TripAdvisor Rating
Based on 1236 reviews
See allLocated in the heart of Knightsbridge, is next to Harvey Nichols and Hyde Park, while Harrods and other designer shops are also nearby. Its restaurant has been awarded several prizes and offers spectacular views of Londres.A just 3 kilometers from the Victoria railway station, and 18...
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Ok.. but poor value; 6/10 even forgetting value
If you travel much, especially internationally, you will likely be disappointed by this hotel. The value is a problem, and objectively it is poor compared to the majority of City Centre hotels globally and in London; like for like, at $400 - $600 a night and $100 for breakfast - it is poor. The room: We went for the "City View room" - around $525 for the night, £350. We ended up facing the back of Harrods, despite the hotel being empty - something about Covid meant they had to use one side of the hotel or something. So if you want to see Westminster, or The City - go to the Shangri-La (The Shard) which actually guarantees views, though it is slightly more expensive. Point of note, the view is never guaranteed at this hotel, it wasn't a covid specific thing. Room quality: We didn't actually sleep at all, the hotel does apparently have double glazing, but you can hear everything from outside. It is no more effective than single glazing from the 1970s. There was some sort of construction work that was very loud (to the point it would disrupt a conversation within the room or TV). The room itself was what I would describe as adequate - if you're thinking Marriot Shanghi, or Hilton Hong Kong... imagine it in 1995 with patch-up since. The shower is the worst I have ever used in a decent hotel, forget about "rain" showers.. and start imagining having a wall 5cm/3inches from your face - and a clogged up shower head that was poor before it needed repairing. Honestly had similar or better in a Motel/Travelodge. TV/connectivity/Bed: Bed and bedding quality was a actually very good. Top marks in this category. So too for TV (which was modern and had phone to TV support + Wifi) and Wifi which was also good. Breakfast: The breakfast was either average, or awful - depending on how you view it. It was £68/$100 for 2 people. Over priced, especially compared to similar London Hotels of equal or better quality that are also Hyde Park/Kensington, where breakfast is no higher than £30pp, and some towards £20-£25pp. The price is for English Breakfast only - if you want pancakes too, add another £15. Which means that you're paying a staggering £50/$75pp for breakfast. For reference, the Mandarin Oriental over the road is also £34, but it is far higher grade hotel (rooms are roughly 2x) which a much nicer breakfast venue; it also has a better breakfast offering that does include pastries which would have cured my craving for something sweet. The food was ok - but in reality, it is some eggs, bacon and toast - no better than you would expect. Versus like for like hotels around the world, where breakfast has been a la carte - very disappointing. The menu price of £34pp isn't necessarily a problem, but at that price - I would expect to be able to order what I want. It isn't like pancakes or pastries cost a lot to make/buy.. Staff: Everyone we met was very polite, pleasant and engaging. We spoke to staff about shopping, the purpose of our trip and so forth. Genuinely could not fault anyone. The complaint: For balance, I will add in the steps Marriot took to resolve the issues we had with our stay. We notified of the issues we had with the room and were offered a guaranteed upgrade for 4 days on our next visit (of a single grade). Given that we had the highest ranking room below a suite, and already hold Marriot Gold status (and are eligible for a status match Platinum by virtue of a well used Hilton Honors scheme), we are pretty much entitled to this anyway - but for the entire stay (albeit not guaranteed). So a pretty poor offering. Marriot did return to my comments that this was a poor offer and offered a cash refund of £68 for the breakfast. I declined and stated I would prefer it as a hotel credit on any future visit. Overall, I couldn't say that we would recommend a stay here. London is full of great hotels, and sadly, versus the competition - this one doesn't stack up on any metric. As guests, we are pretty easy to satisfy - middle of the road expectations (sleeping is always one) and quite happy to sincere efforts where things have gone wrong.
Very nice but.......
This is a lovely hotel in a superb central location. Our room was well appointed and very comfortable with a wonderful view of the city. I just have a couple of criticisms. The shower was poor-- very noisy and low pressure. The breakfast buffet was good but overpriced at £29 per person.
A weekend birthday treat
We stayed at the hotel for my husbands birthday and found the hotel to be very nice. The speedy check in/out were good and all the staff particularly in the bar and at breakfast were really friendly and helpful taking time to chat to us and share a joke. The buffet breakfast was delicious, really fresh and eggs were cooked at the point of eating with a lovely and unusual assortment of dishes. The best we have had in London. Again the room was the largest we have had. The only thing that stops us giving 5* S is that the room decor is so tired and unimaginative. This is a real shame as everything else is lovely. Having said all that we will definitely return as the rooms are clean and the location is excellent.
Beautiful but ready for a small update
We've been staying at this hotel on and off for over 20 years. The service this go-around was superb and we were very pleased. Their rooms are very generous in size for being London and the location is superb. It's just a few blocks from Harrod's. There was a minor issue with our room ( a heavy chemical or perfume scent and I'm highly sensitive to fragrances and get migraines). The young man addressing our concern was apologetic and changed us to another room, which we greatly appreciated. The rooms are very nice, although I think they're ready for some refurbishing. It's small details like the marble in the bathrooms is starting to look worn. There aren't phone plugs or electrical outlets bedside for your phones. You can hear hallway noise through the door. The older windows to the street allow too much noise into the rooms. These are minor details, but things you'd expect addressed at a higher-end hotel such as this one. We would stay again if the rate was competitive, otherwise, we'd likely go elsewhere.
Property with potential but seriously let me down
I came here recently for a "staycation" and I was unfortunately very disappointed. Despite the lobby being welcoming and staff providing a speedy check-in, I was given a Knightsbridge View rather than the City View which I paid for online! This seemed a bit of a rip-off considering there is a price difference between the two! So if you pay for a specific room type on the Marriott website just as I did, this does not guarantee you will get the room which is a bit of a scam. The actual room itself was okay and I was happy with the amenities offered and cleanliness of the room, however what was more disturbing was what we heard later the night through the inter-connecting door. If you get a room with an interconnecting door, they seem to be very thin, and you can hear everything that your neighbour is doing! For about an hour we heard our neighbour shuffling through bags and luggage and of all the things you expect in a hotel, you at least expect to not be able to hear too much of what your neighbour is doing! We asked to be moved to a different room which I have to praise the hotel for doing efficiently but this still shouldn't happen! Just when I thought there couldn't be more faults, the hot water is very temperamental! I turned on the shower and also other hot taps on maximum and it took at least 15 minutes for it to warm up! This is something that I expect to work in a budget hotel not a luxury hotel! All in all I was very disappointed by this property and I would not recommend you stay here unless you are willing to risk experiencing all of the above. The hotel has good quality rooms and a nice layout in a nice location but it is failing on basics!