Sweet Willie

Agreed ! we also loved the fact that there were nearly always taxis out front of the hotel as well.
I just wrote up a brief trip report in the Paddington thread

frmnj

Taking a family (P1, P2 + 2 tweens) trip and have a 60 hour stopover (Saturday morning to Monday evening) in London. Trying to burn 4 Hilton certificates - 2 rooms, 2 nights. I go to London frequently (usually at Park Lane Sheraton, never at a Hilton property), and P2 has been there a few times as well, but this is the first time for the kids. I've tried to narrow down properties to below based on reviews and location. Which ones offer the best Diamond treatment? Food is important (kids are always hungry!) as well as Noon check in and 4 pm checkout (flight times). Not expecting an upgrade but happy to be pleasantly surprised. 2 certs are in my name (Diamond) and 2 in P2's name (Gold) but I will add my name to all 4 bookings so that all of us get lounge access.

- Conrad St. James
- Trafalgar St. James Curio
- Hilton Bankside
- Hilton on Park Lane
- Waldorf Hilton

corporate-wage-slave

I'm thinking kids and food here. I think there is a case for the Waldorf here, the kids will probably appreciate the locality more than the others and there a lots of options, places to go and what-not around there. The hotel has good leisure facilities. Bankside is very adult oriented, including the neighbourhood, ditto Park Lane. There again for PL the view and the park would be good. Conrad - well maybe, St James near by and Buckingham Palace on the doorstep. Good lounge options. There is no lounge at Trafalgar but the location is tremendous and many things to do and visit within minutes. So in essence all those options have merit, I'd probably rule out Bankside and perhaps Park Lane. The Waldorf is not an Astoria, there is a complex history there going back 100 years, but it's not a deluxe property. But it has character and poise.

frmnj

Yeah, the kids are at that age where they are always hungry so having a lounge with something to grab in the afternoon or evening helps. So that limits the choice to Waldorf and Conrad. Which one treats Diamonds better and has a better lounge? I’ll need early check in around Noon and late checkout around 4 pm. Upgrade would be nice but not as essential as lounge with some food😀

corporate-wage-slave

The Conrad has the better lounge and is higher spec, but depending on the time all the lounges here (except the lounge-less Trafalgar) may only have cookies or fruit at a given point, so I'm not convinced that making a hotel choice on this basis is sensible - access to a nearby supermarket may be more useful. I would expect all of the hotels to be able to handle an early check-in, at noon or soon thereafter, but all of them may struggle with a 4pm check out. 2pm may be more realistic. The upgrade issue is unknowable until close to arrival - if a hotel is 100% full (or more!) then upgrades may not be possible. If the cash rate is relatively low about a week before arrival then you may have better luck.

salty749

Hi all -

I have a quick stay (just 2 nights) coming up 2nd week of April, midweek, solo, flying in and out of LCY. I've stayed at a number of Hilton family properties in town (Bankside,Tower,Trafalgar,etc.) so thinking I'd like to try something new. I'm currently booked at the Canopy Hilton but still looking around - any thoughts on maybe Lost Property, Westminster, Hart Shoreditch, or anything else I'm not thinking of? I've done most of the touristy things on previous trips, so more focused on transportation, location, food, pubs/wine bars, local culture, etc.

Any thoughts/recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

jzafar

I stayed at the Conrad and really enjoyed it. Central location at St. James’s station is across the street.

Kettering Northants QC

Westminster is good but it’s location is perhaps best if you’re working in the area or want to be close to the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. it’s also about 10 min walk to the nearest tube (Westminster or Pimlico)

corporate-wage-slave

In which case Canopy isn't a bad option here. Lost Property is as central as they get but it's next to one of Europe's biggest tourist sites, and you are done with those it appears. I think the other alternative here is Hart, which scores on the dining, location and culture side, but is on a bit of a limb in terms of transportation - less so if you're ok to hop on buses. Westminster - doesn't score particularly well on any of your metrics, there are some political pubs in the area such as the Red Lion, which may be of interest. The one name missing so far is Canary Wharf, a very different part of London, and a reasonably well run Hilton, and it ticks the boxes you mentioned. But if you got a good rate at the Canopy and are perhaps heading towards Brick Lane for eating then I would stick with that.

cayenne

Wife and I are making a quick stop in London to meet up with some friends in May before we hop over to Italy. We'll be in town for 3 days and I'm planning on using points for the weekend. I know London well, but don't know any of these properties... I'm considering them because they are 100K points or less per night where some of my regular go to spots in London are 200-300K points per night. Any input on which of these are a better pick? Geographically we'll be hopping cabs to where ever so one location or another our friends are staying near the Eye at County Hall. Do want it to be in a decent and safe neighborhood though.

• Hilton Tower Bridge
• Hilton Lost Property St Paul's
• Hilton Bankside
• Hilton Park Lane is also an option but much harder to walk anywhere due to the distance

The _Banking_Scot

Hi,

There may be some details here

DISCUSSION for Hilton Honors Hotels in or near London, United Kingdom {GBR} - FlyerTalk Forums

but I liked the Bankside Hilton, good rooms, very good breakfast, good lounge and nice swimming pool in a good location

An excellent review of the lost property st paul's is here

Lost Property St Paul's London - Curio Collection by Hilton {GBR} - FlyerTalk Forums

Regards

TBS

cayenne

Wife and I are making a quick stop in London to meet up with some friends in May before we hop over to Italy. We'll be in town for 3 days and I'm planning on using points for the weekend. I know London well, but don't know any of these properties... I'm considering them because they are 100K points or less per night where some of my regular go to spots in London are 200-300K points per night. Any input on which of these are a better pick? Geographically we'll be hopping cabs to where ever so one location or another our friends are staying near the Eye at County Hall. Do want it to be in a decent and safe neighborhood though.


Hilton Tower Bridge

Hilton Lost Property St Paul's

Hilton Bankside

Hilton Park Lane is also an option but much harder to walk anywhere due to the distance
Reply

corporate-wage-slave

All the above are in safe neighbourhoods, not that many people actually live near any of these locations apart from Bankside. I would say Park Lane is pretty central - Oxford Street, Mayfair and a whole host of tourist sites are within easy walking distance. Have you got the right location on the map? Bankside is a pleasant walk along the river to London Eye, 15 minutes or so. If they are about the same rate then I would go for Bankside based on the limited requirements you have mentioned, but if there are other factors important to the choice then by all means clarify since all of these properties have plus points.

cayenne

Appreciate the input. I was thinking Bankside, but just wasn't familiar with the property. Since our friends are staying at Marriot County Hall it's a good proximity to them as well.

Blueapple

I need help deciding on a hotel for 5 nights as part of our Europe family vacation coming up in late April. We're a multi-generation family of 6--grandparents, me and my partner, and our 3 year old.

Given the age differences and physical difficulties walking too much, we'll probably use taxis/rideshare rather than public transit. However having a walkable neighborhood with quick restaurants and shops would be nice. We'll be seeing all the standard tourist attractions across City of London to Westminster. Given the ages we'll probably take some late-afternoon trips back to the hotel to rest before going back out for dinner. No need for anything too extravagant from the property, however good service, well-maintained rooms, and a decent bed are expected.

Since we're paying for all 3 rooms, the higher budget properties are off the table. Balancing reviews and location, we think it's between Canopy London City, Lost Property St Paul's and Hilton Bankside.

Any thoughts or collective wisdom from the group here on the 3 hotels above? or if we should consider a different property?