BigLar

Gosh! Why is no one surprised at this?

Melville

FWIW, this was my feeling from before the opening, also.

Based on my stay, I am happy I gave the St. Pancras a trial stay to experience the property firsthand. Getting upgraded to a Chambers Club was icing on the cake and thoroughly enjoyed the property and staff. Fortunately, I did not experience some of the issues others have discussed although I can empathize having experienced similar issues at other properties from time to time which were occasionally met with a less than enthusiastic response to make things right.

If the rate is reasonable, I would return, otherwise, back to my personal fav WIQ where they always take care to make my stays enjoyable. ^

YMMV

aaupgrade

I will be trying this hotel for the first time next month. I am a former RCC devotee and have been promising Sharon for years that I would try GH some time.

Last October I made reservations at RCC for next month but things changed (RCC left Marriott), so I booked MCH and SPR (same price at both) and after evaluating the pluses and minuses of each I decided on SPR a couple months ago.

Since originally booking last year I check prices at least twice a week for all London Marriott properties, hoping that GH would become competitive as I still want to check it out, but alas GH prices regularly run about £100 more than the price I had booked SPR. So in my case the rate is reasonable at SPR and that is the main reason for staying there. FWIW, I am still checking prices and will do so up until a couple days before arrival, so there is still a chance I may change to GH.

Hopefully as a Plat at SPR I will receive an upgrade, lounge access and generally enjoy the hotel. Time will tell; of course if I don't, then next time I will just move on to another property that does provide the benefits and service to which I am accustomed at a reasonable price.

SkiAdcock

In looking at the website, they are promoting it as a Private Club for Chamber rooms/suites & VIP visitors. Evidently VIP includes only Platinum members. They're also touting the butler service, so they're pushing this as a very high-end hotel.

My guess is the hotel knows Golds get lounge access, but because they're touting Chambers Club as a private club rather than exec lounge, they're trying to keep it exclusive, but technically meet the requirements for lounge access to Golds by offering up the brekkie, coffee, and 1 free drink/snack.

If indeed it's considered a private club, ala Club90 & Cloud lounges at dif properties, then they can probably get away with it & thus them offering anything to Golds beyond brekkie is going above & beyond.

Hey, I said I was thinking of trying this property especially due to its storied history & the building. But if I'm not guaranteed lounge access, etc, then of course I'm going to stick w/ my beloved Grosvenor House.

I did some dummy bookings for next month. SPR comes out less if you're looking at standard room. Sometimes only by 20GBP from GH; sometimes 100GBP. CH, interestingly, remains the highest of the 3, probably due to Big Ben etc. FWIW - I'd expect SPR to jump in rates as it gets more established, etc.

Someone earlier in the thread mentioned getting Chamber Club access even though in a Barlow room. Looking at the website, there is one Barlow room offered that gets Chamber Club access. It's more expensive than the Barlow room without access, so my guess is if you're a gold that gets upgraded to that particular Barlow type you'd get access, but if you get a regular Barlow room you won't.

Cheers.

lexdevil

I think the "Barlow Club" room is a regular Barlow room (though not the smallest ones, which cannot take roll-away beds) with Chambers Club access added to it. It seems to cost about GBP 50 more that a comparable room without access. Our reservation was upgraded to "Barlow Club" before our arrival due to PP status. I didn't notice anything unusual about the room.

Whether Chambers Club access is worth the additional price depends on how much you'll use it. You will get a solid breakfast, tea (w/ cucumber sandwiches, a few nice pastries, very dry & crumbly scones, good clotted cream) in the afternoon, before dinner canapes in the evening, free drinks all day (soft drinks, bottled water, tea, wine, beer), and free cocktails during the canapes hour (they disappear later in the evening, when you might really want them). The cocktails are self service, and they do not provide lemon/lime wedges or any of the things you might need beyond the booze and basic mixers.

Melville

This was my POV, also. Hopefully, you will be upgraded as a Plat and not have any issues with Chambers Club access and generally enjoy the ambiance of the beautifully restored historic hotel.

Read about the butler service on the website when I checked my reservation and noticed the upgrade well in advance to a Chambers Club room. Never saw or heard a thing about butler service while at SPR. Other than being escorted to the room to complete checkin formalities, there was nothing special noticed or offered at SPR compared to WIQ or other Marriott FS properties in Europe. Butler service may have been available, however, no mention or promotion of this feature during my stay.
(I did not ask about it and enjoyed my stay just fine ... I suppose I am not really the butler type of traveller.)


Overall, I thought the Chambers Club was worth it. Also, for whatever reason, on my visits to the Club the staff were very attentive wanting to make a pot of tea, serve coffee in the morning, offering to make cocktails and pour my beer. Not being the butler type, I thanked them for offering and looked after my own bar tending on a self serve basis.

SkiAdcock

I'm a butler kind of gal - I would have let them do it all

Cheers.

Melville

I may reconsider my butler POV ... if another visit to SPR is in the cards.

Platcomike

I never hear of, from, or about the butler during my three days last month either, even though I had a Club Suite.

SkiAdcock

Information on Chambers Butler Service (from hotel website):

http://www.marriott.com/hotelwebsite...ervice4NOW.pdf

Cheers.

aaupgrade

I might have to try it out if I get upgraded to a Chambers Club room or higher, after all I will already be used to it from the cruise I finish shortly before arriving. Even though I have a butler on the cruise, I doubt I will use him/her other than perhaps for in suite dining. and in particular breakfast. The only down side is that I am slumming at the Istanbul RC between the end of the cruise and SPR, so the use of a butler may have worn off by the time I arrive at SPR.

It is going to be tough to return to normal life after the next few months of travel.

thegoderic

In practical terms, that means that you get escorted to your room at check in (although I've bypassed that on occasions as I don't want to wait until the "butler" appears).

I've never had any of the other services mentioned or offered. I'll look in the room next time and see if the details are there in a brochure, but some of the items mentioned in teh brochure are news to me.

aaupgrade

Well I did not get a Chambers room so I will have to struggle without a butler. Who will serve me breakfast in the morning? I am in a Barlow King and the room is large and nicely appointed.

I did get lounge access, so I stopped in the Chambers lounge late yesterday evening after my arrival. It is a very nice, large and spacious lounge. It makes my former haunts, the RCC lounge, look small by comparison.

orknot2be

Really sorry to see the Chancery Court leave Marriott. It was one of our favorite places in London. So far from what I've read I'm not sure that the S. Pancras is a good substitute so will really have to start researching the other Marriott London properties. Appreciate all those who post reviews and I'm sorry to say that when we stayed at the CCL, I was neglectful to do so (but never had anything bad to say).

beachfan

The biggest drawback to me seems to be location. I'm also a Chancery Court devotee (or was) and loved the ability to walk back after theatre.

County Hall, while central, just seems to be too hectic a location. But I'll have to look at the reviews.