jamesteroh

Stoli's isn't Russian. I thought it was until a couple weeks ago where a bar by my house has it for their house vodka (it is decent for being as a well vodka). My state has banned Russian vodka and I mentioned it to the bartender and he said when the company was founded years ago it was based out of Moscow but for years it's been a Latvia based company and the Vodka they serve is made in the US.

Still a little bit of a disappointment over Absolut, I like abolut better but always mix it with OJ so Stoli's is still drinkable.

I never remembered the Fruitcakes at tea. I remember they had amazing scones and clotted cream and finger sandwiches.

Hopefully they still allow diamonds to take breakfast in the restaurant. Even though they scaled back the offerings big time, still better than what US Hiltons have (even precovid).

wizla

I can confirm that diamonds still take breakfast in the restaurant ( they told me at check In ).

We left the lounge and went for a walk Up to Leicester Square for a kebab at cafe remini ........ now back and about to retire.
Did have a night cap in the bar which was pleasant and great service, in the morning I’m hoping for a quick sauna before breakfast.....will report back!

setho212

What sort of breakfast do golds get at this hotel? Unfortunately my wife is the diamond in the family and I am a lowly gold. I will not be traveling with her during this trip.

wizla

I would guess golds get breakfast in the restaurant too as the executive lounge doesn’t open until 9am , that would be to late for some people...... I will ask when I go down later for you.

Slept well, bed very comfortable and air conditioning very effective.....lounge doesn’t open until 9 am so went to restaurant to grab a cappuccino, it wasn’t actually open as it opens at 7-30 but one of the staff setting up went and got me one ( it’s not self serve tea/coffee here ).
The gym opens at 8am but the spa doesn’t open until 8-30 so I probably won’t bother this morning.
Will report back on the breakfast later!

wizla

BATH - it’s big but fairly narrow.

SHOWER - my friend says that it’s decent and the monsoon type.

BREAKFAST - we went to breakfast at 9am, it was reasonably busy but no queues to get in, there is the usual buffet available and diamonds can order off the menu which had an impressive selection, I just had some scrambled eggs and tomato’s with a danish to finish, hot drinks served to the table and service was very good ( my cappuccino was great) .
The only slight issue was the eggs were not particularly hot.
Great selection of fruits and smoothies, breads and pastries
Very happy with the whole arrangement and yes it’s available for golds too ( I checked) .

Checked out @ 10-15am and the friendly concierge hailed us a cab.

CONCLUSION - great stay!..... it’s a shame the spa doesn’t open until 8-30am as a sauna and swim before breakfast is nice, I’m also not sure about the happy hour times and the arrangement with the canapés, to be honest it did feel somewhat exclusive but I prefer the self serve type of lounge however the atmosphere was pleasant and relaxing and the wine very good.
I would stay again but I’m not sure it’s still my overall favourite Hilton anymore but the spa is a big pull for me and I also like the bar area, it was very jolly in there last night but not rowdy.

ROOM NO - 638

NEXT PLANNED STAY - Doubletree Milton Keynes ( 15/4/22 )

wizla

Twin deluxe room -

wizla

EXECUTIVE LOUNGE OFFERINGS- happy hour..

wizla

EXECUTIVE LOUNGE OFFERINGS - during the day ..

pauleeepaul

Nice report as always. The Joe and Seph's popcorn is a pretty high end snack for a lounge.

wizla

Thanks…… I thought the same, the popcorn was out all day along with burts crisps ( chips if you in the USA) and some olives .
That said it’s a poor substitute for what used to be a great afternoon tea here that they no longer do, there’s definitely cost cutting measures in place, happy hour is now 5-7pm not 6-8:30pm anymore, also the canapés are brought around sporadically by a waiter, I get this and it’s fine, it stops folk freeloading and probably more hygienic too ,it’s a shame they wasn’t particularly inspiring ( curried cauliflower, mango/Parma ham sticks, duck / apricot bruschetta and feta/pepper sticks ).
I miss the steak kebabs and spicy chicken wings and the great cheeseboard that has now gone…..shame.
Is the Waldorf still my favourite?……. I think so but I can’t be sure, I’m thinking park lane next trip.

jamesteroh

Disappointed to hear the cheeseboard are gone now also. The new happy hours ties aren't a big deal for me since I always have theater tickets every night when I'm in London and actually will probably work out better since it is starting earlier. I always liked going there for a drink and light bite to eat before a show.

Right now the Waldorf prices are similar to the DT west end but I am going to watch rates and if the DT rates drop below Waldorfs I'll probably switch my stay over to the DT.

wizla

To be honest unless it’s substantially cheaper I’d stick with the Waldorf, yes it’s not as good as pre covid it’s still handy to have a lounge to grab a coffee and a few free drinks and snacks before the show….. I guess if you are in London on business and out all day it becomes irrelevant but the breakfast is pretty decent.

jamesteroh

I have stayed at the DT my last two stays (because I could use free nights and a lot fewer points) the first stay and location wise to the theaters they are about the same but the Waldorf is a little more convenient to a couple more of the underground lines (the Picadelly line is about the same from both hotels).

AWFUL experience my first stay at the DT but fortunately they moved rooms my final night (could barely get the water above tepid in the room the first nights and they were sold out until the last night and couldn't move me) and only one elevator. I was coming back in a few months and the GM agreed to comp the first night of the four night stay and gave my a substantial discount on the other three nights if I would give them another shot and that stay was fine. Rooms are a lot nicer at the DT and it is nice having the lounge but the breakfast buffet at the DT wasn't bad and was across the street from a grocery store.

I liked having the shelf in the fridge in the Waldorf though for storing personal items (there's this cheese that Neal's makes that I love that is triple the price in the US and the fridge is nice for storing that).

wizla

Yes I’ve not actually stayed at the DT but I’ve heard some negative comments from other forums and a couple of colleagues who stayed last year wasn’t exactly complimentary about it too so I’ve always never considered it.
I guess it’s in a convenient location as you say just dunno if I’d risk it.

James Luckard

As I understand it, It's a bit more confusing than that, unfortunately.

There are two competing Stolichnaya brands, with virtually identical packaging.

There's the original Soviet-founded brand, which is still made in Russia, and still sold outside Russia.

There's also a competing Stolichnaya brand that was founded after the fall of the Soviet Union, which is the one more commonly consumed in the West. It's bottled in Latvia and owned by a Russian exile based in Luxembourg, but until recently, it still sourced its alcohol from Russia. They recently announced they would stop that, and they also officially rebranded the company to Stoli, to differentiate themselves from the Russian-made Stolichnaya.

They both had virtually identical packaging until this month, showing the Hotel Moskva (now the Four Seasons) structure in Moscow, and some gold medals:

Russian Stolichnaya:



Latvian/Luxembourgish Stoli:


It's somewhat similar to Havana Club, where there's a version made in Cuba that's sold in most of the world, and then a competing version made by Bacardi, under the same name, sold in the US. At least there, the label is totally different: