WVmike

I love the St. James. Have stayed here 5 or 6 times for business. Last stay was in September soon after the Queen had passed. It was amazing to see the que lines. Anyway, I have always had a great stay at this property. Usually get a nice diamond room upgrade and the club is nice. Property is very well located for many tourist attractions and the staff is great.

jmasgat

May be in London solo late October for 3 nights or so (repeat tourist) and so may try using up the HH points that I have--so 70-80k/nt (with some cash) tops. I have NO status in HH--so lounges, upgrades are meaningless. I value a hotel that has quiet rooms (no loud HVAC systems), is near (within 1/2 mile) tube stop (will be to/from LHR). I like hotels that aren't in prime tourist districts (more neighborhood feel). I'm a big walker--so schlepping around doesn't particularly bother me. Based on this, thinking Islington (DT or HIlton), Bankside (have never stayed south of Thames) or Tower Bridge area (Hilton or DT). I've typically stayed in the Kensington, Hyde Park and Mayfair areas., so the ones I've listed are outside my normal zone.

Any hive mind thoughts? Others I should consider? Thanks.

corporate-wage-slave

Yes I think you're looking at some of the right places there, I would probably want to look at some of the total costs here, so for example the Hilton Islington is a somewhat better hotel than the DT, and certainly has a lively neighbourhood on the doorstep. The DT is only a few minutes further out but if it was a lot cheaper then it becomes tempting. Bankside again is a good hotel and certainly an interesting part of London, particularly if you are happy to walk to the river (etc) - it's usually a lot more expensive that the Islington properties though. Hilton Tower Bridge has Southwark (so south of the river), DT Tower is almost opposite, but north of the river. If that DT is affordable, then that's a good option, it's in a historic corner of the City of London, not that lively at night after the commuters have gone home.

The two I would add to your list are the Canopy, which is just on the edge of the City but facing into the Aldgate area, and people live there. And Hart Shoreditch is a contender. I'd really look into Canopy since that seems to tick a lot of your factors and it's got a lot on the doorstep if you do a bit of research in advance.

For quiet rooms - none of them are terrible, London hotel rooms are small but usually well sound proofed compared to the USA. Hilton Tower Bridge has some noisy rooms on the side nearest Tooley Street but the ones at the back - most of the rooms - are fine. DT Tower Bridge and Bankside are both quiet at night. Air-con - well I very rarely have the a/c on London, some days in high summer do get above 30c but that's the exception. Hilton Islington has many rooms with windows that open - not all rooms - and that helps in my experience. I think all the others have sealed windows but there is a specific thread on that elsewhere in the forum.

canon5dm3

Here's a DP from me. Stayed at the Metropole btw Apr 27-May 2. Only have Hilton Gold. Booked a Queen Guest Room. Got upgraded to King Guest Room in the East Wing, also got Executive Lounge access. It was a nice bonus because I wasn't expecting that at all.

worldiswide

We also really like this hotel..service and location are great. We're just there for coronation weekend. The only negative was there were 3 cruise boat groups after coronation and the lobby gets very crowded and there were some queues for breakfast. General Mgr just retired and a new one and new staff coming in so will have to see what the future holds here.

Freetotravel

Good choice. Glad you found standard availability which isn’t always easy. All the options on your initial list would have been good but I would have picked Bankside if it were affordable. It can often be very expensive.

Red259

Completed my stay at bankside. No upgrade to lounge access as gold. Room was nice and bed was comfortable. Location was crap. Nearly missed my flight out of London because the concierge gave me instructions to the airport via a train station nearby and then I got there and because of strike actions or whatever there were no trains running to the airport from there. This type of disruption for airport trains is really something a hotel should be aware of. Luckily I made my flight (just barely) because the flight had been delayed. If it departed on time I would have been screwed as there were no other flights for my destination out of that airport that day. Metro isn't that close. Area is not very interesting. Had issues with the app checkin as it wouldn't let me open my door and I ended up having to go downstairs with all my stuff to get a workable key. Yea nice room is about all I can say about this property but I wouldn't stay here if you want to be doing stuff in the city and using mass transit. If you are in town on business and just need a place to crash or will be taking a taxi/car service everywhere then it can make sense.

ChurnieEls

Diamond using FNCs for a 2 night stay mid-Sept, the purpose of which is to introduce the OH to London (I've been a ton of times so have a decent handle on what to do). Trying to strike a balance between location & comfort and I keep coming back to the Conrad. These are bookable with an FNC:

• Conrad
• Bankside
• Metropole
• Waldorf

Trafalgar & Biltmore don't have any standard availability.

brp

We've stayed at all but Bankside, although we did walk there. We found the Conrad to be very nice, although not as much over-and-above as I had expected. Metropole is very nice, and the location is great for Paddington (this was an overnight), but not as good for London, in general. Waldorf is well-located being in the West End and near the theatres. It ranks high with us as well. Given your purpose, I'd put it between Conrad and Waldorf.

Cheers.

pauleeepaul

Plus 10 on the location.

corporate-wage-slave

Yes, so 2 nights you would need centrality, I think that reduces Bankside's chances. Conrad and Waldorf are central, Metropole not central but well placed for tube, bus, Elizabeth Line and HEX. I think if you were wanting a fairly mellow wandering around Parliament, Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly area, Conrad still scores. Just being able to nip into St James' Park on a warm evening is great. On the other hand if you're doing some shows and want to be more Covent Gardens / Carnaby Street, perhaps a more active time with shops and restaurants, then Waldorf. I think you'd have to explain that this not the most luxurious property but it does have character and location right in front of the BBC World Service and my alma mater, the LSE. Waterloo Bridge for sightseeing and singing. Metropole has had a big make over and is well connected. I find it quiet and comfortable if you can get the West Wing. If you are bothered by small European bedrooms then that's an alternative.

Park Lane isn't my favourite - it wasn't on your list but the location, view and park in nice weather gives it some position in the list. Lost Property is also a good option.

brp

We stayed last year at Park Lane for proximity to Royal Albert Hall. While the location is good, as you suggest, we were not impressed with the hotel as a whole. Staff were lackadaisical and amenities were lacking compared to others.

Your analysis agrees with, and nicely expands upon, my thoughts for location choices.

Cheers. .

worldiswide

My vote for Conrad if this is first time for the OH. You are minutes away from Buckingham Palace Westminster Big Ben and Trafalgar square and can easily get anywhere with tube and bus access. Besides the hotel, what do you want the OH to see while in London?

CWX2

My daughter and I are taking a cruise in January that lands us at Southampton Port. We are planning on adding 2 nights in London and I don't yet know if we're flying home from Heathrow or Gatwick. There's just so much to see. For such a short time, a day excursion to Stonehenge and Windsor Castle seems silly. We're not sure if we want to see any museums because we LOVE museums and would spend all day in just one. If we did that, what would you recommend? I can't walk a whole bunch so I was hoping to use a wheelchair at the museum but I would hate it if there was a lot I couldn't see that way. Do they do those Hop On, Hop Off buses, as we could cover some ground that way and we've done that in a few other cities and found it a great way to see a lot in a short amount of time. I'd really like to go on the London Eye as well. I know that the weather here in the States has been unpredictable at best all year-round now, but what should we expect mid-to-late January there? It seems to say mid-30s to mid-40s, and it could be rainy. Does that sound right?

I'm a Diamond and have a reward night certificate I'm going to use for one night and then charge the other to my HH Amex for those points. I was really thinking about staying at the Waldorf. From what I've seen here, the EL is decent and it has a spa. Is the pool, sauna and steam room all part of the room price? I've been planning a cruise for so long that I've forgotten how hotels work, ha ha! Does anyone know what the breakfast situation is for Diamonds?I've checked the thread on breakfast and upgrades but does anyone have an update on those that's more recent? Are the restaurants decent? Pricey? Are there other eating options nearby that might be more affordable or have more variety?

Also, I've got to sort out getting us from Southampton to the hotel because the cruise won't provide a transfer as we're not flying out right away. Makes no sense to me, but whatever. I know I can pay for a car to deliver us but they're all wanting almost $300 and that seems ridiculous. If anyone could point me in a different direction there, I'd be grateful as well. And speaking of transfers, what's the best way to get from the Waldorf to the airports? Thanks so much for any help.

The _Banking_Scot

Hi,


Welcome to flyertalk and the hilton forum.

Weather in january can be iffy ( potentially with some snow- not too much in central london) and tempreatures can get below freezing ( add wind chill factors also) .London will tend to be warmer than outside london

Diamonds will get the full breakfast buffet free of charge ( some hotels may have additional items for a small up charge)

regards

TBS