sfgiants13

bankside is actually more expensive on my dates. CW is about £40 cheaper but honestly I can get that much value in the lounge easy. At the end of a long day I really enjoy kicking back there. Sounds like Conrad is the way to go this trip.

The _Banking_Scot

Hi,

I stayed at

Conrad St James
Hilton on Park Lane
Bankside

in the past fortnight .
All three offered alcohol in the evening hours. All rooms were comfortable , large and very good a/cBriefly

£160 is an excellent price for the Conrad. ( i was paying £182)

Conrad: Location is excellent for Westminster , St James's park , Green Park , Victoria, Churchill war rooms
External facing rooms can have some noise during the night ( sound proofing of the windows could be better).Courtyard views might be quieter
Lounge very good with soft drinks and tea /coffee available during the day ( prepacked biscuits available during my 2nd stay. Alcohol served 530 to 730 but often available till 8pm ish. Nice area to relax in during the day. Weekend evenings were busier but no problem getting seats.
Evening snacks a little poor ( crisps, savoury popcorn type crisps, selection of three small canapes ( 1 hot) , a ham/meat plate and a cheese plate ( all served to you by the staff). Not sure about if the choice will increase now
Breakfast in blue boar pub excellent
Across the road from St James's park underground ( Circle & District) and not too far ( 15mins or so ) walk to Vicorial for national rail & Victoria line)
No turndown service offered just now ( covid) and 2 restaurants and the lounge bar were due to open on the day i left
Good gym but parks excellent for evening running


Hilton on Park Lane

Excellent views (esp on higher floors)
Executive lounge replacement in part of Primo restaurant
Attendant service during the day for soft drinks & tea and coffee.
Self service evening drinks. Selection of self service hot and cold items ( plus pre wrapped brownie bars)
Good location at Park lane hyde park
Very good breakfast buffet
Bathroom was poorish with it steaming up very quickly when showering
Did not try the gym ( jogged to Royal Albert hall)

Bankside
Location close to Southwark underground ( Jubilee line) and from there to waterloo east
Short walk to the Thames path by Tate Modern ( then across the millenium bridge to St pauls) Can walk to London eye in one direction then to Tower Bridge, Shard, Globe , HMS Belfast to the east
Rooms large and quiet ( courtyard views)
Lounge reopened on 21st July ( open for juices and soft drinks , tea and coffee during the day) after the govt restrictions lifted ( previously it was a bento box in the bar iirc)
Evening snacks -excellent from 6pm -8pm ( best of three hotels) Several hot and cold items including salads hot items included rice, grilled chicken, quiche. Small cube sized cakes for desert. All food self service. Alcohol served by staff but they were great at offering top ops of my prosecco pro actively.
Looked like hotel could get more lively at weekends ( saw lots of people in the lobby area last Friday when checking out). Friday arrivals appeared to be offered prosecco on check in ( I got offered water on a wednesday arrival- no biggie)
Breakfast Buffet in restaurant was excellent .self service with unusual items ie prawn cocktail , coconut milk etc
Swimming pool and Gym ( needed to prebook) in basement. Pool is good. Gym looked like same amount of equipment as the Conrad

Very impressed by Bankside ( esp the lounge offerings compared to the more limited conrad selection) but loved the location of the Conrad so a little torn.

Hope this helps

Regards

TBS

sfgiants13

Thanks for that. Lot of good info.

wizla

To be honest yes the lounge isn’t open at Canary Wharf but they do give 2 drink vouchers ( for any drink including alcohol) and a decent mezzo board from the bar in the evening with no time restrictions, they also let you have free tea and coffee in the bar all day too .
It’s not perfect but it’s not a bad alternative to the lounge, they also have a decent sauna that is nearly always empty…..worth a thought….I’m there again myself Wednesday night.

lcylocal

I live here so no idea about the hotel facilities.

But location wise what do you want to do/see? All four of the hotels are well connected by tube, but say Canary Wharf to Kings Cross is a 30 min journey so it can all add up.

itisme

Do doubletree's in the UK not provide the choco cookies? Staying at the doubletree Kensington and didn't get one or see anyone offered one.

teemuflyer

Supply chain issues ... The last time I stayed at a DT in the UK, I got my cookie, but don't know about the current situation.

sfgiants13

Mostly just a lot of walking seeing the sites. No real plans just out enjoying my first Europe trip since covid. The looming tube strike closing the station next to the conrad kind of has me rethinking the conrad though. It’s not that far of a walk from the other lines but still annoying.

LHR Wannabee

Personally, I like the Doubletree by Hilton West End which is right by Holborn Tube for the central and Piccadilly lines - and major buses - also West End adjacent so great for walking to covent garden area near by - on certain days they have crafts fairs- but don't know if reopened completely. Also depending upon which property you stay at, call to check what services they have. Many have limited food, exercise center, etc. I have an earlier review in this chain. They try to offer Diamonds really nice upgrades when not full and pre-covid had a pretty decent free breakfast buffet for diamonds and you can ask for eggs cooked to order.

skj

Please add your thoughts on this DT either here or in the review thread. We like the location and are considering a stay here the end of September.

xooz

I stayed at Tower Bridge many years ago and found it perfectly fine. After reading, it seems as if Tower Bridge is a poor man's Bankside. In looking at price and point requirements, there is usually a decent separation between the two. Any way to think about how to assess the pricing differences and whether it is "worth it" to go for Bankside? I understand that such price assessments are always subjective, but just curious how others might decide between the two.

lcylocal

The strike is on the whole network unfortunately. St James’s Park and the whole southern section of the District/Circle line is closed anyway due to engineering work: https://tfl.gov.uk/campaign/tube-strike

It is hard to know how the impact of this strike will manifest itself (if it goes ahead - there are lots of 11th hour deals) as there hasn’t been one since Covid and tube numbers are still well down on pre-Covid and it will be easier for some people to switch back to working from home.

But previously the strikes move a lot of people to the roads and the river, making taxis, buses and river boats trickier, so your best bet will be walking. On that basis I would choose the Conrad, there is lots to see around it and there are nice walking routes through the parks too. I would though come up with a plan to get in and out.

It is very pleasant in London though at the moment. Still a fewer people than normal for August. And the weather is fairly warm (with lots of showers, bring a rain coat).

corporate-wage-slave

My view is that Bankside is a bit of an outlier compared to other Hiltons in London, it straddles the line between Hilton and Conrad in a way. Canary Wharf would be in this category too. It's modern, well run, the rooms are a decent size (some Tower Bridge rooms are quite small in comparison), the decor, stafffing, facilities, dining is just more upscale than most Hiltons. In the past it used to price itself accordingly, it was often the most expensive option. The other downside is the location isn't perfect, it's not in the centre of town nor immediately opposite a tube station, the bus links are weaker too. Then it's a subjective opinion as to whether it is worth paying extra for it, many people in this forum do, and I have done that if the extra cost is relatively low, some find other Hiltons to be better value according to their needs. Granola isn't something that blips on my radar for example!

sfgiants13

Thanks. Hopefully no issue for on the Piccadilly line from the airport. I’ll be able to walk most places once I get in. Gonna be a bit of a pain walking with luggage to a further station but oh well.

edit: unless talks end up working out I may have to cancel. It looks like all lines will be cut on the day I’m trying to get in. Sounds like too much of a hassle just to get to the hotel since I don’t really want to add in taxi fare to the cost.

lcylocal

The strike is suspended. Hope you didn’t cancel. Sorry these things have a habit of going to the wire.