mexfly

They are the exact same number of points, which would you guys recommend? Will be traveling in a few weeks.

Hey Guys, I am staying with my mom in London next week and I am trying to decide between the JW grosvenor house vs the Marriott Park Lane. I am gold but never use the executive lounge. Both locations seem great. Which would you guys recommend?

BeanTownBoy

I have stayed at Grosvenor House many times and the Park Lane only once (in May of this year). Grosvenor House is a little quieter as the Park Lane is on the corner of Park Lane and Oxford Street. The lounge in Grosvenor House is superior in every respect: space, food and drink. On the other hand, in the Park Lane you have the choice of the lounge or a cooked to order breakfast in the restaurant, which was vastly better than what was served up for breakfast in the Lounge. Grosvenor House has a very nice breakfast buffet in the lounge. The rooms in the Park Lane vary greatly--a colleague of mine had a ground floor room that was essentially subterranean with windows only near the ceiling affording no view. I know you did not ask, but there is also the Marriott at Grosvenor Square, which has a subterranean lounge, quirky rooms, but also has maze, a Gordon Ramsey restaurant (which is pretty good). The only reason I mention Grosvenor Square is because many times it is confused (even by travel agents) with Grosvenor House.

BillBurn

Both are good choices. The Park Lane is closer to Oxford St. shopping, restaurants and the tube, but only by a few blocks. The JW Grosvenor is more of a grand hotel, with more rooms, a big lobby, common areas, etc. while the Park Lane is more low key and intimate, almost boutique like. The Park Lane rooms are generally a little better furnished/newer than the JW, although there are some nice renovated suites in the JW. Golds get pretty much the same treatment at both, although with more rooms available, the chance of some sort of upgrade is probably higher at the JW.

Net, net if you are looking for more an old school, grand London hotel feel, I would do the JW, but if you want a more intimate boutique feel with a higher base level of room quality, I would go with Park Lane.

mexfly

Thank you for the response! The hotel seems very full so I doubt I will get an upgrade but I think I will go with the Park Lane.

Thank you for the response! I am a gold and since I am paying with points and the hotels are extremely full I really don't want to be put in a terrible room. I rarely use the lounge so which hotel would you recommend for base level rooms?

BeanTownBoy

@mexfly--IMO I would recommend Grosvenor House as the best bet for decent rooms. Do check out the lounge if you have a chance: it is very different from U.S. Marriotts (much better). I would be curious as to other FT'ers opinions.

hockeyinsider

There is a well-established thread on all properties in London with this question, which has been asked and answered many times. See here: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/marr...gland-259.html.

In my opinion, it depends on who you are and what you like to do. Both hotels are close enough to each other that the location is, more or less, the same.

Some people have disagreed when I said this in the past, but I think the J.W. Marriott Grosvenor House is a little closer to a Ritz-Carlton hotel. Some of the staff who work there are excellent. Candice and Laura in guest relations always get the little things right <[email protected]>

However, renovations are underway, which means you may or may not get a refreshed room. I will say the refreshed rooms are a little disappointing, as the bathrooms weren't updated. Basically, all they did was refresh the carpeting, window curtains, some new furniture, and install proper king beds (as opposed to twins pushed together). There are still issues, for example, with the number of electrical outlets. They also still have instant coffee and a kettle.

I stay here a week every year and will do so again this year, though it could be my last year here because I suspect it will become considerably more expensive with the new, post-August award-redemption chart and then variable pricing in 2019.

hockeyinsider

I wouldn't expect much as a gold, particularly in the summer months, but the J.W. Marriott Grosvenor House is massive and, as such, you have the best chance at getting an upgrade.

hockeyinsider

I actually think it will be interesting to see if both the Marriott Grosvenor Square and the J.W. Marriott Grosvenor House properties remain with Marriott moving forward now that the U.S. Embassy is gone from Grosvenor Square.

When I last stayed at the J.W. Marriott Grosvenor House in November 2017 I was told that the U.S. Embassy was keeping its contract with the hotel, at least in the interim, but I find it hard to believe this will be the case for much longer. Mayfair is a great neighborhood, but it's become so upmarket that it may not be the best fit for a Marriott-flagged property like Grosvenor Square.

I also wouldn't be surprised if Grosvenor House is reflagged to Marriott's SPG legacy Luxury Collection brand once the renovation of rooms is complete.

hockeyinsider

The lounge, which reopened about four years ago, is very good -- much better than any of the North America properties -- but not as great as some of the J.W. Marriott lounges in Asia.

Still, for me, it's part of the reason I return. I save at least $80 per day when staying there by taking advantage of the lounge for breakfast, coffee, snacks, the bottles of Diet Pepsi, a light dinner and a couple glasses of wine to put me asleep.

I do, however, think the lounge wasn't done well because there's not enough space when it is crowded and most of the tables are utterly uncomfortable and impractical for eating food because the table is too low to the floor. There are very few proper tables.

Every time I stay I see plenty of married couples in their 50s or 60s who return to the hotel after sightseeing and spend two or three hours having dinner in the lounge, enjoying several glasses of wine and talking about what they did that day.

catocony

Grosvenor Square might see a dip in the number of Americans due to the embassy moving, but it won't affect occupancy much, if at all. Wealthy tourists and business travelers will still fill the three hotels up due to the great location. The hotels will probably make a bit more money since there will be less Americans staying on government rates.

hockeyinsider

The question is whether the hotel owners could make more money by reflagging to around brand, either in Marriott or outside of it, that might have more cache with the filthy rich who stay in Mayfair.

catocony

Those hotels are pretty full all the time, and at high rates. The Park Lane and Grosvenor House are already high end, with Grosvenor Square just a step down. I wouldn't think they would do much better by slapping a Ritz-Carleton or Autograph nameplate on them. They're well-known properties with lots of repeat business, high ratings and established track records.

mh3265a

My family is taking a trip to London in early August. It's my wife and I along with our 2 year old son. We are leaning towards either Grosvenor House or Renaissance St. Pancreas. Ideally we'd like to use points, purchase or upgrade to a suite. Which one of these do you think is best value and family friendly. Leaning towards the Renaissance right now due to cost but welcome ideas and suggestions. Maybe we're not looking at the right hotels. Thanks for the input!

dingo

mh3265a

I absolutely have but no suites are available, as of now, those dates. Want to confirm relatively soon because I know it's high season.