Dec 23, 2015, 3:00 am
Sheraton Grand London Park Lane, London, United Kingdom [Master Thread]
Jul 20, 2016, 4:05 pm
#526
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: UK
Programs: IHG Diamond Amb, Bonvoy Plat (+LTP), VS Silver
Posts: 1,393
According to media reports, it is confirmed that the hotel will be rebranded and become part of the Sheraton Grand portfolio.
Jul 22, 2016, 8:41 am
#527
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Brooklyn
Programs: Delta Diamond, Bonvoy something good; sometimes other things too
Posts: 5,051
At the hotel now.
The Club Lounge is finally open.
Space is quite nicely done, as are the rest of the renovated spaces in the hotel, very luxurious finishes and quite big, so hopefully shouldn't get too crowded. Only downside is there is no natural light.
Breakfast spread is okay but certainly not a full restaurant breakfast. My only other European Sheraton Club point of reference is the Amsterdam Airport location, and this is certainly inferior to the spread there. There was one hot dish, plus breads and pastries, cheese and meat/smoked fish, fruit, yogurt, and cereals. Not sure if you can still choose the restaurant breakfast as a platinum amenity.
But, there is an impressive afternoon tea service in the Club, complete with warm scones and clotted cream, and individual pastry towers with 5 different pastries. The only thing missing from a tourist attraction afternoon tea which you might pay quite dearly for is finger sandwiches. There are also about a dozen non-perishable snack options available like various nuts, crackers, and candy bars. Haven't seen the evening spread yet.
As for the rest of the hotel, the renovations are really quite impressive, and much nicer than I would have expected -- the Sheraton Grand label, which the staff are quite proud of, is clearly earned. There are still some renovations going on in some of the public spaces but most things seem to be close to ready. Though for all the work they did I do wish they had invested in reconfiguring the ground floor a bit more, as the odd location of reception only seems to have gotten odder with the renovation -- there are lots of columns and part-walls around the reception area that just make it feel claustrophobic and poorly thought-out despite the nice finishes. It's not clear but there is what looks like a Club specific check in counter near the Club that has a huge column directly in front of it. Like, making contact with the desk. It's strange.
I was upgraded to what is apparently a superior room. It's about the same size as the rooms I've had the other two times I've stayed here, not sure what a standard room is like though I've heard some rooms are very tiny, whereas this feels appropriately sized for London. As mentioned above all of the finishes in the room are extremely high quality; I'd put it at about the same quality level as the Great Northern, which I also quite like. The soundproofing seems to be much improved, and the air conditioning is also excellent, a major turnaround from the old state of affairs. (On my second night the air conditioning broke down in my room and wasn't able to be fixed until the next morning, apparently an issue owing to the floor having only recently been released from renovations. The staff handled it fairly well, and offered to move me but only had a smaller room available so I stuck it out. Fortunately they still have the fans available that they used to offer to guests to help with the old lousy AC, and fortunately it's not quite as warm in London as it was a week ago.)
Only complaint with the room is that the shower design is trying a bit too hard: it's a small-ish stand-up shower with a giant rainfall shower head, so there's essentially no way to get out of the stream of water to lather up without shutting off the shower. There's also a separate tub; I'd personally have voted for removing the tub and making a nice big shower stall like the Great Northern offers, but perhaps offering a tub is a part of the Sheraton Grand brand standards or an attempt to achieve a higher star rating? Being able to offer something nicer than the standard Sheraton toiletries would also better match the investment that's been made in the property.
It will be interesting to see how prices here evolve; with all the money spent, and the fact that not many London hotels offer an experience quite as modern as this hotel now does, I've got to imagine rates are heading up once the renovations are fully complete. For now cash rates are still not too bad. If I were going to use points, I would still be tempted to go for one of the other Cat 6 properties that achieves higher cash rates, though the Park Lane is now more competitive than it was, and the club lounge could be an attractive value proposition to some, especially since I understand the Meridien Piccadilly club lounge is not what it once was.
The Club Lounge is finally open.
Space is quite nicely done, as are the rest of the renovated spaces in the hotel, very luxurious finishes and quite big, so hopefully shouldn't get too crowded. Only downside is there is no natural light.
Breakfast spread is okay but certainly not a full restaurant breakfast. My only other European Sheraton Club point of reference is the Amsterdam Airport location, and this is certainly inferior to the spread there. There was one hot dish, plus breads and pastries, cheese and meat/smoked fish, fruit, yogurt, and cereals. Not sure if you can still choose the restaurant breakfast as a platinum amenity.
But, there is an impressive afternoon tea service in the Club, complete with warm scones and clotted cream, and individual pastry towers with 5 different pastries. The only thing missing from a tourist attraction afternoon tea which you might pay quite dearly for is finger sandwiches. There are also about a dozen non-perishable snack options available like various nuts, crackers, and candy bars. Haven't seen the evening spread yet.
As for the rest of the hotel, the renovations are really quite impressive, and much nicer than I would have expected -- the Sheraton Grand label, which the staff are quite proud of, is clearly earned. There are still some renovations going on in some of the public spaces but most things seem to be close to ready. Though for all the work they did I do wish they had invested in reconfiguring the ground floor a bit more, as the odd location of reception only seems to have gotten odder with the renovation -- there are lots of columns and part-walls around the reception area that just make it feel claustrophobic and poorly thought-out despite the nice finishes. It's not clear but there is what looks like a Club specific check in counter near the Club that has a huge column directly in front of it. Like, making contact with the desk. It's strange.
I was upgraded to what is apparently a superior room. It's about the same size as the rooms I've had the other two times I've stayed here, not sure what a standard room is like though I've heard some rooms are very tiny, whereas this feels appropriately sized for London. As mentioned above all of the finishes in the room are extremely high quality; I'd put it at about the same quality level as the Great Northern, which I also quite like. The soundproofing seems to be much improved, and the air conditioning is also excellent, a major turnaround from the old state of affairs. (On my second night the air conditioning broke down in my room and wasn't able to be fixed until the next morning, apparently an issue owing to the floor having only recently been released from renovations. The staff handled it fairly well, and offered to move me but only had a smaller room available so I stuck it out. Fortunately they still have the fans available that they used to offer to guests to help with the old lousy AC, and fortunately it's not quite as warm in London as it was a week ago.)
Only complaint with the room is that the shower design is trying a bit too hard: it's a small-ish stand-up shower with a giant rainfall shower head, so there's essentially no way to get out of the stream of water to lather up without shutting off the shower. There's also a separate tub; I'd personally have voted for removing the tub and making a nice big shower stall like the Great Northern offers, but perhaps offering a tub is a part of the Sheraton Grand brand standards or an attempt to achieve a higher star rating? Being able to offer something nicer than the standard Sheraton toiletries would also better match the investment that's been made in the property.
It will be interesting to see how prices here evolve; with all the money spent, and the fact that not many London hotels offer an experience quite as modern as this hotel now does, I've got to imagine rates are heading up once the renovations are fully complete. For now cash rates are still not too bad. If I were going to use points, I would still be tempted to go for one of the other Cat 6 properties that achieves higher cash rates, though the Park Lane is now more competitive than it was, and the club lounge could be an attractive value proposition to some, especially since I understand the Meridien Piccadilly club lounge is not what it once was.
Jul 22, 2016, 2:28 pm
#528
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: SNA
Programs: UA Premier Platinum, Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite (Lifetime Platinum), HHonors Gold
Posts: 241
At the hotel now.
The Club Lounge is finally open.
Space is quite nicely done, as are the rest of the renovated spaces in the hotel, very luxurious finishes and quite big, so hopefully shouldn't get too crowded. Only downside is there is no natural light.
Breakfast spread is okay but certainly not a full restaurant breakfast. My only other European Sheraton Club point of reference is the Amsterdam Airport location, and this is certainly inferior to the spread there. There was one hot dish, plus breads and pastries, cheese and meat/smoked fish, fruit, yogurt, and cereals. Not sure if you can still choose the restaurant breakfast as a platinum amenity.
But, there is an impressive afternoon tea service in the Club, complete with warm scones and clotted cream, and individual pastry towers with 5 different pastries. The only thing missing from a tourist attraction afternoon tea which you might pay quite dearly for is finger sandwiches. There are also about a dozen non-perishable snack options available like various nuts, crackers, and candy bars. Haven't seen the evening spread yet.
As for the rest of the hotel, the renovations are really quite impressive, and much nicer than I would have expected -- the Sheraton Grand label, which the staff are quite proud of, is clearly earned. There are still some renovations going on in some of the public spaces but most things seem to be close to ready. Though for all the work they did I do wish they had invested in reconfiguring the ground floor a bit more, as the odd location of reception only seems to have gotten odder with the renovation -- there are lots of columns and part-walls around the reception area that just make it feel claustrophobic and poorly thought-out despite the nice finishes. It's not clear but there is what looks like a Club specific check in counter near the Club that has a huge column directly in front of it. Like, making contact with the desk. It's strange.
I was upgraded to what is apparently a superior room. It's about the same size as the rooms I've had the other two times I've stayed here, not sure what a standard room is like though I've heard some rooms are very tiny, whereas this feels appropriately sized for London. As mentioned above all of the finishes in the room are extremely high quality; I'd put it at about the same quality level as the Great Northern, which I also quite like. The soundproofing seems to be much improved, and the air conditioning is also excellent, a major turnaround from the old state of affairs. (On my second night the air conditioning broke down in my room and wasn't able to be fixed until the next morning, apparently an issue owing to the floor having only recently been released from renovations. The staff handled it fairly well, and offered to move me but only had a smaller room available so I stuck it out. Fortunately they still have the fans available that they used to offer to guests to help with the old lousy AC, and fortunately it's not quite as warm in London as it was a week ago.)
Only complaint with the room is that the shower design is trying a bit too hard: it's a small-ish stand-up shower with a giant rainfall shower head, so there's essentially no way to get out of the stream of water to lather up without shutting off the shower. There's also a separate tub; I'd personally have voted for removing the tub and making a nice big shower stall like the Great Northern offers, but perhaps offering a tub is a part of the Sheraton Grand brand standards or an attempt to achieve a higher star rating? Being able to offer something nicer than the standard Sheraton toiletries would also better match the investment that's been made in the property.
It will be interesting to see how prices here evolve; with all the money spent, and the fact that not many London hotels offer an experience quite as modern as this hotel now does, I've got to imagine rates are heading up once the renovations are fully complete. For now cash rates are still not too bad. If I were going to use points, I would still be tempted to go for one of the other Cat 6 properties that achieves higher cash rates, though the Park Lane is now more competitive than it was, and the club lounge could be an attractive value proposition to some, especially since I understand the Meridien Piccadilly club lounge is not what it once was.
The Club Lounge is finally open.
Space is quite nicely done, as are the rest of the renovated spaces in the hotel, very luxurious finishes and quite big, so hopefully shouldn't get too crowded. Only downside is there is no natural light.
Breakfast spread is okay but certainly not a full restaurant breakfast. My only other European Sheraton Club point of reference is the Amsterdam Airport location, and this is certainly inferior to the spread there. There was one hot dish, plus breads and pastries, cheese and meat/smoked fish, fruit, yogurt, and cereals. Not sure if you can still choose the restaurant breakfast as a platinum amenity.
But, there is an impressive afternoon tea service in the Club, complete with warm scones and clotted cream, and individual pastry towers with 5 different pastries. The only thing missing from a tourist attraction afternoon tea which you might pay quite dearly for is finger sandwiches. There are also about a dozen non-perishable snack options available like various nuts, crackers, and candy bars. Haven't seen the evening spread yet.
As for the rest of the hotel, the renovations are really quite impressive, and much nicer than I would have expected -- the Sheraton Grand label, which the staff are quite proud of, is clearly earned. There are still some renovations going on in some of the public spaces but most things seem to be close to ready. Though for all the work they did I do wish they had invested in reconfiguring the ground floor a bit more, as the odd location of reception only seems to have gotten odder with the renovation -- there are lots of columns and part-walls around the reception area that just make it feel claustrophobic and poorly thought-out despite the nice finishes. It's not clear but there is what looks like a Club specific check in counter near the Club that has a huge column directly in front of it. Like, making contact with the desk. It's strange.
I was upgraded to what is apparently a superior room. It's about the same size as the rooms I've had the other two times I've stayed here, not sure what a standard room is like though I've heard some rooms are very tiny, whereas this feels appropriately sized for London. As mentioned above all of the finishes in the room are extremely high quality; I'd put it at about the same quality level as the Great Northern, which I also quite like. The soundproofing seems to be much improved, and the air conditioning is also excellent, a major turnaround from the old state of affairs. (On my second night the air conditioning broke down in my room and wasn't able to be fixed until the next morning, apparently an issue owing to the floor having only recently been released from renovations. The staff handled it fairly well, and offered to move me but only had a smaller room available so I stuck it out. Fortunately they still have the fans available that they used to offer to guests to help with the old lousy AC, and fortunately it's not quite as warm in London as it was a week ago.)
Only complaint with the room is that the shower design is trying a bit too hard: it's a small-ish stand-up shower with a giant rainfall shower head, so there's essentially no way to get out of the stream of water to lather up without shutting off the shower. There's also a separate tub; I'd personally have voted for removing the tub and making a nice big shower stall like the Great Northern offers, but perhaps offering a tub is a part of the Sheraton Grand brand standards or an attempt to achieve a higher star rating? Being able to offer something nicer than the standard Sheraton toiletries would also better match the investment that's been made in the property.
It will be interesting to see how prices here evolve; with all the money spent, and the fact that not many London hotels offer an experience quite as modern as this hotel now does, I've got to imagine rates are heading up once the renovations are fully complete. For now cash rates are still not too bad. If I were going to use points, I would still be tempted to go for one of the other Cat 6 properties that achieves higher cash rates, though the Park Lane is now more competitive than it was, and the club lounge could be an attractive value proposition to some, especially since I understand the Meridien Piccadilly club lounge is not what it once was.
BTW, where is the Club Lounge located? Is it where the temporary reception was a year or so ago?
Jul 22, 2016, 4:01 pm
#529
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Brooklyn
Programs: Delta Diamond, Bonvoy something good; sometimes other things too
Posts: 5,051
Agree with you on the shower/tub setup... It's really quite awkward. I don't know if yours was the same as I experienced when I was there in April, but the volume control for the shower was actually *in the tub*. Meaning you had to actually get out of the shower to turn it off! I, too, would have much rather had one large shower. And personally, I hate directly-above "rain shower" heads. And there was no hand-held that could be mounted to provide a more traditional "from behind" type of shower head (like most Westin showers have).
BTW, where is the Club Lounge located? Is it where the temporary reception was a year or so ago?
BTW, where is the Club Lounge located? Is it where the temporary reception was a year or so ago?
BTW, got to see the evening spread as well. Same extensive selection of non-perishable snacks as in the afternoon, as well as beer and wine, and a selection of hot and cold canapés that the staff were offering to serve at people's tables. Again not as elaborate as some clubs -- definitely not a meal replacement -- but a decent little evening snack. No hard liquor available, which IIRC is consistent with most if not all Sheraton clubs.
Jul 22, 2016, 5:44 pm
#530
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: Seat 1A, Juice pretty much everywhere, Mucci des Coins Exotiques
Posts: 34,339
Thanks for the Club report. Glad they are getting close to finishing the reno. The site in the Wiki says it's 75% done.
I think that is true for Europe as far as I can recall, but Sheraton's in Asia have hard liquor. Maybe the difference is those clubs are always fully staffed while in Europe it is mostly self-serve.
I think that is true for Europe as far as I can recall, but Sheraton's in Asia have hard liquor. Maybe the difference is those clubs are always fully staffed while in Europe it is mostly self-serve.
Jul 22, 2016, 11:12 pm
#531
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club, Marriott Bonvoy
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Englandshire
Programs: SPG LT Plat, BA G, BD*LG, MG Blue+ ...
Posts: 16,035
Several Sheraton club lounges in Europe do : the Sheraton Stockholm and Sheraton Grand Edinburgh for example.
Jul 23, 2016, 4:26 am
#532
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: Seat 1A, Juice pretty much everywhere, Mucci des Coins Exotiques
Posts: 34,339
So back to the Park Lane Club, is there someone there in the evening at all times? Do they serve the beer/wine or is it all self-serve?
Jul 23, 2016, 7:02 am
#533
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club, Marriott Bonvoy
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Englandshire
Programs: SPG LT Plat, BA G, BD*LG, MG Blue+ ...
Posts: 16,035
Jul 24, 2016, 11:22 am
#534
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Brooklyn
Programs: Delta Diamond, Bonvoy something good; sometimes other things too
Posts: 5,051
If you say so. I've been to both hotels several times and I thought they were beer/wine, but maybe I just didn't look for alcohol. Edinburgh is staffed, and Stockholm is sometimes staffed by one person. But they have to leave from time to time.
So back to the Park Lane Club, is there someone there in the evening at all times? Do they serve the beer/wine or is it all self-serve?
So back to the Park Lane Club, is there someone there in the evening at all times? Do they serve the beer/wine or is it all self-serve?
Jul 25, 2016, 10:49 am
#535
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: SNA
Programs: UA Premier Platinum, Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite (Lifetime Platinum), HHonors Gold
Posts: 241
The LM Piccadilly, just down the street from the Park Lane, *used* to stock self-service hard liquor, but stopped doing so about a year or so ago. Now just beer and wine (and a selection of those that are also limited compared to what they used to have). It's a shame. One of my favorite parts of the day when staying at the LMP was going to the club in the evening after work and pouring myself a gin and Schweppes bitter lemon (which they also no longer stock).
Jul 25, 2016, 10:50 am
#536
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: SNA
Programs: UA Premier Platinum, Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite (Lifetime Platinum), HHonors Gold
Posts: 241
Jul 25, 2016, 11:11 am
#537
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Join Date: Sep 2009
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Posts: 100,417
The Sheraton at FRA has hard alcohol. I don't think CDG does, and I don't remember AMS even though I was there most recently.
Aug 3, 2016, 9:58 pm
#539
Join Date: Apr 2001
Posts: 1,473
At the hotel now.
Breakfast spread is okay but certainly not a full restaurant breakfast. My only other European Sheraton Club point of reference is the Amsterdam Airport location, and this is certainly inferior to the spread there. There was one hot dish, plus breads and pastries, cheese and meat/smoked fish, fruit, yogurt, and cereals. Not sure if you can still choose the restaurant breakfast as a platinum amenity.
But, there is an impressive afternoon tea service in the Club, complete with warm scones and clotted cream, and individual pastry towers with 5 different pastries. The only thing missing from a tourist attraction afternoon tea which you might pay quite dearly for is finger sandwiches. There are also about a dozen non-perishable snack options available like various nuts, crackers, and candy bars. Haven't seen the evening spread yet.
Breakfast spread is okay but certainly not a full restaurant breakfast. My only other European Sheraton Club point of reference is the Amsterdam Airport location, and this is certainly inferior to the spread there. There was one hot dish, plus breads and pastries, cheese and meat/smoked fish, fruit, yogurt, and cereals. Not sure if you can still choose the restaurant breakfast as a platinum amenity.
But, there is an impressive afternoon tea service in the Club, complete with warm scones and clotted cream, and individual pastry towers with 5 different pastries. The only thing missing from a tourist attraction afternoon tea which you might pay quite dearly for is finger sandwiches. There are also about a dozen non-perishable snack options available like various nuts, crackers, and candy bars. Haven't seen the evening spread yet.
Anyone know what are the hours of the afternoon tea? Hours of the evening snacks?
Has has anyone been able to confirm whether Plats can still eat free of charge at the restaurant during breakfast in lieu of the Club Lounge?
Aug 3, 2016, 11:44 pm
#540
Join Date: Nov 2008
Programs: SPG-Plat, Hilton-Diamond, Club Carlson-Silver, Cathay-Diamond, Virgin-Gold
Posts: 2,183