Land-of-Miles

I havent stayed at the Trafalgar only at the Waldorf and I was not impressed. The initial room offered was not large (I paid over $450 a night and am a diamond) it did not have a bath (and this was not preadvised) although the shower room was ok, unfortunately that evening my partner had just had her hair set for a later function so really needed a bath. The room we were moved to was tiny and internally facing with a view of construction (as was the previous room). The bathroom seemed practically unrenovated and the bed area (calling a few square feet of space around a bed a bedroom would be an overstatement IMHO) was tiny. The room was also unbearably hot and the AC seemed not to operate, yet if the window was opened it was too noisy to sleep.

As you might guess I was distinctly unimpressed with this property (as I had been previously with the Park Lane Hilton, which to be fair was better). I would avoid the Waldorf at all costs. Since there is no lounge there I do not see any great loss in choosing the Trafalgar and I would at least expect the bathrooms to be modern and the bedrooms to be of an acceptable size YMMV.

UAVirgin

The room we had at the Trafalgar was large by London standards and the bathroom had both a shower and tub. I believe we had a queen bed and were upgraded (as a Gold) with a view of the square on the 4th floor. It did not have the raised platform at the window which I believe made the room 'feel' bigger.

ges123

I am truly fortunate. This is the email response I received from the Hilton on Park Lane:

Dear Mrs. Sampson

I am pleased to confirm that we do indeed have your reservation and that we can confirm a non-smoking room for you. This has been highlighted with our reservations and guest relations managers.

I have also taken the liberty of copying your email to our Concierge team and should you require any further assistance with booking a show or advice on any other aspect of your sightseeing or commuting to the hotel they would be delighted to assist you.

Please do not hesitate to contact us should you require any further assistance and I wish you and your husband a memorable trip to England and The London Hilton on Park Lane.

Kind regards


Angela Rossodivita
P.A. to General Manager
London Hilton on Park Lane
22 Park Lane
London W1K 1BE
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7493 8000 (extension 4551)
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7208 4139
email: [email protected]
web site: www.hilton.co.uk

Thunderroad

Thanks to everyone for the feedback and specifically to Land-of-Miles for the frank report. Land-of-Miles, when were you at the Waldorf? If before the renovations, could the improvements have made it better than what you experienced?

I'd appreciate any further thoughts from folks whose experience with the Waldorf was similar to or different from that of Land-of-Miles. I'm just a Hilton Silver, so I don't expect we'd get any upgrades, particularly on a stay for which we're paying with points. Thanks again.

luxury

I have received upgrades when I was HH Silver -- it is on request basis only and at the discretion of the hotel at check-in. I have asked HHonors/Hilton Reservations to add the request to my reward/paid reservation and have even asked a check-in. At the Hilton Lyon and Green Park I was upgraded, as a Silver, upon check-in without asking. The UG was pre-allocated. At the Strasbourg Hilton, Paris Hilton, NY Hilton, Millenium Hilton they gave me a UG when I asked at check-in. YMMV.

I have stayed at both Trafalgar and Waldorf Hiltons.

I believe Land-O-Miles was not upgraded. At the Waldorf as a Gold I was upgraded from the Hilton room to a Hilton Deluxe on the 6th floor facing the Aldwych. It was a large room with a good sized bathroom with separate shower and bath. Toiletries were Molton Brown. Some noise seeped in from the Aldwych but on the whole the double or so glazing worked fairly well. I also received full English breakfast in the hotel restaurant the following morning as part of my status benefits.

At the Trafalgar, Hilton intended for this to be a the first of many lifestyle hotels where it would be so hip it would hurt. They got it 50% right; it did hurt!! Service is non-existent, on lower floors there noise from the bar seeps through and there are usually drunk bar patrons wandering the halls. The bar does have an excellent bourbon selection if anyone is into bourbon and the Trafalgar Square location is convenient. As a Gold I have been upgraded to a room overlooking Traf square; too bad I arrived late and left early!! The other time I was told I was upgraded -- the room only had a shower and the small sitting area was raised off the main level of the room by two steps and featured an easy chair with Ottoman, DVD player and large swivel TV set.

For me, I think a Traf Hilton stay is bearable for 1-2 nights. At the Waldorf Hilton I can stay there much longer. The Waldorf Hilton is not bad but IMHO amongst the better Hilton's in London.

HAMSpotter

Hi,

I'm looking for a "cheap" Hilton in London City.
My favourites (from the pricely side) are the Kensington Hilton and the Hyde Park Hitlon. Kensington is about 15 € per night cheaper, but Hyde Park is nearer to the City.

Now, please could anybody tell me, which one is better and why? Which has the better treament as HHonors Gold?!

Best Regards,

Christian.

LH738

The Kensington has a lounge, the Hyde Park Hilton hasn't.

Arrival gift at Kensington: none. Arrival gift Hyde Park Hilton: water + chocolates.

Rooms in the Hyde Park Hilton are newer (but some rooms are very small). Rooms at Kensington are older but still ok.

Hyde Park Hilton is in an excellent location with many restaurants around and the Hyde Park just across the street.

Alinlondon

Hilton Olympia - kensington High Street - always seems to be popular with fellow FT's looking for resonable priced accomadation in London.

Houston Cowboy

Firstly there really are no cheap Hiltons in London. My favourite used to be the Langham but this is no longer a Hilton Hotel.

Go for location rather than a welcome gift.

The Kensington Hilton is miles out in Shepherds Bush near a busy traffic roundabout.

I would go for The Park Lane any day it has a fantastic location opposite Hyde Park and you can walk to Piccadily, Buckingham Palace and Knightsbridge (all the best areas).

The UK website has more rates and booking options (www.hilton.co.uk) and you can request a high floor for the Hilton on Park Lane. Be warned that the Hilton Mews (a smaller hotel just behind the Park Lane has very small rooms but you can use the gym facilties of the larger hotel). I would pay the extra and go for The Park Lane.

If you like really hip moden hotels try The Trafalga. It has a great bar and golds get upgraded to rooms with views of Trafalga Square. It has a modern feel as you will see form the website.

The top floor of The Hilton on Park Lane has a piano bar with fantastic views of the city.

Avoid the Kengsington one unless you need to be in that location - its too far out.

Cowboy

SeattleD

I think the hotels you mention are nowhere near in the price range the OP is looking for. Park Lane's rates are outrageous if he/she is concerned about 15 euro difference between 2 hotels.

If you are really on a budget, many Hilton hotels participate in Priceline. I got the Waldorf Hilton for $125 a night inclusive of all taxes on a weekend, and the cheapest prices on Hilton.com were $300+. You don't earn points or get upgrades/breakfast, but $175+ a night is a big deal to me, as it probably is to the original poster. The Euston, Metropole, Olympia, Trafalgar, Waldorf, Paddington, and Kensington all participate in Priceline as 4*, and while you are not guaranteed any of these hotels, there is a good chance you will end up at a Hilton depending on which areas you select, or an equivalent large chain hotel with quality rooms. If the original poster needs any more info on this, I would be glad to help them out. I am forced to travel on a budget, as I am young, so I try to maximize the hotel quality for the price as much as I am able to.

LH738

Hilton Kensington is located near Shepard Bush station (5min walk). Shepard Bush station is on Central line with a few stops to Notting Hill or Bond Street. The hotel is not convenient compared to the other hotels listed, but the location is not that bad either - all depending how often you come back to the hotel during the day and from where. If you are interested in nightlife, a better location is a plus. Though nightbuses are also running to Shepards Bush.

HAMSpotter

It is not me, who is so concerned about the money, but my girlfriend is...

The cause, why we are looking for the cheapest hotel in London is because we want to fly to Hawaii for our Summerholidays! So we got to save a bit of money...

The locationn is not such a big thing since both hotels are on the central line and are only 3 Stations away from eachother... Don't think these 5 min will make it...

The Hilton on Park Lane, which also was my favourite, is booked out for the day I need it...

I think I will book the Kensington, as it doesn't seem to be that bad! And 15 ,- € are nearly 4 Frappucinos at Starbucks!

Thank you all very much for your help!

Flyertalk and all the guys here are great!

Best Regards,

Christian
(By the way: Christian is a man's name here in Gemany)

JDiver

Use the Hilton UK booking engine and get some more miles after you register for the current bonus.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=421393 tells you how to earn up to 25,000 bonus points if you book and make four stays on the Hilton UK website between 1 April - 30 June, 2005.

SEA_Tigger

I stayed at the Hilton Kensington for the weekend in November 2004.

The room is very small (think of the smallest Hampton Inn you have been in, then cut it in half) and when you factor your paying close to $200 US with VAT a night, it's depressing. Closet is wide but not deep and there are three very narrow (but deep) drawers. Side tables are on the wall to either side of the bed and will hold a little bit. Circular glass table before the window with a chair, and a desk with another chair.

The hotel has high-speed internet, but at £15 a day, I didn't bother trying it.

The TV channels are BBC 1-4 (BBC 3-4 start broadcasting after 7pm), BBC News, RTL (German - watch "Domino Day", it's amazing), NHK (Japanese), two Arabic stations, one Greek, one Russian (amusing to watch Harry Potter in Russian), and one French. Three channels broadcast local radio, and there is a clock radio in the room.

The bathroom truly is the size of a closet. I thought the Chicago Hilton was small... This is at least a third less space. Walk-in shower, but the showerhead is on a cable so you can get 100% coverage.

Never visited the Executive Lounge. If a Diamond or Gold, you get the full buffet breakfast in the restaurant and it's quite good. A whole slew of restaurants all along the street.

The English Breakfast buffet every morning is actually a decent spread, and as my £93 rate included it, I made a point of stuffing myself until I could not eat any more to maximize my value. Sausage and bacon (which is more Canadian-style then American), potato cakes and Haddock cakes, fried eggs or waffles (never saw both at the same time), porridge, baked beans, haggis, fruit and yogurt, really yummy potato scones (ate way too many of them), sandwich makings (meats and cheeses), breads and danishes, juices, milk, water, coffee and tea.

I did see the Oriental place (ZEN Kensington), but decided to grab dinner on the way back from the Holland Park tube station (a slice of pizza from a pizzaria and some coke and water from a Tesco Express store).

Room service menu is expansive, but remember London prices things as if the £ and the $ were 1:1, and not the real 1:2 ratio. Of course, this is citywide, so really you'll pay as much at any of the restaurants along the way to the tube stops. London is not for the not-so-well-heeled.

Unfortunately it looks like the Heathrow Airbus does not run any more, as it was really nice - first stop from LHR and last stop to LHR for only £8. For the Tube, you're on the Central Line, and are about five stops from all the other lines, so travel to central London touristy spots is quite convenient. (http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/images/zone_big.jpg)

I never used Shepherd's Bush tube stop, but Holland Park is about five minutes walk. Hang a right from the hotel and it is a straight shot. All residential on the hotel side, and all commercial across the street, with large array of restaurants and pubs to cater to about all culinary desires. The Tesco Express is a great place to stock up on drinks (75p vs £2.50) and snacks, but darned if I could find the ice machine on the sixth floor of the hotel. Minibar is pay-type and does have a small unrefrigerated top shelf for personal storage.

Markie

£108.00 London, United Kingdom Hilton London Olympia
£109.00 London, United Kingdom Hilton London Islington
£110.00 London, United Kingdom Hilton London Docklands Riverside
£118.00 London, United Kingdom Hilton London Metropole
£124.00 London, United Kingdom Hilton London Euston
£128.00 London, United Kingdom Hilton London Kensington
£138.00 London, United Kingdom Hilton London Green Park
£160.00 Croydon, United Kingdom Hilton London Gatwick Airport
£164.00 London, United Kingdom Hilton London Hyde Park

What's included
Earn double Hilton HHonors Base points

Hilton Breakfast included

Accommodation based on 2 people sharing a room


Validity:

01 May 2005 - 31 August 2005

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