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YYA361

A search here ? No, did not think of that. Thanks.

SethLevy

I stayed at this hotel on an award night last November and it was amazing. the property is new (building may be old outside, but all new inside). Rooms are absolutely 5 star. Not sure what type room I received, I assume it was a standard since i was on an award night and have no status with Marriott (transfer AMEX points). The room was huge, had a sofa and two chairs a large working desk, high speed internet a very large and comforatable king size bed (real king-not two twins pushed together) nice linens with a fluffy duvet (rare these days at most marriott) bed was not a feather bed, but very soft (i hate those feather beds) lobby is very modern, staff young and cool and the resturant look like one that would be in NY. I believe they have a wine bar off the lobby that looked very hip.

I am a Hyatt Diamond and Hyatt just recently got a hotel in London. But given my experience at the Park Lane I have booked my next three trips at this marriott property. Rates are reasonable. 179 Pounds, use rate code DBK (deutche Bank for 170). I think it rivels the dorchester and is more modern no queen beds and is much nicer than the FS and Halkin.

YYA361

Thanks Seth - great comments - I will look forward to it.

Athena53

My husband and I were there earlier this month on an Award stay. I'm Silver so this was probably a standard room. Our experience was similar to sethlevy's except that I can't remember if we had a couch! We spent a couple of days at the Marriott Marble Arch, too, so we could see the differences (MA is one category lower).

The Park Lane had a heated towel rack, little white mats by the bed that they put out at night, turndown service with mints, more TV channels and a heated mirror in the bathroom so it didn't fog up after a shower. Great location- Marble Arch tube station across one street, Hyde Park across the other. My one complaint was that they gave us USAToday without asking- I noticed others got the Times. I ALWAYS Prefer the local paper, especially when it's the quality of The Times and they must just give USAToday to Americans.

Edited to add another really picky observation- I agree with seth about the bar (didn't use the restaurant) but the young waiter couldn't identify an ingredient listed on the menu on a pizza. We ordered it anyway and it turned out to be arugula, which is also called rocket- I can't remember what it was called on the menu. Could have trained the staff a little better. Very good pizza.

I checked later and found out that the nightly rate was 225 GBP per night, plus 17.5% VAT. Way too steep for our budget but as a Reward Stay it was wonderful.

Cholula

We stayed here on an award a year ago and generally enjoyed our visit. I'm Platinum but didn't receive anything but an ordinary room. But the room was quite nice, I might add. The two things we liked best about the hotel were the Concierge Lounge which served a very decent breakfast and the restaurant where we enjoyed two very nice dinners. And I agree with other comments that the location is hard to beat.

YYA361

Thanks Athena and Cholula - great insight - we are looking forward to our first visit to London - any other tips ?

FlyMan

I stayed there for 3 nights (Sat~Mon) - about 2 weeks ago. I used points for 2 nights (Sat~Sun) and paid for 1 night (Mon) as they did not have award availability on Monday.

Arrived at the hotel at 1PM after transatlantic flight. The guest relations manager checked me in right away. He re-confirmed my reservation (2 nights: award/e-certs, 1 night: paid), and he told me they changed to a lower room rate (176) than I originally booked for the 1 paid night - nice! ^ Platinum welcome amenity was offered, and newspaper preference was asked.

A bellman grabbed my suitcase and we walked into an elevator. When I saw -he pressed the button of "2", I thought...hmmm...last time I was on the 5th floor (top floor)... He escorted me to a room without a room number, yes - it was a suite! (and I did not even ask for it!)

There was a hardwood floor hallway after he opened the door. The first left door is for a bedroom, which is facing the park. The second left door is for a living room. It was large and facing the corner of Park Lane and Oxford. Thanks to the thick double window, I didn't hear a thing in spite of the busy traffic right outside. The only right door is for a guest toilet - the room had 1.5 bathroom. The main bathroom was bright and spacious, and had a separated shower section and a bathtub.

They gave me a letter explaining their new rules of Executive Lounge. The bellman explained to me in the elevator - no kids under 12 are allowed, no jeans/t-shirts are allowed, etc - basically they want to maintain the professional and sophisticated atmosphere. So I changed my polo shirt/jeans to dress shirt/nicer pants, and went there. But I saw a lot of people with jeans/shorts/t-shirts,... I guess they did not get a memo?

The executive lounge serves continental breakfast, snack, evening appetizer, and dessert (open till 10PM or so). On weekends (Sat/Sun), continental breakfast is not served in the lounge - it is replaced by continental breakfast at the restaurant (140 Park Lane). They said the breakfast charge will show up on the statement, but will be removed upon checking-out. If you are up for full buffet breakfast, you just have to pay the difference (just a few pounds more). We had full buffet breakfast and signed the slip. I saw the charge on the balance (which you can check through TV in your room), but they removed the whole charge even before checking-out. ^

Concierge folks are very knowledgeable, and there were always some security guys at the entrance which we felt secured. Someone told me that the hotel sometimes have princes/princesses from Arabic countries. Maybe "someone" was there at the time?

Overall, it was excellent stay. I did not have to "request/ask for" any platinum benefits at all. Everything was smooth...definitely I will go back there again! ^ ^ ^

FlyinHawaiian

I know there are a bunch of threads on London hotels; I decided to bump this one up.

I stayed here as part of a CAT 6 reward. The e-certificates went flawlessly into the reservation - that was a relief. There is quite a bit of construction going on. There are scaffolds on both sides of the property opposite Hyde Park. It appears the entire southern section of the hotel is closed for serious construction. It did notice some power tool noise my last day - It sounded like someone was sanding or grinding a few rooms away from me.

Upon checking in, I asked for a room that had been renovated (based on information here and on www.tripadvisor.com). The response was, "all of our rooms are the same - the rooms that are renovated are all under contraction. Uh, ok. Also, this is a small thing, but there was no mention of my MR membership or status (Silver) which is fine, but I also believe it is part of Marriott's front desk script. I took the room they gave me on the third floor, facing Marble Arch. It was a very large room, with a King bed, but seemed a bit worn and dated. Worse yet, it smelled of smoke. I called down to the front desk and confirmed that they had given me a smoking room, even though my confirmation stated that I had a non-smoking guaranteed. I asked to be moved, and was told only double bed-sized rooms were open for my booking class, "deluxe". I pointed out that my printed confirmation also stated that I had a king guaranteed. Upon that I was informed I had been upgraded into the next higher class of room that was non-smoking. The room on the fourth floor was very nice, but smaller that the previous one. It was obvious that this room had been renovated - the wallpaper and carpeting were newer, the bedding was also fresher, and the lights were halogen units built into the ceiling. Having stayed at the historic Renaissance Stanford Court in San Francisco, I thought the two properties were comparable as far as overall look, service and room size/decor.

There were two things that I found about this room that I really didn't like.

First - the king bad was actually two twins pushed together with a mattress pad (badly) covering the gap.

Second, the air conditioning did not work very well. At its coolest setting and blowing at maximum, my room was 79 degrees F.

Other than that, I did enjoy my stay, including using the health club. The staff were pleasant enough - prompt room service and great cleaning and turn downs.

I think it speaks volumes that Marriott hasn't put their name to the property yet. I would wait until they do to stay here.

dan1431

My Two Cents Worth

The Marriott Park Lane is probably one of the newest Hotels in London. It is located in one of the nicest and wealthiest areas of London. Their restaurant is top notch as is their Exec lounge which really provides a very nice spread. I find their rooms to be really nice and their beds are some of the best Marriott beds that I have had the pleasure of sleeping in.

This hotel gets my vote for best Marriott in London. However, if you are looking for a great room, I would go with 47 Park St. Since they are timeshares, each room is a suite and with full kitchen, private bedroom, and a lavish bathroom. Not as many services as a full service hotel but, I really like this hotel when I goto London on business as I have a large place to relax in at the end of the day.

Dan

ohmark

Some of the above posts indicate to me that Marriott is starting to dominate in London. We recently returned from 4 nights at the County Hall. While it is not as elegant as the Chancery Court and some of the others mentioned above, it does have one thing that none of the other properties can match; an absolutely priceless view of three of London's treasures (the Thames, Big Ben and Parliament). With some persistence, the hotel graciously provided a platinum upgrade to a balcony suite with the View. I would never knock the elegance and service at the other Marriott properties, but sitting on the balcony on a summer's late afternoon, sipping wine, and enjoying the View is truly an incomparable experience. Beyond the View, this property sits on the south bank, astride the riverside walkway which connects to other prime attractions including the Saatchi Gallery (in the County Hall building), Tate Modern and the London Eye. The structure itself is quite imposing sitting along side the waterfront, and formerly the seat of London's local government. The concierge lounge vittles were pretty good with breakfasts that included the usual but also smoked salmon, with table cloths, place settings, and a pleasant attendant. Afternoon snacks were very nice, with different ones each day. For a first timer to London, or if you've never experienced the "View", I highly recommend. But if elegant interior and furniture is the priority, I would chose Chancery Court or one of the others mentioned above.

NJUPINTHEAIR

I received the same room last summer except that it had 2 beds. Excellent report and mirrored my sentiments exactly. If you are a first timer to London, this is a great property, but it does not match the Chancery Court for convenience or overall style.

Have not been to the new Park Lane, Kensington, or the Grovesnor -- which will have renovations for about a year -- however, Marriott is not the only large chain with a significant presence in London -- Hilton has a multitude of hotels, as well, and has recently taken the venerable Waldorf -- with its newly renovated ultra-modern rooms -- into its fold, to offset the impending loss of the Langham.

Inasmuch as I want to run off my HHonors points as quickly as possible, it is likely that my next destination there will be the Waldorf.

FlyinHawaiian

Just thought I would mention that Sheraton seems to have quite a few properties in London as well. The rest of the people I was travelling with stayed at the Sheraton Park Lane near Harrod's and I was very impressed (and envious).

Hawkeye

I realize it's not open yet, but has anyone seen the London West India Quay? Is it in a nice area for a tourist?

http://marriott.com/property/propert...rshaCode=LONCW

Marriott Concierge

Actually it is open now and from what I have heard it promises to be a wonderful choice for both business and pleasure!