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London Marriott Hotel Kensington [Master Thread]

London Marriott Hotel Kensington [Master Thread]

Old Nov 21, 2019, 5:24 pm
  #76  
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 1,151
How does this hotel compare to the Marriott Maida Vale? I've stayed at the Maida Vale one but was also considering this one. It's one category higher (6).
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Old Nov 22, 2019, 7:26 am
  #77  
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: EWR
Programs: UA Gold, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Silver, Hertz
Posts: 432
I've stayed in both, I prefer the location of the Kensington vs. Maida Vale. It is especially easy to take the Piccadilly line from LHR to Earl's Court, and it is a 5 minute walk to the hotel. The rooms are pretty similar, if you get a renovated room at the Kensington (they have not finished renovating all the rooms yet.) The lounge at the Kensington in the basement level, so no windows. But the recent renovations have improved the look and feel of it. If you are talking about staying at the Kensington in the immediate future, be aware that the lobby and restaurant are under construction. The bar area is still open. In the past, Plats and Titaniums had their choice of breakfast in the Lounge or the buffet in the restaurant. Since the restaurant is currently closed (breakfast served in a conference room), that option does not exist. I asked at the Front Desk whether it would still be an option in the future, but they didn't know.

I would have no hesitation to stay at the Maida Vale again, I just happen to like the Kensington a bit more.
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Old Nov 30, 2019, 8:20 pm
  #78  
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: ROA / CLT
Programs: AA Plat, Marriott Life Plat
Posts: 801
I stayed here at the Marriott Kensington for five nights a couple weeks ago, upgraded to a Renovated Junior Suite using my SNA certificates.

The lobby construction was still going on, and it was a bit of hassle but not unbearable. There was considerable noise at some times during the day, that I could clearly hear from my room on the second floor. However, things seemed to be quiet until about 10 in the morning, and no work was done on the weekends, so it wasn't much of a problem. The most inconvenient thing was that only one elevator was available, so sometimes there was a bit of a wait to get a lift up or down.

As best as I can tell, the Junior Suites don't all have the same layout, so don't expect your room to be exactly like the one on the website. But what I can says is, while there are a few layout quirks, I completely loved the room. The new design is great, with lots of style and character without trying too hard (a problem with too many recent Marriott renovations). Everything was very fresh and comfortable, and room had plenty of space -- including a round table with four chairs, a sofa, and *two* king size beds (inconceivable!). The bathroom had plenty of room too, with double sinks and a large counter. For one person the suite was almost too big, to where I could lose track of where I put things. I felt a bit guilty as I've know people living in London who've had a smaller flat than this room.

On the layout quirks (which may only affect some of the suites): 1) The sofa was perpendicular to the television and right up to it, so it really wasn't practical to watch shows from there. 2) The window was in a corner alcove, so you couldn't really see out unless you were in that corner. If you did look out, the view was through the glass canopy that drapes the front of the hotel -- and that gap between the window and the canopy had a lot of spider webs. A lot. My arachnophobic partner probably would have had to ask for another room. As for me, I closed the curtain which made the room perfectly dark and had some of the best sleep I've had all year.

I only got to the lounge a couple times during food hours, though what they had was pretty basic. Breakfast in particular seemed like the bare minimum, and on the instances I got down for that I found many tables were left covered with dirty dishes. It didn't bother me much on this trip, but those looking forward to lounge amenities would likely be disappointed.

The location of this hotel is a great compromise for vacation trip -- reasonably close to restaurants, tube stops and some museums while being a lot more affordable than staying in the City or the West End. Airport access isn't bad either -- a direct trip on the Underground from Earl's Court, and taxi / Uber trips aren't too bad either since you're already on the west side and can avoid much of the congestion.

It was really refreshing to be in a Marriott room so nice that I really didn't want to leave. Other than the lounge limitations, this truly was a great stay and I'm sure this property will be one of my first choices the next time I'm in London.

P.S. A protip for those staying here -- walking along the hotel driveway where it passes under the hotel is a good shortcut for heading towards the Earl's Court tube station.
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Old Feb 9, 2020, 7:02 am
  #79  
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: ROA / CLT
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I stayed here again last weekend, so wanted to share that good progress has been made on the construction but work is still ongoing. The work on the lobby / check-in area is complete and the new desk follows the same retro-modern design style of the updated rooms. Both elevators are operating again too, alleviating the wait times from when there was just one in operation for guests.

However, the restaurant was still closed for refurbishment, and construction noise could still be heard in the rooms during working hours.
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Old Feb 18, 2020, 7:45 am
  #80  
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: EWR
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I confirmed the following with the Kensington today: the restaurant renovations are due to be completed on March 27 and (sadly) Platinums and higher will no longer have the option of dining in the restaurant for breakfast (unless paying or part of your room rate, of course). It is strictly the lounge breakfast.
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Old Sep 29, 2021, 1:47 pm
  #81  
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Has any elite stayed at this property recently? I'm trying to figure out what the following means in terms of benefits:
  • Lounge Access: Closed. Lounge benefits served in Cast Iron Bar & Grill.
I know breakfast is served at the bar & grill but what does lounge benefits mean? Can I get bottles of water from them? Evening snacks/drinks? Any help appreciated.

-RM
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Old Oct 5, 2021, 4:54 am
  #82  
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I thought I would update this thread since I just stayed at this property.

Breakfast: still served as a buffet in the Cast Iron Bar & Grill in the lobby. Made-to-order eggs also possible via the chef over where the scrambled eggs (barely cooked), bacon and mushrooms are located.

Lounge: just re-opened. They have bottled juices and a coffee machine at all times. Beer & wine from 530-930 and some snacks from 530-730. I used the lounge just once during my stay. They only offer Stella from a tap and two reds or two whites. One wine bottle had a cork while the other was a twist-off. Of course no cork opener to be found.

I was there during a very busy weekend so no upgrades available.

-RM
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Old Oct 6, 2021, 9:56 am
  #83  
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Originally Posted by RobOnLI
...Lounge: just re-opened. They have bottled juices and a coffee machine at all times. Beer & wine from 530-930 and some snacks from 530-730. I used the lounge just once during my stay....
You didn't enter lounge via Marriott status given to UA FFers did you? Via Marriott organic status or room type? What was the short ex-IAD route ?
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Old Nov 28, 2021, 11:06 am
  #84  
 
Join Date: Jun 2021
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Food options during isolation

What are the food options at Marriott Kensington? Im booked to stay there in December, and the new PCR arrivals test rule is kicking in. Is room service the only option? Im also thinking of picking up some food from Paddington Station as I arrive, and keeping it on ice in the room
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Old Nov 29, 2021, 7:13 am
  #85  
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: UK
Programs: Titanium at Marriott & Platinum at American (both Lifetime) + various others
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We had a couple of stays over the summer - restaurant is standard 4-Star 'Cast Iron Grill', so nothing special but perfectly OK. Rooms have small fridges which are empty. There is a large Sainsbury's supermarket just across the road if that works for you - plenty of food/drink options.
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Old Feb 19, 2022, 5:14 pm
  #86  
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Miami, FL
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Restaurant is pretty pitiful imo (for dinner). Do not plan on this being acceptable other than in a pinch.
Breakfast is not included in the restaurant for Elites... apparently one must have it in the lounge.

Base rooms are absurdly small. Smaller than the estimated 22 sq m they claim on the website. There is 18" from the base of the bed to the wall to walk through. 18" means one must turn sideways or scrunch. Thank goodness they blocked out a larger room for me tomorrow. Window in base room is old... single pane. You can hear the wind coming in and cars on the street.

Gym is super large but one cannot access it from inside the hotel. You have to walk outside in gym attire in the freezing cold to get to it. Admittedly it's close, but still it's annoying.

All in all day 1 of my stay quite underwhelming.

Exec lounge is a joke. It's now in a "closet" style room, no window. You can sit in a dark windowless room with 30 of your closest covid friends, not wearing masks. Even sans covid, this room would be depressing.

Luckily got upgraded to a much larger room (Superior Executive Room) for the remaining days of my stay. Made the stay worthwhile as it's a nice large quiet room. If you can get this level of room, I'd recommend the hotel even with the issues above. But if you are booking the base room and get it, that, coupled with the issues above make this hotel a no go for me.

Last edited by TravelinSperry; Mar 13, 2022 at 2:40 pm
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Old Mar 31, 2023, 7:14 am
  #87  
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: LHR, MSN
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Posts: 201
Have stayed here for 20 nights or so this year as our corporate contract switched from the Xenia. Overall, have been pretty happy. Good sized rooms, nice staff, and I think the lounge is fairly good. I love the bigger gym with more equipment - it's a 20 second walk away and definitely a reason to stay here if having access to more than 2 treadmills, 1 bike, and a set of free weights is important to you.

Low-points:
  • Rooms in the back section (Ground floor rooms, and those -30 to -51) are directly over the District tube lines and I can regularly hear the trains pass (faint, but still noticeable). Anything in the main wing doesn't suffer from that problem.
  • Half of the minifridges are room temperature. When a couple of other corporate travelers asked why, they were told "for medicine storage". The light still turns on, so it's plugged in, but just room temp half the time with no user temp control knob. Wish they'd actually make it usable or just remove them.
  • Points for stays have not posted once in 7 stays. I always need to fill out the missing stay request. They credit almost immediately after raising the request, but an annoyance that I have to remember two weeks after my stay to enter in the request.
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Old May 16, 2023, 8:53 pm
  #88  
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: YYZ
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Posts: 463
Had a 9 night stay earlier last month. Picked this hotel due to decent rates at the time and overall not bad reviews.
Booked a Queens Room. Was celebrating my birthday as well as my first trip in 3 years with my girlfriend and I asked on the chat the night prior to see whether there were any possibilities for a room upgrade to a kings size bed and was granted. They also delivered a birthday card and a small box of chocolate to the room. A very nice touch.


Pros:
- Lower rate than the centrally located Marriott properties but still decent location. 5 to 8min walk to both the Earl's Court tube station and Gloucester Road tube station, giving to the Circle, District and Piccadilly Line. 30min travel time (including walking time) to most of the London tourist attraction/area.
- There are several restaurants in the area should you need to eat in the area.
- Sainsbury's across the street.
- Newly renovated rooms.
- Daily housekeeping - This should be a given and shouldn't really be a Pro, but coming from North America in the post-covid world where the standards seems to be housekeeping every 3 nights, I was pretty impressed with the daily housekeeping here. They changed all the towels daily and seems to have changed the sheets daily too. Couple days we left the room pretty late (like after 12pm/1pm) and I was half expecting that housekeeping will miss us, and then in the evening we still came back to a fully serviced room.
- Air-Conditioning - Fully functional. I was worried about weak or no air-conditioning in Europe especially since it's only early April. I need to sleep in a cold room. Thankfully the A/C was working great and kept our room very cold.


Cons:
- Bathroom design was probably the weakest spot in the room. Maybe it's an European thing? I don't know... No ventilation fan in the bathroom, and bathroom door opens outwards into the room and will auto close. Half bathtub door. And there is also a plastic ring thing limiting the movement of the shower head hose. (Wish I can describe this better)
- Lounge was underwhelming. Basement windowless room. Breakfast offering was underwhelming as well. Didn't try to the evening wine or canaps as we were out.
- As the previous poster mentioned, the fridge seems to be room temperature only. Thankfully we didn't need to use it.


Points posted promptly the day after checkout.
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Old Jul 5, 2023, 3:16 am
  #89  
 
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 258
Happy to report that breakfast for elites is now once again served in the Cast Iron Restaurant.

Buffet style with full continental options along with hot buffett and made to order eggs.
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Old Aug 14, 2023, 3:03 am
  #90  
aap
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
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Posts: 240
6 out of 10 in my opinion

It's in a quiet part of town about 10-15 minutes from several museums including the Natural History Museum. As previous posters mentioned, Earl's Court tube station is only 5 minute walk from property to get you around the rest of the city. Took a 55-minute ride on Piccadilly line from Heathrow to hotel for only 2.10 GBP. The Cromwell Hospital bus stop is right outside the Kensington Marriott, so another great option for traveling.

I booked a Queen Deluxe room and was upgraded to a Family Room (2 Queen beds) using Suite Night Awards. I did get Exec Lounge access / free breakfast as a titanium. As others have mentioned, the Executive Lounge is pretty dreary and not well maintained. They are serving breakfast (6:30am - 10:30am weekdays / 7am - 11am weekends) and hors d'oeuvres in the evening upstairs in the restaurant. The breakfast is decent (far from amazing) with a selection of pastries, cheeses, meats, fruits, yogurts, cereals, and hot items. Eggs and pancakes are available to order on-demand. Outside of the free alcohol, the hors d'oeuvres in the evening were pretty limited. Lots of mini-salads.

Staff is nice and helpful. Rooms are good. Lounge / breakfast is average.







This is the dreary executive lounge. Very few snacks throughout the day. Bottled drinks don't get restocked very often either.
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