aaupgrade

If you scroll up the page you will see that the heading of this section is for:

Elite Membership Benefits at The Ritz-Carlton Hotels

hockeyinsider

Well, if that's the case (I'm on slow, in-flight wifi) then it is what is, but it would be unusual for Ritz-Carlton specific terms to be more generous in terms of upgrades than other Marriott properties.

aaupgrade

Geez, go back and read the whole T&Cs for both:

MR suite upgrades possible for Gold or Plat

RC suite upgrades possible for Plat

End game RC terms not more generous.

AND for BOTH T&Cs the get out of suite upgrades for any MR or RC hotel:

"Upgrades are subject to availability AND identified by each hotel"

hockeyinsider

By more generous I mean that platinums actually receive something that golds don't receive. I think many platinums have complained about this before. There isn't much difference between gold and platinum, especially with so many golds by virtue of United or SPG. Restricting a gold's upgrade to non-suites is an enhancement for platinums.

And we can argue about what "identified by each hotel" means, but if a suite is available then it is more difficult for a property to claim they don't have to do suite upgrades, especially if you've booked the highest category regular room.

ords

Planning a 1.5 day trip for work, but haven't been to London in over 20 years. Meeting to take place near LHR and while I know it's logical to stay near there, I would rather head into London proper for both nights and enjoy the evening there instead of overlooking Heathrow.

Trip is on my own, so for hotel budgeting purposes let's say I'm not worried about it.

Question; has any board members stayed in any of the speciality suites at the St. Pancras?

s0479

My mom and I stayed in one last year - it was very nice! Loved the lounge too- it was one of the best I have been in. Would love to stay there again.

BillBurn

I've stayed in a Chambers Junior Suite and Chambers Grand Junior Suite but not in one of the named Suites. If the Grand Junior Suite is any indication, the named suites must be great. The Junior Suite was nice, but not nearly as big as the Grand Junior. In general the whole Chambers wing is great, nothing like it at the other London Marriotts. Definitely an upgrade over something at LHR! I've taken to staying at the St Pancras for most trips just due to the location, although its a better location for business vs. sightseeing. You can take the Piccadilly line almost directly from the hotel to get out to/from the airport.

hockeyinsider

It's a quick direct trip on the Underground from Paddington, where the Heathrow Express arrives and departs, to King's Cross, the stop about 100 yards from the St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel.

ords

I noticed that looking at the London Tube Map. No worse than taking the blue line from ORD to downtown Chicago.

I'm also looking at the Park Lane and Grosvenor House as well.

hockeyinsider

The J.W. Marriott Grosvenor House is in a nice, quiet neighborhood.

The neighborhood is similar for the Marriott Park Lane, but there is considerably more traffic and noise there.

The Renaissance St. Pancras is in an area that not long ago was kind of seedy but is fine now. However, it's pretty busy from early morning until late at night due to all of the transport connections passing through that area.

I'm guessing if your meetings are at Heathrow you won't have any time during the day to do anything. So, I presume you want somewhere where you can get a good dinner at night or maybe in an area where you can go for nice walks in the early morning?

If you don't need to be in London, the Windsor Marriott Hotel is about 10 minutes by car from Windsor Castle and 10 minutes by car from London-Heathrow Airport. Windsor is worth visiting in and of itself.

ords

Exactly, meetings done by 5. Looking at evening hours for a dinner, walk, so the area I'd like to stay at has some interesting things. I enjoy architecture which is why St. Pancras appeals to me. Appreciate the information and suggestion.

ords

A quick follow up; Stayed over February 28th-01 March and couldn't have been more happy and well taken care of. While it is not too ideally located if you're looking for typical touristy sites, the Kings X and St. Pancras hub does offer public transit connections throughout London and beyond. My underground ride between T5 at LHR and Kings X took about 1 hour using the Piccadilly line although with the room upgrade I had the ability to have a car hire to drive me out there. Given I was there during the recent snow event, it made much more sense to use the underground. Very easy to use and literally a few hundred feet from the hotel.

I booked a air/hotel package through Vacations by Marriott (Expedia) and was still able to receive points and treatment as a Plat. Booked a junior suite through the package but ended up in The Hayward Suite for a nominal pre arranged amount after emailing and chatting with Head of Guest relations as he couldn't guarantee a upgrade based on bookings at the time. At checkin, they were turning people away as the hotel was booked full.

The suite itself was massive, almost 1600sqft. I'm not one to take photos so no posting those here. Upon arrival I had a welcoming gift in the room of a bottle of Veuve Clicquot, assortment of fruit plate, assortment of pastries and a handwritten note welcoming me to the hotel and London. I only had a carry on piece of luggage but the FDC was insistent on having someone escort me to the room.

The Chambers Club...I can see why people would want to make this, a need to try this once place. Very inviting, staff extremely attentive and proactive. Food selection above average, beverages comparable to RC. Not sure if anyone else is aware but they have their own beer and the bottle label is taken directly from the top of the staircase.

All in all, I would book here again. Granted, I set the bar high for myself and didn't see the other rooms which people have mentioned, but without a doubt the hotel delivered for what I was looking for and then some.

SkiAdcock

Thanks for the trip report. Much appreciated.

Cheers.

hockeyinsider

Does anyone know if the rooms have been renovated since it open? The rooms at 7-years-old must be showing some age be now.

hockeyinsider

1) How much was the package?
2) How much was the upgrade?
3) Was the evening food enough for dinner?
4) Were the drinks self-serve? Do you recall the wine?