HadesNL

I was due to commit myself back to IC Parklane in December to see if Atacama40 has whipped the new staff into shape and has drilled management about tarting up the Club Lounge food offerings several notches up

However the Kimpton Fitzroy had such attractive rates during their 11-13 October sale that we are going to stay there instead
and have my old boarding school chums come over there too for the annual reunion...

Yet we are still unanimous that for tradition and old times sake we are going to do a group dinner at Theo Randall.
Any first hand experiences which dishes are a must?

curiositykillsacat

what’s Mayfair floor?

HadesNL

Mayfair floor are the hotel floors with rooms / suites that are renovated and have the new "Mayfair" look


eyes rolling look

The refurbishment started at 2015
https://hlmarchitects.com/projects/g...k-lane-london/

So in 2020 only up till the 4th floor are those rooms and suites renovated:
https://premierconstructionnews.com/...don-park-lane/

As mentioned before in the thread, once a ME sheik parks his harem in the hotel, the floor is dedicated to their personal use, delaying AGAIN the renovations....

There still the upper floors to be done!
only 135 out of 449 room/suites have been tarted up


Quote:
Mayfair floor =
The hotel offers unrivalled luxury from its 135 newly refurbished rooms called Mayfair Collection,
inspired by the Royal Parks which sit on the property doorstep and its long-standing ties with British society.

stimpy

You will not be disappointed. The Fitzroy is an overall better hotel, lacking only a Club. I'm in a Park Suite now which is several leagues better than the old 8th floor suite I had at the Park Lane IC.

HadesNL

Thanks, you are right about that.

I have booked the same room type as you in the Kimpton as it does suit to host in a true seperate living room.

pazza2000

Staying here as a Diamond Amb. on the CC free night, I should expect breakfast, a small upgrade etc, however lounge access isn’t included unless I’ve chosen it as a milestone reward, right?

Atacama40

Hard to argue that. Also had a couple of Fitzroy stops in Park Suites and they have been very enjoyable and indeed better value than ICPL. The son has been telling me this for a good while and I ignored the advice.

There is definitely a little bit of a fall in consistency at PL room allocation/upgrade wise recent times that I never saw in many years of stopping. They seem to almost be engineering measured amounts of disappointment. Example .... had a super renovated large suite a couple of weeks back (not sure anyone had ever stopped in it) .... but over looking the inner courtyard! Ridiculous I know, but I didn't actually realise they had an inner courtyard! Never ever had that.

Lounge is improving it's offering and that's worth something. But the room allocation approach has equally dropped a little. Deal breaker? Well yes if it becomes a trend. For me it's a one-off .... so far. And so easy to adjust. It does appear to coincide with staff turn. New faces have replaced old hands and are implementing policy in a new and not always advantageous way. It does also seem to coincide with the arrival of a new GM a little over a year back.

AndyUK_101

Just completed 3 nights at the IC park lane, booked using 40k point per night from the system hiccup a couple of months ago

Requested a paid upgrade and took the option of a premium park view room for a £65 per night charge, overall really happy with the stay. The room was a little small and dated in place but enough space to move around and with a comfy bed. Lounge access via the 40 night reward was added at check in, no quibbles along with a 4 drinks vouchers for the lobby bar

Looking through comments on the lounge I think it is back to normal now, free pour champagne along with some premium spirits with staff circulating the lounge proactively offering top-ups, a decent selection of canapes, probably not quite enough to make a meal out of the spread but enough to see you through the evening if you had a late lunch

Atacama40

Is a good and accurate assessment Andy. Lounge is arguably better than before the pandemic period by small points.

Rooms allocation and method is strange and not what it what. Not got to the bottom of that yet. But older configurations and rooms, or decent rooms with odd view options are being pushed forward ... even to those of us who consider ourselves old hands at ICPL. Not sure if occupancy is ultra high (no real evidence of that) or if another floor is being renovated ... also not sure and I need to ask. Not been since August strangely but have a couple stops coming up. Time to start asking the question.

Is fair to say that staff churn means those who were in positions of influence and who could change a customers options without faff or pain, have moved on which is a shame.

Also room amenities are very spartan and lacking. And mini bar remains empty. Odd choices delivering irritation to guests with seemingly little benefit. I know they are changing and trying new concepts. They have been open about that. Lounge wise things are on the up. But other aspects seem slow to implement and are questionable.

AndyUK_101

Interesting, my first stay at the IC so no basis for comparison but I found the room amenities quite good

Byredo bal d'afrique shampoo, conditioner, body wash and lotion in the room which were topped up each day of the stay, a couple of bottles of water each day and housekeeping fulfilled a couple of bespoke requests for pillows and different blends of tea

Likewise, on the upgrade, my base stay was on points and for £65 a night a larger room with a decent park view felt worthwhile which the staff sorted quickly and efficiently

I don't think I'd spend £400+ per night to stay at the IC even with club access but for a long weekend on points, couldn't really ask for more

<Edit> Just had a look at a few other 5* hotels for a couple of upcoming stays, hadn't realised quite how expensive things have become - the IC actually looks decent value

ARR72

Not sure if you’ve already completed your stay, but was wondering about the details of the complimentary breakfast for Diamond/Ambassadors at Park Lane. Where is it served? Is the area shared with the lounge or is it a separate area? Thanks

shoven

The main breakfast is served in Theo Randall restaurant on the ground floor, the lounge where club guests can have breakfast is on the 7th floor.

As a diamond member you would be offered breakfast on the ground floor unless you have club access in which case you use both locations.

pazza2000

Yes can confirm this was the case, and a great breakfast, all a la carte items comped.

What’s the lounge offering like there these days? As I consider choosing lounge access as my 40 night milestone reward.

Petrus

The main problem is that a lot of staff are new and inexperienced in general, and lack of training is evident. These are no Hotel School recruits. Once you get to someone they try to make you feel welcomed as a regular.
For instance, when I got back late the other evening to ask for a room key (arrived early and designated room upgrade wasn't ready, which is fine) there was a junior/new member of team lacking the welcoming touch, and was about to ask for ID (which is also fine) but then one of the more experienced members eloquently moved in and said "Not necessary, give the guest a key".

Diamonds get Breakfast at Randalls.
Mayfair floor rooms are nice. I like them.
Non-renovated are getting a bit tired.
For the rate I get it is actually pretty good value as it includes breakfast.

The Kimpton does look like a nice option though!

shoven

Lounge was very nice when I was there last, drinks were flowing nibbles were good quality but probably not dinner worthy depending on one's appetite and food preference but I enjoyed them with plenty of champers service was spot on, one of the servers looked genuinely disappointed when my colleague declined to have his beer poured for him lol