wizla

Yes I agree, they are both good choices........ I think Bankside swings it for me personally as it has a good gym and pool but Conrad does seem more posh.......like you said, both good choices.

jzafar

I booked this hotel for 2019 Spring Break for 7 nights on points - Standard room. I emailed hotel reservations and asked what the complimentary Diamond upgrade would be and was told Deluxe room. They offered a pre-arranged upgrade to One Bedroom Duplex Suite as a Diamond member for 160 GBP/night. I went ahead and booked it. It shows up in my reservation on the Hilton website with that upgraded room. I stayed at Waldorf Astoria Rome Cavalieri on a previous Spring Break trip on points and had a standard room which was upgraded to the Vista Suite upon arrival at NO CHARGE. I was pleasantly surprise. I believe this was a triple level upgrade! Does this Conrad London St. James ever upgrade like that? Should I wait to not commit paying for that suite upgrade? It's a savings of over $1,400!

whimsey21

I've only stayed twice, but each time I received a one category upgrade -- I believe that this is their standard practice, and they don't generally upgrade further. I'd suggest that if you really want the suite, you should go ahead and pay for it-- the hotel can get reasonably full during tourist season, and so you'd be gambling both that they'd give you a multiple-level upgrade and also that a suite would be available on the dates of your stay. Seems very unlikely to me that both of those would occur.

jzafar

They responded to my email that they cannot guarantee any upgrade until arrival so reserving with commitment to pay is the only way to confirm. I am still getting an incredible deal, IMO.

ne0ven0m

Have upcoming London trip in June 2019. Trying to decide between this and Bankside (as it seems to be heavily favored on here). I like Conrad because the location would be "new" to me, as I stayed at Hampton Inn Waterloo last year. A lot of my plans are above the river. But I do recall transportation around the city is excellent, and it wouldn't be a deal breaker to commute from Bankside. The only other reason I would prefer Conrad is just to say I've stayed at this particular brand. Been at several Hiltons, but if the quality isn't that different in terms of service/concierge/lounge/breakfast, I wouldn't mind saving 10k points. The rest of my stay will be using weekend certificates.

Any recent input as to which one I should lean towards?

(Waldorf is an option too, but they don't have availability currently for standard reward rooms).

residentx

Conrad if you prefer the more traditional style hotel, with a little bit more class and service. The bankside if you want edgy design in a cool part of town. Both have good lounges.

Grapenut

No experience with Bankside, but definitely Conrad over Waldorf. Conrad is in better shape with larger rooms and closer access to tube station. Waldorf rooms cramped and dated.

wizla

They are both very good Hilton’s, probably the best in London......myself I prefer Bankside as it has a great gym and pool/jacuzzi...... however I think the lounge at the Conrad probably has the edge, it’s certainly more Executive than Bankside but Bankside is stil very good.
Bankside is usually a little cheaper too.

shmom

Have you stayed at the St. James Trafalgar? That is where we have spring break reservations using points. I nabbed two standard rooms at 70K per room (and got the 5th night free) but I am still wondering if there is a better hotel for the family.

777 global mile hound

Hilton Bankside hands down for this Diamond since 1995
Caring team for the most part including all front of house team members
No putrid smell in lobby from overuse of scent
Excellent lounge superior offerings to Conrad better pastry chef
Superior restaurant
Above average Diamond recognition when upgrades are available
Excellent approachable GM
I'm there for a week in April
If Bankside were more I would pay more for it than the Conrad

I found the Conrad to be greedy except for the Diamond breakfast benefit
Conrad London started as a InterContinental and the culture was extremely hard for them to change to a Hilton brand where there is a higher expectation for lounge access upgrades breakfast etc
IHG gave the hotel more outs to not be generous.
Though I have had decent stays at the Conrad there has almost always been a problem as a fair amount of their rooms and suites have noise problems from the street
While the Conrad is still a reasonably good choice its just not a great one.Ive saved a lot avoiding the property and haven't been back now in a few years after discovering Bankside
I like the rooms better too @ Bankside

wizla

No I have not stayed there, I’ve popped in for a coffee and it certainly looks nice!

MoodyB

I had a stay a couple months ago...The hard product is very nice and the location speaks for itself.

Very poor for HH benefits though. They seem to follow the rules to the T.
The check-in area is a little odd and the process was laborious...Despite not being anywhere near full, I had to wait for a good 45 minutes in the bar. They did issue some drink coupons, but still.
Also the breakfast experience was not impressive. Firstly as a Diamond it's strictly continental (of which there was little to choose from) with an up-charge if you want a hot breakfast.
I opted for the hot, which took 25 minutes to arrive and when it did, it was cold... :-/
They were good enough to not charge me, but I'd rather have my food hot! I'd be more understanding if they were swamped, but there were maybe half a dozen tables occupied.

MoodyB

Both are solid choices IMHO...A lot of us here do like Bankside though, it's a great hotel and the rates usually favour it over the Conrad.
Having said that, I do like the Conrad's location and it's proximity to the Tube station, but again Bankside is not a long walk from the underground either.
I do think they are nicer than the Walrdorf, but I do have a rather sentimental soft spot for it, which is why I'll be back there in a couple of weeks! ;-)

residentx

This and no lounge = no from me. Good location though.

Adam1222

To clarify, there is indeed a lounge at the Conrad St. James. If we are now talking about other properties, I suggest moving to that thread or being clearer in your post.