This was our first hotel in London and our first hotel as part of a 4-hotel stop in London/Paris over 11 days.
We were exhausted after an overnight flight to London from Virginia and arrived at around 8am. Naturally our hotel room wasn't ready since it was so early in the day which was pretty much expected. The staff told me where there bathrooms were so that we could freshen up and change after our flight. So we used the bathroom to change clothes, brush our teeth, splash some water on our faces and prepare for a long day of exploring London without any sleep....
Since we had nowhere to leave our bags we let the fellas working up front check them - but unfortunately we weren't operating at our fullest mental capacity and kept forgetting things we needed so we had to have them pull them back out for us about 3-4 times. They had to be annoyed but they never showed it and remained friendly and accommodating.
Our room was pretty nice and large - we had a smaller separate sitting area with a small couch and desk and the bedroom and bathroom were in another room with a door. It was pretty loud - you could hear every noise from the street at night and you could hear every fancy car that drove past early in the morning. I had to sleep with ear plugs in.
The hotel is beautiful - very elegantly decorated. Everything is nice - the outside, curb appeal, the lobby, the gym and bathrooms. I was impressed.
The included breakfast was pretty good in the lovely on-site restaurant Pont St. The staff were so friendly and asked us about our day and suggested things to see after we were sat and eating. The buffet has many options of delicious pastries and homemade jams and butter. Mmmmm! As well as cereal, yogurt, cheeses, and other items. But you can also order made to order items from their menu such as waffles, pancakes, lattes, etc.
The staff were all friendly and accommodating - they wanted to help and had great attitudes. As I mentioned - the fellas opening the doors and handling the bags were great, the staff at the front desk were excellent both during check-in and check-out, the concierge was friendly and helpful when asking about sightseeing tours our first day and nearby food options on our second night in London. Lastly, the staff at the on-site restaurant, as mentioned above, were fantastic. Super friendly and engaging. It was a pleasure.
We enjoyed the location, in the Embassy District, and felt safe walking around. We were informed that this was a very rich part of town with both old and new money. We saw tons of Lambos and Ferraris parked on the street. I've never seen so many in my life. It's very close to Hyde Park and within walking distance to Buckingham Palace and tons of boutique shops and places to eat.
Not to mention the entire Balgravia neighborhood is beautiful. Clean and well-kept streets, buildings, flowers, everything. Loved it! read more