hardworking21

Any recommendations on SPG vs. Marriott? If going for a weekend trip (Fri night - Sunday afternoon), any spots you'd recommend? Trying to spend only 165 Euros a night or so. Many Marriott and SPG properties to pick from!

nimeta

165 EUR is going to be tough for most of the higher end SPG properties, unless you stay at Heathrow (not recommended) or Excel in the East End (bit out of the way)

Quite a few Marriotts are not far from your price point. The Swiss Cottage one is usually quite good value for money. I have stayed there frequently in the past. Its not too central, but right by Regents Park and close to a tube. Good gym and pool and nice for visiting St Johns Wood/Belsize Park/Hampstead, if thats your thing.

My hotel of choice is Le Meridien on Piccadilly - great staff, great location, great gym/pool. Mrs Nimi prefers the Sheraton Grand (also on Piccadilly) which is also very nice, and has been good at Plat UG's in the past. I do not like W as it is very noisy midweek. I imagine Weekend is not any better.

SingaporeDon

Our hotel of choice is Sheraton Grand Picadilly, great upgrades for Platinum

Horace

165 Euros = 141.35 British Pound.

As nimeta noted, that leaves out the higher-end Starwood-legacy properties. It also leaves out the higher-end Marriott properties.

I stayed at the Sheraton Skyline at Heathrow recently. I agree with nimeta at it's not a good choice as a base for London -- but it was a good place after a long flight from Chicago, before heading into London the next day.

I would check Marriott.com for that particular weekend to see which Marriott property has good weekend rates. Then look at the reviews on TripAdvisor and Marriott.com, concentrating on factors that are important to you (and ignoring some of the best and worst reviews, which cold be suspect).

SkiAdcock

I would check the FT Marriott forum to see if there are reviews of Marriott properties that fall within the price range.

Like others I agree that both the high-end SPG & Marriott properties will be too expensive. Marriott does have a lot of mid-range properties in London: Regents Park, Maida Vale, Kensington. There are also 2 Autograph Collections, St. Ermin's & Hotel Xenia (the latter has really tiny rooms, though).

And as others have noted, the LeM & Sheraton on Picadilly.

Cheers.

Kagehitokiri

although could look at points and cash?

or consider 1 SPG to 3 marriott transfer

hardworking21

Thanks everyone for the feedback! I came to the same conclusion - that most of the SPG properties (not near Heathrow) are a bit higher than the price point. The London Marriott Kensington is interesting to me - 135-140 British Pounds/night, which would work in my budget and what not. Not sure if anyone has experience with that hotel here (I've looked at the Marriott FT thread, but curious as to SPGers experience).

travelista

Just had an extended SPG London wknd w a friend. We stayed at Le Meridien Piccadilly for 2 nights, and Sheraton Grand London for 1 night. (Which I have stayed at both before.)

Both of those properties were fine for our stay. My friend has never been to London, so she appreciated being in the heart of all the touristy-things.

I prefer to stay at the Great Northern Hotel when traveling solo or w my husband. It's a bit away from the super touristy things, but I like that. And the staff is super friendly, great neighborhood. However, the rooms (even w SPG Plat upgrade) can be smaller if staying w a friend. AND... the Platinum breakfast at Plum+Spilt Milk is much better than LM or SG.

All are above your 140 pound rate, but I have seen GNH as low as 186 at times.

I'm an SPG person first, so I would always opt for SPG first over Marriott. (My 2c.)

nimeta

No idea, but its a great location (in a pretty expensive city) for the price, so even if its not quite the full SPG Plat experience, probably worth a punt.

davidw70

I stayed at the Marriott Kensington just before Christmas - the first Marriott I've stayed at for a number of years but the SPG options were very expensive. The hotel felt a bit dated (90s style) - but to be fair, the Sheraton Grand was far more dated until recently. I arrived just too late for the lounge, but full breakfast in the restaurant was offered the next morning as a Plat.

I was upgraded to a very spacious room with separate seating area, and a welcome gift of lemonade and sweets. One of the two lifts was under maintenance which did make getting to the room a bit of a slow process.

Location is good - walkable to either Gloucester Road or Earls Court tube. I'd prefer the Sheraton for location and its recent renovation, but this is a pretty reasonable option.

Beano HK

Stayed here a couple of years ago, good experience overall. not sure of your location but there is a covered car park adjacent, c. 20 quid per day.
Good location, couple of tube stops nearby, watch out for industrial action, e.g. tube strike today, a couple of decent pubs / restaurants nearby.
We were upgraded I recall, I was Marriott Gold at the time, but cant recall to what!
Would return.

badm96

Have you checked out the pricing at Marriott West India Quay?
They offer excellent Platinum recognition (suite upgrades, lounge access) and even though it is not central, it is right on the DLR which is very convenient.

MikeBOS

All of the London SPG properties are generally poor value relative to many non-SPG properties. For example, the Sofitel St James is head and shoulders above the Le Meridien Piccadilly in every respect, and most of the time priced similarly or lower. The Rosewood handily beats every SPG property and is often no more expensive than the Park Tower or Le Meridien. If you want to save some money, there are also less expensive properties that are still better than just about all the SPG options. I am generally a fan of SPG, but not in London.

willphillipson

I've been staying at the Great Northern Hotel over the past year whenI've had an early Eurostar train the following day... Occasionally I've found great rates < £200/nt; sometimes way less (Other times, not so lucky!) Nice hotel. Great restaurant. Reasonable location, especially if the tube isn't on strike....

Oxon Flyer

Well maybe, but only of tangential interest to a question from a poster who's SPG & MR plat and asking specifically for recommendations for the best SPG/MR option.

The OP, for example, would have access to the excellent lounge at le Meridien. Does the Sofitel offer the same ?