Last edit by: SanDiego1K
London hotels with a wealth of detailed posts, 2013 - 2017
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/luxury-hotels-travel/1475602-london-luxury-hotel.html
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/luxury-hotels-travel/1475602-london-luxury-hotel.html
London Hotel Recommendations (newer consolidated thread)
#286
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: SW WA
Posts: 3,876
What about the Firmdale hotels? They all have guest areas where you can have a drink at night. It's not free like at a club, but they're really nice spaces. The Covent Garden Hotel and Ham Yard are both in great locations for tourists.
#287
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 392
It's a combination of two things - we find it incredibly easy with toddlers (and two elderly) to be able to just go to a lounge for breakfast/lunch/snacks/whatever, and just grab what you need instead of meals turning into a production with sitting, ordering, waiting, paying, etc. Clubs are amazing during the day for light eaters. And then my wife wants the flexibility of just being able to go in for a late drink after the kids are asleep and leaving one of the grandparents in the room with them. Of course the backup plan is a hotel bar, but after the first time staying with toddlers club level she is hooked, it was literally her only request (she would give up larger rooms, rooms with larger bathrooms, you name it), and I get it. It's just weird that most of these clubs stop serving so early.
#288
This said I was misguided by homepage which says 11pm but it seems after 7:30 there are no offerings. Can't remember that but my last stay is a while
#289
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 392
Of course everyone is on some budget, didn't question it. Was related to the concrete budget and some suggestions. Is the 600 GBP per room per night?
This said I was misguided by homepage which says 11pm but it seems after 7:30 there are no offerings. Can't remember that but my last stay is a while
This said I was misguided by homepage which says 11pm but it seems after 7:30 there are no offerings. Can't remember that but my last stay is a while
Again my knowledge of London is very limited to the last few days of internet research, we have never been, so I am looking for advice.
We could also go a whole different direction - Airbnb, a hotel with an amazing hard product to wow my wife even if no lounge, etc. I just don't know! I am trying to find what she wants first though - a hotel with a club level open late.
#291
This hotel has a something like an executive lounge. It appears that snacks and alcoholic drinks are complimentary. It doesn't say when they close in the evening. Also, not sure if the complimentary food will be kid friendly, though I'm sure you can just pay separately and order from the in-room dining menu and have it served in the lounge:
https://www.athenaeumhotel.com/the-view/
This hotel sounds like a glutton's dream (including myself). However, the only drinks that are complimentary is the welcome glass of champagne at check-in and water throughout your stay. Also, the evening food timings may not be ideal for your kids unless they usually eat very late:
https://www.41hotel.com/food-and-dri...mentary-treats
This hotel has a proper executive lounge. It appears that alcohol and food is complimentary all day long. However, they don't say on their web site when they close in the evening:
Luxury 5-star Hotel Club Lounge in London | The Langham, London
https://www.athenaeumhotel.com/the-view/
This hotel sounds like a glutton's dream (including myself). However, the only drinks that are complimentary is the welcome glass of champagne at check-in and water throughout your stay. Also, the evening food timings may not be ideal for your kids unless they usually eat very late:
https://www.41hotel.com/food-and-dri...mentary-treats
This hotel has a proper executive lounge. It appears that alcohol and food is complimentary all day long. However, they don't say on their web site when they close in the evening:
Luxury 5-star Hotel Club Lounge in London | The Langham, London
#292
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: UK
Posts: 1,642
Mr Amazon delivered my new 2020 Michelin Guide to the UK this morning. I thought, 'My word, this package seems thin.' On opening I find that the 2020 guide has 100 pages less than the 2019 guide. The main reason seems to be this - over 1000 hotels were listed in 2019. Only 340 listed for 2020. That's a total massacre. Is it because Michelin has raised their standards. Is it because hotels have lowered theirs? Is it because Michelin are saving money and inspecting even less nowadays - and it's generally reckoned to be every five to seven years for a non-critical establishment.
Last edited by Pausanias; Oct 23, 2019 at 7:03 am
#293
Mr Amazon delivered my new 2020 Michelin Guide to the UK this morning. I thought, 'My word, this package seems thin.' On opening I find that the 2020 guide has 100 pages less than the 2019 guide. The main reason seems to be this - over 1000 hotels were listed in 2019. Only 340 listed for 2020. That's a total massacre. Is it because Michelin has raised their standards. Is it because hotels have lowered theirs? Is it because Michelin are saving money and inspecting even less nowadays - and it's generally reckoned to be every five to seven years for a non-critical establishment.
#294
#296
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Here there and everywhere
Posts: 6,303
How long have you got? Loathe this hotel, apart from the gorgeous suites designed by John Heah, which are superb. The rest of the hotel is disjointed and mismatched, mainly because they have used too many different designers for every area. All-day-dining is dire and service borders on the amateur. Pity, as I love the location.
#297
Join Date: Feb 2016
Posts: 106
How long have you got? Loathe this hotel, apart from the gorgeous suites designed by John Heah, which are superb. The rest of the hotel is disjointed and mismatched, mainly because they have used too many different designers for every area. All-day-dining is dire and service borders on the amateur. Pity, as I love the location.
#298
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Here there and everywhere
Posts: 6,303
#299
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: London, Paris
Programs: LH HON, AF Platinum
Posts: 2,000
I'm done with Firmdale Hotels. Decors are always great and homelike, but if you know where it's sourced you know it's cheap. But aside from that, the service has been terrible and in no way comparable to a 5 star hotel (or at least a hotel that charges 5 star prices).
Such a shame as I've loved the chain for many, many years.
Such a shame as I've loved the chain for many, many years.
#300
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Here there and everywhere
Posts: 6,303
I'm done with Firmdale Hotels. Decors are always great and homelike, but if you know where it's sourced you know it's cheap. But aside from that, the service has been terrible and in no way comparable to a 5 star hotel (or at least a hotel that charges 5 star prices).
Such a shame as I've loved the chain for many, many years.
Such a shame as I've loved the chain for many, many years.