, less hustle and bustle on the streets here than in central London. Places to walk to for dinner, etc. Stay clear of properties that were Hilton National, several notches down from the Hilton International pedigree properties, of which the Kensington was the most afforable before dropping a considerable degree into the Nationals. The former Stakis hotels would also be acceptable before hitting the old Nationals. Hope this helps. I've quite enjoyed my stays over the years at the Kensington, though it is older and may not have been rennovated in a decade.

jaguar99

The only Hilton that I've spent time in London is the Kensington. Quite agreeable, convenient to the tube and in a quiet walking neighborhood.

I'll stay there again.

Best of luck.