Hilton London Tower Bridge {GBR}

Old Sep 7, 2019, 9:09 pm
  #511  
 
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While I have really enjoyed my stays here, I think the moral of the story is to take care in planning late Sunday night meals!
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Old Jan 9, 2020, 11:02 am
  #512  
 
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Any recent updates on The Kitchen? How are things in the lounge?
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Old Jan 20, 2020, 6:25 am
  #513  
 
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Diamond One Night stay

This used to be my go to London property but I've not stayed here for a little while, in fact based on the fact the Rill (the water channel which used to run outside the hotel leading to Tower Bridge) has since been bricked up because people can't be trusted to walk around it and use their mobile phones at the same time I would guess it's been the best part of 2 years. In that time my handful of London stays have been at the Park Lane and Bankside properties.

We stayed here for one night over the weekend and I have to say it may be winning me back.

A warm welcome and the usual upgrade to an executive room made a good start to the stay. The restaurant is coming along nicely and due to be open at the start of February, breakfast in the mean time was located in a function room on the first floor. It wasn't ideal but seemed to be fairly organised and the selection didn't seem to suffer much (if at all).

We were very happy with the exec lounge but we only used it during the day, it was very busy on the Saturday evening when we popped in for a take away coffee but appeared to have a decent enough spread. ke Regarding afternoon tea I know there were a period of reports on here that it had been removed in the exec lounge (one of the things that pushed me away), but I have to say we used the lounge both afternoons and found it to be pretty good. There were no sandwiches but an excellent spread of scones, cup cakes, macaroons and a very nice (and generously pre sliced) chocolate cake which eclipsed a lot of lounge experiences I've had. I'm not sure therefore if this is a new thing...?
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Old Jan 20, 2020, 2:15 pm
  #514  
 
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Originally Posted by ab007
This used to be my go to London property but I've not stayed here for a little while, in fact based on the fact the Rill (the water channel which used to run outside the hotel leading to Tower Bridge) has since been bricked up because people can't be trusted to walk around it and use their mobile phones at the same time I would guess it's been the best part of 2 years. In that time my handful of London stays have been at the Park Lane and Bankside properties.

We stayed here for one night over the weekend and I have to say it may be winning me back.

A warm welcome and the usual upgrade to an executive room made a good start to the stay. The restaurant is coming along nicely and due to be open at the start of February, breakfast in the mean time was located in a function room on the first floor. It wasn't ideal but seemed to be fairly organised and the selection didn't seem to suffer much (if at all).

We were very happy with the exec lounge but we only used it during the day, it was very busy on the Saturday evening when we popped in for a take away coffee but appeared to have a decent enough spread. ke Regarding afternoon tea I know there were a period of reports on here that it had been removed in the exec lounge (one of the things that pushed me away), but I have to say we used the lounge both afternoons and found it to be pretty good. There were no sandwiches but an excellent spread of scones, cup cakes, macaroons and a very nice (and generously pre sliced) chocolate cake which eclipsed a lot of lounge experiences I've had. I'm not sure therefore if this is a new thing...?
I’m glad you enjoyed your stay , thanks for reporting ( and the Croydon report ) .....yes I like it here too, it works doesn’t it, I’ve never not been upgraded to Executive on every stay here.
I think when Bankside was new it was awesome so this took some of the shine off TB but now Bankside is making a few cutbacks and very high rates this makes TB become appealing again, not that it was ever mediocre.
I think personally if the prices was the same I Would probably choose TB over Bankside these days.
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Old Jan 26, 2020, 4:46 am
  #515  
 
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Stayed here recently and mostly enjoyed my stay.
A few bullet points:

-Despite the hotel name, there is not a single room at this property where you can actually see "tower bridge". (I asked.) Tower bridge is only very a short walk away, but unfortunately, you can't see it anywhere from inside the hotel. That said, some rooms on the higher floors (those facing west) have nice views of "The Shard" building, St. Paul's cathedral, and "the city" area skyscraper skyline around bank station. You cannot however see the river thames as other buildings mostly block the view.

-You CAN open windows for fresh air at this hotel, which I always appreciate.

-Breakfast is still being served in one of the large conference rooms on the 1st floor. The set-up in the conference room felt a bit rudimentary and I saw a lot of tables that hadn't been cleared, so took me a while to find a place to sit. I overheard a staff member staying the ground floor restaurant will re-open sometime in February. Since it was my first time here I do not know what It was like before.

-Lounge is on 9th floor and served okay-ish food. (If you are used to the lounge at hilton bankside you will be very disappointed by the food here). There is a very large outside balcony with tables and chairs which anyone can access next to the lounge. You can see "The Shard" building mostly.

-Despite this outside size, this is a small hilton. There aren't that many rooms per floor, and there isn't that many staff working here.

-If you've been to the Hilton bankside, you will be disapppointed by the food quality here, both in the lounge and at breakfast. The food quality is 1 area where Hilton bankside really shines, and it's tough to go back to boring standard hotel food after that. Also, those used to hilton bankside and all the facilites like swimmig pool, the resturants and all the staff working in every area, will feel you've moved down to a lower service hotel when you stay at tower bridge. Not saying tower bridge is a bad hotel, but it's just not in the same category as bankside in terms of facilities, food and service. If the price between the 2 is similiar I would go for bankside every time.
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Last edited by est-gratuite; Jan 26, 2020 at 4:52 am
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Old Jan 26, 2020, 2:43 pm
  #516  
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Originally Posted by est-gratuite

-Breakfast is still being served in one of the large conference rooms on the 1st floor. The set-up in the conference room felt a bit rudimentary and I saw a lot of tables that hadn't been cleared, so took me a while to find a place to sit. I overheard a staff member staying the ground floor restaurant will re-open sometime in February. Since it was my first time here I do not know what It was like before.
Are you certain that the restaurant isn't open?

I'm in London right now, staying at another Hilton property. We were down near the Tower, Tower Bridge, walked along the Thames, and since I had stayed here several times (the first shortly after the hotel opened), we popped in here to use the toilets (I knew where they were and figured they'd be cleaner than any public toilets).
It appeared that the restaurant was open. There were no signs of construction, there were tables there, and it appeared to be functioning. Unless there was something going on in the kitchen?


That said, having been here years ago, shortly after they opened, I did notice quite a bit of wear and tear on the ground floor. It didn't smell new, and the toilets (near the elevator) were showing signs of wear too. The stream/water feature outside now being bricked up makes the area a bit less special, along with many of the historic buildings that have been torn down for the new London Bridge station (the station does look much more modern than what was there in the past). I kind of enjoyed this property before it was well-known, and some of the neighborhood restaurants on the other side of the tracks (where it seems like a real neighborhood and not just a tourist area).

I'd have stayed here on this trip, but they wanted GBP 225+ per night, when elsewhere I found rates of 110.
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Old Jan 27, 2020, 7:11 am
  #517  
 
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Originally Posted by aztimm
Are you certain that the restaurant isn't open?

I'm in London right now, staying at another Hilton property. We were down near the Tower, Tower Bridge, walked along the Thames, and since I had stayed here several times (the first shortly after the hotel opened), we popped in here to use the toilets (I knew where they were and figured they'd be cleaner than any public toilets).
It appeared that the restaurant was open. There were no signs of construction, there were tables there, and it appeared to be functioning. Unless there was something going on in the kitchen?

The only thing I saw open on the GROUND floor was the cafe/bar area. From outside it can seem like the bar area is restaurant as it has normal tables and is partially obscured with curtains. The former Jamie Oliver restaurant was definetly closed, and on the morning I was there everyone had breakfast in the 1st floor conference room.

It's maybe possible that on some days they use the bar/cafe area for breakfast...but the proper restaurant is closed.
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Old Jan 27, 2020, 3:45 pm
  #518  
 
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My gym is right beside this property. The restaurant is definitely closed at the minute.
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Old Jan 28, 2020, 12:47 pm
  #519  
 
Join Date: Jan 2020
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Im planning a Saturday night stay and Im torn between TB, park lane or Bankside. Will be exec room and lounge perks are one of the selling points. Currently TB is cheapest (215, Bankside 224, park lane 250).

Could someone confirm the lounge alcohol range and serving times? I know last time they did spirits but weve not stayed here in 2 years.
Also what is the typical food range? I remember the chef coming around with specials which were delicious but obviously this was a while ago.....

location isnt a huge issue as all 3 are easily walkable/tube distance for everything we want.

thanks in advance
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Old Jan 28, 2020, 1:24 pm
  #520  
 
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Originally Posted by Manda79
Im planning a Saturday night stay and Im torn between TB, park lane or Bankside. Will be exec room and lounge perks are one of the selling points. Currently TB is cheapest (215, Bankside 224, park lane 250).

Could someone confirm the lounge alcohol range and serving times? I know last time they did spirits but weve not stayed here in 2 years.
Also what is the typical food range? I remember the chef coming around with specials which were delicious but obviously this was a while ago.....

location isnt a huge issue as all 3 are easily walkable/tube distance for everything we want.

thanks in advance
Thats a difficult one to answer, if it was me Id choose park lane....... I had one best nights ever in the Executive lounge there with great drinks, canaps and service, it really was exceptional ( check my trip report with pictures on the relevant thread , November 2018 ) .
Nothing wrong with the other two Hiltons too ....I prefer the lounge at at TB but Bankside has a great pool so that balances it out , the breakfast is way better at Bankside too.
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Old Jan 28, 2020, 1:33 pm
  #521  
 
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Thanks for the reply- I did read your PL report (among others) and the food looked great! We havent stayed there for a couple of years either as we tend to stay at Canary Wharf or Bankside. They usually do a good afternoon tea as well but we may be at the theatre so wont let that sway me too much. Is it still drinks 6- 9 at PL as far as you know? Im swaying towards PL as 250 for a Saturday is about as cheap as Ive seen.
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Old Jan 28, 2020, 2:06 pm
  #522  
 
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Originally Posted by Manda79
Thanks for the reply- I did read your PL report (among others) and the food looked great! We havent stayed there for a couple of years either as we tend to stay at Canary Wharf or Bankside. They usually do a good afternoon tea as well but we may be at the theatre so wont let that sway me too much. Is it still drinks 6- 9 at PL as far as you know? Im swaying towards PL as 250 for a Saturday is about as cheap as Ive seen.
Pretty sure its 6-9pm yes and 250 is a good price ( the cheapest Ive ever seen it is 188 ) .
It would be PL for me.
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Old Feb 26, 2020, 9:40 pm
  #523  
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
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I’m here Friday night, booked twin guest room and been told via an email that I’ve been preupgraded to a twin executive room , however this is not reflected in my online reservation yet.
Should arrive early lunchtime and I’ve requested an early check in.
Will return Friday with some cutting edge reporting for you guys!

Ps - feel free to post if you want me to find any information whilst I’m here ( breakfast times , lounge hours , etc )
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Old Feb 28, 2020, 10:10 am
  #524  
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
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Originally Posted by wizla
Im here Friday night, booked twin guest room and been told via an email that Ive been preupgraded to a twin executive room , however this is not reflected in my online reservation yet.
Should arrive early lunchtime and Ive requested an early check in.
Will return Friday with some cutting edge reporting for you guys!

Ps - feel free to post if you want me to find any information whilst Im here ( breakfast times , lounge hours , etc )
Arrived 11am, room nearly ready so We are escorted to the executive lounge and room ready by the time I drank my coffee .
Lounge manager approached , introduced herself and gave me room keys to an upgraded twin executive room on floor 10.

ROOM - its real Nice, seems bigger than I remember, spotlessly clean and tidy, two robes , safe , mini bar , etc......will upload some photos later.
Went out, came back around 4-30pm, straight to lounge for afternoon tea -

SANDWICHES - none

CAKES - red velvet cake , brownies and chocolate muffins.

Looked nice , tried the cake , very good although the tea is poor, looks high end but I disliked it.

Lounge was very quiet, I forgot to mention whilst we were wait for room we were offered a hot breakfast even though breakfast had finished, I consider this going way beyond expectations.
So far Im very impressed with this stay.
Unfortunately no spa here so will bath and get to lounge for 6pm...... will report back!
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Old Feb 28, 2020, 10:31 am
  #525  
 
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I stayed here for the first time for one night last week. I was upgraded to a king executive with a single sofabed. Very very small window. Terrible view anyway so it didn't matter. I have stayed at bankside, waldorf, canary wharf, islington, park lane and a few more in London i was disappointed! And probably will not stay again
the lounge is tiny. Nice patio area but it was closed due to bad weather. The afternoon tea is not afternoon tea. Chocolate cake and Apple pie both still frozen in the middle. Tastes nice once it thawed out though.
Evening offerings were fine. Lots of greasy fried things.
Breakfast in the restaurant not as good as backside. No eggs or omelettes cooked to order. .

I just wasn't impressed!
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