TandJalliance

My wife and I just recently spent a glorious three night stay at the JW Grosvenors House. The manner and style in which we were treated compels me to write this trip report.

Firstly, we were a little resistant about not booking our annual London weekend at the Renaissance St. Pancras. In the past we have had a fantastic weekends enjoying the unique old world historical charm and ambiance of the St.Pancras Renn not to mention the amenities such as Platinum Barlow club, breakfast at the Booking office etc. Yet after some research and just wanting to try something different we went ahead and booked our three night stay at GH.

We arrived early am in Heathrow from the US and opted to use the Heathrow Express. We purchased our tickets on line back home and used a discount code DUO12 for two passengers which saved us around 18 pounds off the regular round trip fare.
In 15 quick minutes we arrived at Paddington Station from there we opted to use the London Underground to Marble Arch. It was a quick ride on the tube with one connection and we arrived at Marble Arch station.

The walk to GH was an easy 5 minute walk down Park Lane. Once we arrived in the lobby it was small and busy but festive with Christmas trees being decorated by staff. It was apparent that there were several arriving parties from overnight flights waiting for their rooms in the lobby. The two parties directly checking in front of us each asked if they could leave their bags while waiting. When it was our turn to check in, my wife and I were fully expecting the same situation with a lengthy wait for our room to be ready. To our complete surprise and delight the front desk receptionist said that our room was ready and we upgraded to a suite.
We were given our keys and info about the lounge hours. When signing the guest registration form I noticed in bold lettering "Elite am arrival" written on top of the form. I was so grateful as we could get a shower and a quick nap before heading out. Also we we granted immediate access to the executive lounge. Over the summer when we were at the Marriott in Copenhagen where we had a similar am check in but not granted access to the executive lounge until after 3pm. It was quite nice to have juice and croissant before heading out.

For our Platinum arrival gift we opted for a bottle of French Chablis and a cheese and cracker plate which was not on the arrival gift menu. The front desk person noticed my wife's hesitation in deciding from the other items and offered to have a cheese and cracker plate made up for us. So in keys in hand we walked through the groups of tired poor souls waiting for their rooms to the elevators to the 4th floor. Our room was # 448 and I thought it was going to be perhaps a junior suite or something on those lines.

When we opened the door we couldn't believe our eyes. For one the enormity of the suite (1200 sq. ft) and its elegant furnishings. The bedroom and the living room had spectacular views overlooking Park Lane and Hyde Park. The winter wonderland was in progress at Hyde Park which could be clearly seen from our bedroom and living room. The bathroom was large and appointed with Penhaligon's amenities. My wife likened them to the upscale Molton Brown amenities that we have received at the Marriott Beaux Arts in Miami.

The lounge on the 7th floor, albeit small had great offerings both for breakfast and in the evening. In the evening there were two hot dishes with a varied assortment of canapes. There was serve yourself wine and beer with two different varietals in both red and white. A couple sitting next to us ordered martinis that were served by the lounge attendant. I did not see them receive a check so I assume they were as well complementary. The lounge filled up quickly and by 6pm there were no tables available. In fact I saw people eating while standing and sitting at the attendants desk sipping wine.
In the morning it was the same thing being very crowded with no tables available. When we walked into the lounge around 930 am we were met by an apologetic attendant that immediately gave us two vouchers for breakfast down in the JW Steakhouse.
The location of GH is great. It was an easy fun walk to Selfridges, Piccadilly, Buckingham Palace, Harrods and Hyde Park from GH. The tube is also quite accessible at either Hyde Park or Marble Arch.

When we returned to Heathrow on Sunday for our flight home we found that the tube on Sunday begins operation later in the day (approx 7 am). Our flight was a mid morning flight that necessitated us to use a taxi back to Paddington which was less 10 pounds.
In short the JW Grosvenors house exceeded all of our expectations and we had a fantastic time. Thank you FT'ers for your valuable feedback, trip reports etc. for without your help I am afraid my wife and I would never have had such a rich and wonderful experience.

SkiAdcock

Thanks for the trip report. I'll add mine soon (culled from my posts in the general London thread). Not sure why your images aren't displaying.

Here are some that I've taken over various stays:

Grosvenor House/JW Marriott - London

Cheers.

jr1202sr

I stayed there and got a nice upgrade as well on the 6th floor. At the time a NFL team was staying there in addition to the mayor of that city and VIP's of the team. I was treated with royalty despite the hotel being full of NFL players and the like. Security as you can imagine was very tight. Had a great stay and the Lounge has some wonderful offerings. You have to ask for the liquor as I didn't see it out. 24 pounds for a toasti and cheese with some fries for room service was a bit pricey. 4.50 pound Tray charge on top of 15% Delivery fee.

jsmeeker

I finished up my 7 night stay at JW Marriott Grosvenor House. Checked out Monday morning for my flight back to Dallas.

Really liked this place a lot. As mentioned, got upgraded to a Deluxe Suite. Having a room ready at about 1:00 PM was nice. Lounge was pretty good. It's the only one I have ever been in, so hard to compare with others. But we were happy. Breakfast there Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Were up far to early for Friday. Saturday, we slept in. Sunday, we went out. Monday, again too early. We had a plane to catch. Never had an issue with a seat in the morning at around 8:00 PM In the evening, it seemed the food setup wasn't setup until closer to 6:00 PM instead of 5:30 PM. But no big deal. It could also be a little crowded. Decent spread during tea time too. Though I never quite could figure out how to get the water machine to no under fill my tea cup or overfill it.

Room was in good shape. It's not exactly my style, but it was clean and not banged up or anything. Only weird issue was a lamp that we could not figure out how to turn off. So, it stayed on the whole time. Also, I had no clue on how to turn on what appeared to be a towel warmer in the bathroom. Shower stall a little small. Not much room to move. But plenty of good water pressure. And hot water was coming out in a jiffy. Nice big towels, too. I don't recall a Bentley showroom on Park Lane, but we did pass the Aston Martin one going too and from Marble Arch. And I recall a BMW one (two actually) plus a Mini Cooper one. Cool stuff.

We had tea in the Park Room on Wednesday. Got one of the few little round tables right up along the window. Very tasty. And so much food. So fancy!!


I would totally recommend this hotel. It was a great way to blow some points.

We did walk by the Marriott Grosvenor Square on our way to Bond Street tube station. Also, we got to St. Pancras train station. That really is kinda far away from stuff. Dunno if that is the best location for a tourist. I also did make it to Only Running Footman. But that was Thursday night at 6:00 PM. Place was mobbed. But I think all the pubs in the area are like that at 6:00 PM on a Thursday. And other days too! Only a few tables to eat at. All were filled. Just had a pint. Standing outside.

minhaoxue

My wife and I just spent the Christmas Holiday at the JW Grosvenor House and agree it is a nice Hotel. To my friend from Thailand, we did end up taking a taxi from Paddington Station due to the inclement weather. Going back to Heathrow, due to Boxing Day, we took the tube from Green Park. Only a 15 minute walk through the back streets, not too bad.

Hotel was very hospitable. Our flight from the US arrived into Heathrow at 6:30 AM and we were at the Hotel by 8. I was expecting us to just drop off our luggage and take a long walk but they said they had a room available and allowed us to Check in. I guess it helped my wife is Plat with Marriott.

The Lounge is nice but as others have stated, very crowded. Even at 7 in the morning, we had to share a table. The staff said there was talk about expanding but nothing firm. Another odd thing is there was a very strong perfume odor in the room. I am not sure if they sprayed it because it is an older Hotel and might get a musty smell or maybe the cleaning person over indulged.

Over all, good experience and would stay there again.

lexdevil

I am currently holding two awards reservations for our family of three this August in London. One is for a double double at the Grosvenor Square, with an additional charge of £40 per night. The other is for a king at the JW Grosvenor House, with an additional charge of £50 per night. My preference is for the Grosvenor House, where we have a better chance of an upgrade.

When I booked the Grosvenor House, the room details also listed a charge for a rollaway (very rare and annoying for a Marriott). At the time that I booked the room, I am pretty sure that the charge was a flat £50 for the rollaway, which I was willing to pay (though I was not thrilled about it). This seems to have changed, however. Now when I click on room details, the rollaway charge is £35 per night. While I was willing to pay £50 over five nights, I'm not happy with paying £175. This brings the cost of our award stay to £425 (over $700). Frankly, if I'm spending that much, I should get credit for the nights stayed (not that I need it).

I am planning to call the PP line and see if they can get the hotel to switch back to its original flat charge. The only problem is that I have no proof that the original rollaway charge was flat, rather than per night. While I don't expect to find proof, I'm hoping that a FTer familiar with this location might confirm my memory.

Additionally, if I have no luck getting the change made, I would appreciate advice from anyone familiar with both locations. Is the difference between the Grosvenor House and Grosvenor Square worth the additional £225 out of pocket? How great is the chance of being upgraded to a suite on a five night stay in early August (Wednesday through Monday)? Would getting that upgrade justify the difference in cost?

Often1

A strong suggestion that you call the property directly during business hours (in London). Doubtful they will lie to you about the per night / per stay confusion and you are more likely to get satisfaction from a specific individual at the property than through a faceless toll-free CSR.

erik123

I can second that - calling the 800 reservations will get you nowhere. E.g. just recently stayed a a Marriott in London where on-line/800 did not allow a booking for an entry level room with rollaway, but calling the hotel did.

SkiAdcock

Everyone on this thread knows I prefer the Grosvenor House over GS, but that's because it's a larger more elegant property. Also it has 72 suites so the odds of getting one are better at GH than GS. And the rooms at GH are, for the most part, larger than the rooms at GS.

I do agree it might be worth a Skype call to GH concierge to see if they're willing to work with you on the rollaway bed charge.

Cheers.

lexdevil

I've had very good luck in the past with having the PP line contact properties for me. I guess I dread calling the hotel and bouncing from person to person until I get the correct department and I would rather let someone else do the dirty work for me. If I do it myself, I would much prefer to go the email route. Does anyone have a good contact at the Grosvenor House?

lexdevil

Sent an email and they not only fixed the rollaway, but also allowed us to book the deluxe room, rather than the superior (thereby saving us the £50 per night supplement) because we would almost certainly be upgraded to a superior room on our arrival. I'm very pleased with this outcome!

Sharon - In the little bit I've seen this far, I can understand your fondness for this location.

jr1202sr

I will have to stay Sharon I stayed a week in London in the FALL and picked my location based on your suggestions and got a great room. 645 (believe that was the room #) which was a huge suite. I was on a Points Stay too. The rate for that room that week was over 1,000 Pounds per night. I think I used my points effectively!

SkiAdcock

Glad it worked out. Enjoy your stay!

Cheers.

SkyTeam777

This is a great review and very helpful...is this one of the best central London hotels for those looking for high-end properties with executive lounges? Looking for a Marriott property that is not too large, but refined with nice amenities.

SkyTeam777

Does anyone have a good email contact for this property?