Hotel Xenia, Autograph Collection - London, England [Master Thread]
 

Just noticed that this hotel is due to open. The website says August, but mid-September is the timeframe you can book a room.

Category 8. No exec lounge.

Hotel website:

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/trave...ph-collection/

Hotel Xenia is located on the Cromwell Road, between Earl’s Court and Gloucester Road tube stations. Close to Bupa Cromwell Hospital and Imperial College with easy access to London airports. Surrounded with the finest shopping and cultural.

Hotel Xenia treats guests to a choice of 99 individually appointed rooms including the exquisite Xenia Suite, two contemporary bars, a private dining room, multi-functional meeting and event spaces and Evoluzione, a fine dining Italian restaurant that is in a class of its own and a true destination.

* The Xenia Suite with its high ceiling,180 bay window with private balcony, provides ultimate luxury.
* All guest rooms are adorned with fine cotton linen and cashmere blankets.
* Nespresso machines and L’Occtiane toiletries in Deluxe & Executive rooms provide details to delight.
* Touch screen technology with Wi-Fi in-room tablets throughout, offers Guest contemporary comfort.
* Xenia is the ideal base from which to explore London's culture or attend a conference.
* Selected rooms benefit from private outdoor terraces and balconies overlooking London

When someone stays there, please report back on what they do for brekkie since there is not an exec lounge & I'll update the exec lounge sticky. Thx!

Booking with for October!!

Great! Please do a trip report!

Cheers.

The "petite" rooms do look like they live up to their name. :) Still, I'm not going to knock having an option for a Marriott-affiliated property for 99 GBP/night or less (looking at some dates in January) when I'm on a solo holiday trip and just need a place to sleep.

It will be pretty much opposite the Marriott Kensington looking at google maps.

You'll want a room at the back, as Cromwell Road is a busy road.

The petite rooms are 9 sqm (97 sqft). Wow. I assume it has space for a bathroom! But where do you put your luggage?

Well the good news is there are normal size rooms too.

Cheers.

I was thinking about this and I think this used to be quite a budget hotel, where lots of groups of students from Spain / Italy etc used to stay, as I used to see them all congregating outside (as I was sitting comfortably in the Marriott Kensington). I'm assuming they're doing a full refurb, so it won't be budget any longer. Good location with tube / bus / lots of restaurants nearby.

T

I also really like this area, having just finished up another stay at the Marriott Kensington.

However, I've got to say that Mr. jtwiz and I get a LOT of use from the exec lounges when traveling in London. From water, soda, coffee during the day, to drinks and apps at night - it saves us a lot of time and money.

If I were there strictly for a short business trip, I would consider a Marriott with no lounge (as long as it did provide breakfast for Golds/Plats) as I end up taking customers out for dinner/drinks many days. However, for a leisure trip or even a longer business trip, a lounge comes in very handy.

Its a pricy hotel now compare to Marriott kensigton , rooms very small if you choose bigger room you well pay more than Marriott , my opinion Marriott on the other side is the best choice ..

Hotel officially open. Press release on Marriott website today:

http://news.marriott.com/2016/09/lon...ph-collection/

"The first Autograph Collection property to grace West London, Hotel Xenia is an urban designed hotel located in a beautiful Victorian building on Cromwell Road in South Kensington. The 99 spacious guest rooms and suites offer some of the city’s largest living space and maintain a boutique charm through a combination of traditional comforts and contemporary touches, which complement the design ethos of Autograph Collection hotels. The crowning glory of the hotel is the Xenia Suite with its own private balcony and onyx stone Turkish bath, complete with stunning views over West London.

The Hotel’s restaurant, Evoluzione, is headed up by Michelin-star awarded chef Andrea Angeletti. His carefully crafted menus feature traditional Italian dishes with modern European and Mediterranean influences, showcasing the best of local, fresh, and seasonal ingredients. For a taste of Italy, the à la Carte menu includes his signature spaghetti with roasted seafood, and saffron risotto with black olive sauce and pecorino cheese.

The nearby Living Wall bar offers a vibrant selection of signature cocktails and Italian style aperitifs created by an expert team of mixologists. The cocktail recipes offer something to suit all palates from timeless Martinis to new creations such as the Chilli-Passion Caipirinha (a refreshing blend of Germana Cachaca, passion fruit puree, chilli pepper, lime and brown sugar).

Opposite the bar is Xenia Lounge, an atmospheric setting for morning coffee or evening drinks with handmade Bohemia wallpaper and designer pieces. As night falls, soft lighting and the sounds of the Grand Piano transform the space into a relaxed and sultry bar area. For further relaxation, guests can retreat to the Living Lounge, a cosy bolthole with an 84” 3D Ultra HD TV, pool table, ping-pong table and a selection of board-games. The hotel is also home to a heated herb garden and humidor that houses a collection of Cuban cigars for guests to purchase."

Cheers.

Wondering if anyone has had a visit yet? I'd love to see a review.

Good rates showing for next summer when I'll be solo and one of the smaller rooms could work perfectly (vs. spending more $$$ or points for another London option...).

Wondering how they will treat Gold/Plat for breakfast?!??

If it's showing good rates, book it. You can always cancel if something less expensive shows up. Since there's no lounge you'll get brekkie in the restaurant. Technically it only has to be a cont'l brekkie, but IIRC, the other 2 Autographs provide full brekkie so you might get full one.

Cheers.

Live small!
 

I stayed at Hotel Xenia last weekend (November 18-20), room 116. Could've picked the Marriott across the street for basically the same price but I thought, what the heck, I'd try the boutique hotel.

I booked a twin bed room but got upgraded to a double bed. This was far and away the smallest room I've ever had... the layout was relatively efficient though. I carry a lot of luggage as you can see in the pictures. There was room for my big suitcase (26" Travelpro Crew 9) on the floor at the foot of the bed (there was no luggage rack), but my smaller suitcase (which at this point was just full of dirty laundry) fit behind the curtain by the balcony door and was out of the way. The bed was comfortable... but I am a CPAP user and there was no nightstand. Fortunately there was an outlet on the wall just behind the bed, so I just put my CPAP on the floor and it worked out okay.

They offer a turndown service each night with a little treat... I walked in on the lady doing the turndown service my first night there and declined it the second night.

The only problem I encountered was that there aren't wands on the curtains and they're mounted to the ceiling (9-10' up) so it's tough to get them to close all the way. There were light leaks that were somewhat annoying since the bed faces the door, but that was a fairly minor issue.

There was a balcony with one chair and table... it was pretty darn small... but it was nice to have. And I could open the door for ventilation which was nice. Neighboring rooms also had access to the balcony... they were divided by planters.

The bathroom was tiny, also the smallest I've ever had... but it did have a heated towel rack, which is a nice feature. The shower was really nice - it was a ceiling mounted rain shower head, and there was a separate wand as well.

The breakfast they offer is a well-stocked cold continental... if you want to make it a full English breakfast they add £4.00. After perusing the buffet I chose the full English and that was very good. I didn't have any other meals there.

I needed to print out museum tickets but the front desk was not well versed in helping with that (there is no business center). But the concierge took care of it for me. They did have a bellman as well. I didn't require his help, but it could be useful as you have to go up 10 stairs outside the hotel to get to the entrance.

The location was pretty good... just a couple blocks walk from the Earls Court tube station, and there were a good selection of restaurants around the station.

In all honesty, every time I saw the gleaming, modern Marriott across the street, I wished I had chosen it, if for no other reason than to have had more breathing room. But my room was clean, and the bed was comfortable. The internet was pretty good... I was able to stream video without much problem.

I would consider staying there again in a pinch... but being an American who is used to Courtyards, it would likely not be my first choice. Hope this helps!