I have returned once since my last post and am beginning to get a feeling for the problem. I think that the hotel now seems to be staffed by too many new, junior staffers with little hotel experience and no strong feeling that they should be focussed on customer satisfaction, something that much of the longer time staff do know.

One amusing, but illustrative, example: I asked a woman at the concierge desk about the location of neighborhood coin op laundries. She replied, "I don't know." So I said, "And they put you on the concierge desk?" She replied, "Sorry, I'm a trainee." Sheesh! If you don't know, look it up! What do you think is the JOB of a concierge?

I then got the attention of one of the more senior people behind the desk and got a speedy and useful reply.

I can think of at least three other situations on this trip where the source of the problem was the newness of the staff. This is a problem that can be fixed with training and I hope that it will be.

However, you still need to validate...which would not be a problem if you are an elite with Radisson.

I am pleased to report that my third and final stay on this trip went much more smoothly, and things really seemed to work right this time. So maybe I just had bad luck before!

Just finished an excellent FFN stay at The Churchill. I had a room on the seventh floor on the police station side, which was nice in that we had two days of clear, sunny skies and the sunlight was pleasant. As others have noted, the bed is exceptionally comfortable, the water pressure was excellent and the shower controls (water temperature and changing from overhead nozzle to hand-held nozzle) were easy to master. I also liked the standard bath products - the shampoo and conditioner worked well on my hard-to-manage hair and had no overpowering odor (like the stinky Portico stufff).

I was able to use a Platinum Extras cert for the amenity, which was the standard fruit, sweets and water variety (unfortunately the four peaches, which looked very nice, were quite unripe and I had to leave them uneaten).

I was able to pick up the wireless signal from the Lounge on the floor above, but could not use it, as it is code-controlled. I did appreciate the option to purchase an hour block instead of having to commit to a full day's rate (GBP 5 for the hour block, GBP 15 for the 24-hour block). There is a Starbucks with T-Mo Wi-fi (0.18 USD per minute for T-Mo USA wi-fi users) about a block and a half away, but I usually avoid prolonged use there because your clothes end up smelling like Juan Valdez's donkey after a ful day of hauling coffee beans up and down the Colombian hillsides. :eek:

Service was courteous and always pleasant; the only issue was a short delay in getting my two FFN reservations joined, but it was taken care of without any need for a room change. A request to housekeeping for an iron and board was responded to in about five or six minutes). ^

A humorous incident happened on the last day, as a staff member brought my merchandise delivery to my room (a lovely gold shopping bag from Gucci). The only problem was, I hadn't bought anything there. I was tempted for about one second (ok, several seconds) to accept the bag, as the staff member showed me his moblie phone with the text message instructing him to deliver to me (they even had my name, often misspelled, spelled correctly). Alas, no fabulous Gucci bauble for this kid :(

Also, the very close proximity to the Marks and Spencer and Selfridges food halls did NOT do my waistline any favors ;) (there is also a location of the Wagamama ramen/noodle bar chain on the same block as Selfridges).

Does this hotel have US electrical plugs in the room? I recently had a stay at Marriott County Hall and Sheraton Heathrow and both had a US plug in the room.


Thanks,
Halothane

Yes - in my room, the US-style recepticle/plug was mounted on the wall on the right side of the desk, at arm-level (when seated) - an EU-style recepticle/plug was also provided, immediately adjacent to the US recepticle.

This worked perfectly for plugging in the laptop power adapter, and I appreciated the fact that there was no need tp bend down or crawl on the floor to plug in my power cord.

Thanks, Non-NonRev!

Any opinions on Churchill vs. Andaz? I can get them for the same price on an upcoming weekend stay (due to the 21 % off promo).

Unless you really really really need to be in the area around the Andaz, I would pick the Churchill. I've stayed at both in the last year and I hope to NEVER stay at the Andaz again.

Second that, although my Andaz stay was before it was branded Andaz. But if the stay was for just long enough to get your laundry done for free, it might be worth it to you.

Hmm...I need to leave from City Airport in the morning, I think the Andaz is closer...plus, they have the breakfast and the wi-fi still included...checking in late and leaving early, so really not exploring much of the hotel, probably. Thanks for the advice in any case.

For those of you that have stayed here, is this still the case?

I am undecided between the Churchill and the Swissotel, the Howard.

I'm eagerly awaiting Joanek's review of her weekend stay. She hasn't been there in a year or so.

The Andaz is definitely closer to LCY. But as for breakfast, as a Diamond, you would either get a RC room at the Churchill (and be able to have a continental breakfast in the Club--as well as drinks and hors d'ouevres from 6-8 pm if your schedule permitted, though it doesn't sound like it would) or, if they couldn't give you a Club room, get a cert for a full free breakfast in the restaurant. (On a weekend, I'd say you'd have a very high chance of an RC room--with one exception, the only times I've missed have been weekdays.) While the Andaz had a fairly vile buffet breakfast the first time I stayed there, on a more recent stay it was order off the menu, and the food was fine. I was told they may change it again next year, but it should stay as is until at least January.

Not my experience at all. I just returned from a 3 night FFN stay at Churchill. Was upgraded on the FFN stay as well. The front desk, housekeeping, concierge, and the rest of the staff were excellent. Never had to wait for anything or ask twice. Would definitely go back to this property again.


Halothane