The _Banking_Scot

Hi,

Yesterday, the check in function was enabled and got an upgrade to a King Executive room ( 1 cat upgrade)
Selected my room today ( 4th floor , outward facing room at the far end of the corridor)

Getting ready to leave home and train/tram to EDI for the noon LHR flight. Having to dress warm and carry a rain jacket for my stay in London after which I wont' need them in Dubai

Will report later after I arrive at the hotel

Regards

TBS

Digital key arrived at 1240

Abidjan

Looking forward to your report, TBS!

The _Banking_Scot

Hi

Ahhhhh that's better

Having a coffee diet coke and pretzels in EL popcorn also provided



British airways took 85mins from arriving in the baggage hall to get the bags put or 100mins from being on stand and a lot of people were getting annoyed esp as a flight from Aberdeen got their bags in 20 mins albeit they were on stand
Flight only took 55mins ( very good service on board)
490 bus from t5 stand 7 to starlight way works well but you have to cross the road and up steps
digital key works well.

Room is fine and comfortable. View of the holiday Inn
water bathrobes and slippers provided with a coffe machine also

Bathroom is clean and modern and well lit . shower only.
Shower has both rain head and hand held showers.
mirror remained seamless even after the shower
El on the ground floor empty just now and nice seating area.
evening snacks from 1800 to 200.

Was planning on working out this afternoon but thanks to BA will. unpack have evening snacks dinner then work out later.


Qr code available in el for newspapers and magazines.

Breakfast us in oxbo kitchen

0630 to 1030 mon to fri
0700 to 1100 at weekends​​​


Minibar and kettle also in room but no fridge

Evening snacks as per hugolover's excellent photos

Today's selection duck gyoza and vegetable gyoza as hot options.
no sparking wine but an excellent rekorderlig strawberry lime cider
I am the only person inthe oxbo kitchen restaurant at the moment
(More people in the bar area. ) going for a steak at gbp 26( better value than the gbp 20 burger at hilton t5) and sticky toffee pudding . Will have coffee back in the lounge I think


Dinner and desert were good and reasonable value for money for a lhr hotel.

Gym was empty at 9pm and good

Usual hilton breakfast buffet but omelets available on request. Unsual plates. Good quality. Did not have time to fully enjoy it as I was in a bit of a rush to get to t5 then t2 for my covid test for dxb but will relax tomorrow.

Taking the tfl train from.paddington to he hotel takes around 1hr 10 mins including waiting at t23 for the connecting train going up the escalators then walking from starlight way bus stop to the hotel entrance.
london is feeling cold with blustery winds and ocxasionnaky heavy showers

so far so good



Regards
tbs


fri night- chicken wings and mozzarella sticks are the hot canapes
Packs of 2 biscuits also available mid afternoon( tasty)

anabolism

When booking two rooms, I always get the two on the end (turn right after entering the hallway). The last room has a modern shower, no tub, while the penultimate room has an old-fashioned tub/shower combination.

corporate-wage-slave

I used to memorise them all, but in essence the rooms with a bath tub + shower are in several parallel lines running up the atrium close to the stair cases but off by 1 room. I'd guess it's about a quarter of the rooms? If you request either a bath or a shower in the booking notes they do tend to read and act on that. One advantage of Hilton T5 is that I think all the rooms on the 4th floor - so the upgrade zone - have both a large bath and a separate shower.

I noticed that T4 won today's Business Traveller award for best Airport Hotel, albeit in 4th place, with Sofitel LHR T5 in first place, then Crowne Plaza Changi and Regal HKG somehow in 3rd place.

anabolism

These days I'm more often booking two rooms and want them connecting, so I think we're stuck with one room with a tub/shower combo.

I know the rooms in the T5 Hilton are larger and newer, but I stopped staying there because it's more hassle to get there than the T4 Hilton. However, with the walkway to T4 closed and the train to T4 suspended, I suppose getting to either Hilton now has the same level of annoyance.

I've not stayed at the Sofitel, but I'm familiar with the other properties. In my experience, the standard rooms at the HKG Regal are pretty dismal, but the club floor rooms are nice (with the suite much nicer). For the T4 vs T5 Hiltons, the rooms and supper restaurant at the T5 are nicer, but the executive lounge at the T4 is nicer, and it was less annoying to get to. But who knows what criteria voters use, or if they've even stayed at enough properties to have an idea?

corporate-wage-slave

Well given (e.g.) the Sofitel has been a quaratine hotel until recently, T4 was closed a fair bit, SIN and HKG tightly restricted travel, transit and entry, I suspect that at best this was a historical take rather than recent experience, and I doubt that we could say the process is totally transparent either. But still, it would have been nice for the managers concerned to know they aren't forgotten.

The _Banking_Scot

Hi,

Have booked another 2 night stay here for Friday&Saturday ( actually leaving late on Sat night to DXB) ( the T5 hilton is still having maintenance work done to the fitness centre) and london hotels around 2x the price.

Pre arrival upgrade notification came through today. ( upgrade from King Deluxe to a Junior Suite


don't think I have stayed in the jnr suite here before so as i have only been upgraded to exec room before.

Apo suggests breakfast can be in the executive lounge or the restaurant ( for my last stay in November the el was closed for breakfast so it was the restaurant for breakfast)
Will report on my stay.

Regards

TBS

wizla

Brilliant and good choice!……I enjoy reading your reports.

Abidjan

Agreed! Eagerly await your TR, as always.. Congrats on the Jr. Suite upgrade. I too have never stayed in that room. I stayed on two separate occassions in January and breakfast still wasn't an option in the EL. Really enjoyed the new renovations, especially the main restaurant. They have, unfortunately, neutered the fitness center. Gone are the days of the staff/locals and, as documented above, the pool. It's now a normal gym you'll find in any mid-tier Hilton. A minor thing, but still a bit disappointing.

GentleGiant

Stayed in a JS recently. it is larger but that is about it. Yes it has a sofa.

You are looking internally for start, not that the view outside is too much.

The Executive suite is much nicer.

Didn't get a lot of use from the JS as in the lounge half the time!

The _Banking_Scot

Hi

thanks for that gentlegiant

For a 1 night stay the internal view will be fine as the outside views are nothing great.
it will be

Lounge
Restaurant
Gym
for me


Regards

Tbs

Lomapaseo

I quite like the interior views of what folks are eating and drinking. But what's this about outside views and "will be" ?

are they tearing down something so you can see Russia from there ( courtesy of Sarah Palin)

pauleeepaul

Good riddance to the locals, it isnt really large enough to allow for membership.

The _Banking_Scot

Hi,

Got my prearrival email today which included a Hotel hoppa timetable ( will use the local bus service but good of them to advise of that and also that T4 is closed)
Executive Lounge snacks from 6 to 8pm

Continental breakfast from 0530 and Full English from 0600-1000 daily

Regards

TBS