dts9

Does anyone know (a) the rules for kids in executive lounges and (b) availability of free wifi (in room) for elite members (gold platinum). With facetime etc, in room wifi is important...

1. Park Lane
2. County Hall
3. Marble Arch

I think either County Hall or Park Lane sound ok for kids. Has anyone been to Marble Arch recently. If so, is it far from subway and dangerous walking, or is it ok. Should I stay at cat8 Park Lane or is cat7 Marble Arch OK....

Fripp

I've stayed at Marble Arch and the area is not safe for a 12 year old to walk around. The subway is a little less (.75) than a mile away, and my family walked it daily without any problems, but they were not comfortable walking in the area alone.

Just my opinion.

treznor

I spent about 2-3 months at the Marriott Marble Arch last year. I'd rate Edgeware Rd as probably safer (if a bit more foreign) than Oxford St, which is at its southern end. The stretch of Edgeware (which the Marriott is about 2/3 of the way up) from Oxford St to Marylebone Rd is mostly middle eastern, with many middle eastern eateries, groceries, and hookah parlors. It's heavily trafficked, both foot and car, though not as heavily trafficked as Oxford St.

Safety-wise, there are few areas of London I'd honestly call safe for a 12 year-old tourist out by herself (or himself) and Marble Arch isn't one of those areas. However, I didn't find it to be any more or less dangerous than the numerous other areas I was in.

The Marriott Marble Arch is quite convenient to a number of transportation options. The Central line is at the bottom of Edgeware at Oxford St (about 1/3 of a mile), the Circle, District, Hammersmith & City, and Bakerloo lines are at the top of Edgeware near Marylebone (also about 1/3 of a mile), and there are numerous buses that stop almost directly in front of the hotel.

phlwookie

I usually stay at Grosvenor House but agree Marble Arch may be the better option in this case if being around Park Lane is better than County Hall on the Thames. As to safety, I've never felt unsafe in that area of London, even when someone's protesting at the arch or Speaker's Corner is a bit more eccentric than usual. I think the primary issue with the Oxford Street area is what you typically see in areas of high pedestrian traffic - pickpocketing. I've had a few attempts over the years, but not many, and all were successfully repelled as I was ready for them. But I've headed to the Sainsbury's Local across from the Arch on Oxford many times late at night and never had a problem.

DawgmanOH

Are you planning to have your 12 year old walk around by herself or is that an extrapolation others are making?

My wife, daughter (11) and I stayed at Marble Arch for a week this past November and had no issue with the location. That said, I didn't send my daughter out by herself to get a newspaper or go to the tube.

If you were going to be with her, I would not hesitate to say that the Marble Arch will work fine (it has an indoor pool that would work well). Especially when it is 20% or so less than the other Marriott hotels, in general.

NJUPINTHEAIR

Although it is not exactly downtown, I believe the Regent's Park Marriott has both a pool and a lounge that is not so restrictive, and it is only a Category 6 property.

SkiAdcock

If I were the OP I'd stay at County Hall for all the reasons listed in this thread. I think the daughter would love it. If the OP doesn't stay there, then Marble Arch would be 2nd choice for location.

IIRC Regent's lounge isn't open on weekend, although it's been a couple of years since I stayed there so that might have changed.

Grosvenor Square does not have a pool. Neither does Grosvenor House at the moment, although w/ the new owners I've heard that will be changing (but will still be 12-18 mths out).

A lot of the London properties have free wired i-net in room for gold/plat, but not necessarily wireless. Some lounges offer free wireless.

Cheers.

VickiSoCal

Personally I might let my 12 year old DD wander a bit in the County Hall area, go get lunch, etc. during the day if I was working, as long as she stayed along the Thames. Impossible to get lost, lots of people out and about. That woiuld be my location pick.

PWMFlyer19

This is not Marriott related, but I would highly recommend picking up a cheap wifi travel router before you go. As mentioned, most of these places do not have in-room wifi and when they do, it is usually spotty. And I know my kids when they can not get on the internet. If she just needs it for iPhone or BlackBerry, a Boingo account for $7.95 for the month might be an additional option for roaming, that would be a cheap add-on rather than potential big data charges.

The tech forum will have threads on suggestion for router and/or Boingo.

Cheers.

cyberdad

+1.

As posted a bazillion times previously, my personal favorite is GS, but there's no pool. So for the OP's purposes, County Hall is a no-brainer, IMHO, for all of the reasons previously stated. It's also handy to the tube. I'd also think a 12-year old girl would be perfectly safe in the immediate vacinity during the daytime.

bosman

+1 for County Hall. #1 fabulous location with all the traditional tourist sites within easy walking distance, #2 the hotel feels very regal/very British, #3 a top of the line fitness facility (may not be of interest to a 12 year old) and, if I recall correctly, a pool.

Also, check out the Film/Movie Museum which is also right below the hotel, next to where you get tickets for the London eye. Alot of stuff there she will love!

TrojanHorse

Not mentioned but I took my two boys to the Marriott Kensington, i've consistently had fabulous upgrades.

Lounge is pretty good but no kids allowed. However there is not a problem of bringing the food back to your room either.

the pool is Ok, not great but ok.. but my kids seemed to like it so what do I know

close to the tube (Earl's court), a food store across the street makes life a bit more reasonable when it comes to snacks

anyway that my two cents

its where I stay in London with or without the boys

jerseyfinn

The last time I was at MA the rooms had wired Internet only, but a quick check on Marriott.com says that all three properties are wired/wireless in the rooms & all three should have pools ( I know that MA and CH do ).

Regarding Marble Arch and CL access for children. Children are allowed in the CL but the hotel policy is that children must be supervised by adults. Not really a big deal. Although MA does indeed offer BF in the CL, golds/plats also have the option of a full BF in the restaurant for a discounted fee, so the OP could elect to use either to suit their particular desire each morning. As noted by others, Marble Arch is not in a dangerous neighborhood and it is in fact nicely located in terms of the Underground and Oxford Street. London is a big city and one takes it all in stride and uses prudent considerations.

As to which property to stay at. I'd suggest that the OP decide what character of a London visit they wish. Do you want to be on the Thames and see Parliament, Ben & the London Eye out your window ( in which case you'll want CH and an UG to a river-facing room ) or do you prefer being near the shopping district and Hyde Park ( Park Lane or Marble Arch). All 3 properties are close to the Underground. CH is a massive L-shaped property with long hallways whereas MA is a typical compact hotel. IMO CH feels a bit isolated at night, but then again, you can open the window and listen to Ben. You'll always cross the Westminster Bridge to begin your day from CH where as PP & MA are off the main street and might feel a bit quieter in a relative sense ( but CH will be equally tranquil when the tourists leave). With MA or PP you come down the lift and pop out on the street. Both properties allow back street walking where you can parallel busier Oxford street whilst navigating your way around London.

With a pocket map of London in hand, you can walk from any of the three properties to Picadilly Circus and all of the surrounding tourist attractions near it. Above all things, London is a walking city and you'll use the Underground to sprint to destinations such as the Tower of London or the Natural Science Museum or the V&A Museum etc. . And yes, you might do one ride in a double decker bus to make the trip special .

Have a nice trip.

Barry

lexdevil

County Hall definitely has a pool. Children are definitely welcome in the concierge lounge. County Hall is also right next to the British Film Institute, which offers family programming along with its usual fare. There are often free performances in front of the National Theatre, located next to the BFI. For kids who get bored with London's cultural offerings, there's an overpriced NAMCO arcade in the same building as the hotel.

miles_navigator

bumping up thread; any updates on if this hotel is avail via points?