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For the last few years I’ve nearly always stayed at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House (where I’m staying currently), but I’ve experienced a few issues over the course of the last few stays and decided enough is enough, time to try somewhere else!
I have Ambassador status, and generally my stays are 4-8 nights.
I stayed at the Marriott Park Lane a few years ago and had a dreadful experience, however the management were very apologetic and gave me a decent number of points by way of compensation. So perhaps it’s worth trying the hotel again. I like the location.
I’ve never stayed at the London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square, but popped into the lobby area to check out the hotel last month and wasn’t overly impressed with the feel of the place. The Edition looks like it might be very good but prices are normally rather high and no free breakfast! The Sheraton Grand Park Lane (which really looks like it should be called The Sheraton Grand Piccadilly) is another option which I’ve never tried.
Interested to know..
– How good the lounges are?
– How generous the hotels are with upgrades?
– How quiet the rooms are?
– How good the hotels are at catering for specific dietary requirements if anyone has experience with that! (this is one of the areas the JW has proved itself to be especially lacking).Although I can’t help with your query, would you mind summarising the Marriott properties you have stayed at in London?
I am mostly interested in 2-3 night stays for rest and recouperation and therefore would prefer a good pool and spa area. And and a good restaurant, although there are plenty of off site options in London.
– Marriott County Hall has a pool and good reviews
– Park Lane Sheraton is lovely if you like Art Deco interiorsBankside, dig out our review, is ‘grown up W’. Very nice (no lounge) if you like unfinished concrete ceilings in your room etc.
I’d add the Renaissance to memesweeper’s list. Suites are big, has an underground pool and in terms of public transport links, I don’t think it could be any better.
I’ve only stayed at the JW GH once, but was quite impressed. I think its lounge is probably the best in London!
Park Tower is also good, but it could do with a renovation…
Bankside, dig out our review, is ‘grown up W’. Very nice (no lounge) if you like unfinished concrete ceilings in your room etc.
@Rob’s rights, it’s great, very good breakfast.Our Marriott Park Lane stay was also “messy”, funnily… had to move room in 2-day stay, but were upgraded, so…!
Everything else about it v lovely, including pool.
Sheraton Grande has the most gorgeous public areas, but no pool and lounge is a bit meagre. Do love that location, though.Bankside, dig out our review, is ‘grown up W’. Very nice (no lounge) if you like unfinished concrete ceilings in your room etc.
Agree Bankside is very good, just very good service and probably the comfiest bed in any London Marriott and seem to still attach value to Ambassador status.
Park Tower is ok, but really needs gutting and refurbing, rooms are a decent size however, but certainly not Luxury.
Grosvenor House the lounge is excellent and service overall is good, rooms can vary and upgrades I have found hit and miss.
Sheraton Grand Park Lane rooms are very nicely done, have not stayed recently but from reports getting better at upgrading Elites and a ok lounge, but not sure if its still limited post covid.
Grosvenor Square is just a hotel I never liked, staff were cold and rooms uninspiring.
Park Lane was a friendly welcome and room was ok, but service hit and miss during the stay. Upgraded to a suite, although felt quite tired and in need of a refurb (not as much as Park Tower however)
W London, used to know this hotel inside out, the location is busy and high chance of a noisy room. If you get upgraded to a suite they are a bit more spacious but it is a hotel I think people either love or hate.
Westin London City, only one stay so far but for a new hotel I must say I was impressed. Friendly staff, decent lounge, nice pool and rooms were good, if a little standard Westin.
County Hall is in some ways my least favourite in London, my experience is they almost prefer not to have Elites and don’t care if you have issued. The plumbing noise in some rooms is truely terrible, so if someone in a room nearby has a shower early or late don’t expect to be able to sleep!
The Wellesley is a hotel I have no idea why its still with Marriott, really is best just avoided. Not just a bad option for Marriott, justa bad hotel full stop.
The Great Northern is a lovely little hotel, but the rooms are certainly not the largest in London, so if you are on your own or don’t need to spend much time in the room worth considering. That or book and pay for a larger room, but then becomes less good value.
Threadneedle was a hotel I stayed at quite a bit prior to Covid, not been back since so unsure how it is now. The rooms were a bit tired but the great service and staff made up for that and great Elite recognition back then.
The Dixon – Not really central apart from that great little hotel. The Elite breakfast was a bit limited but had character and interesting rooms with decent upgrades.
I type all this while not staying at any Marriott hotel in London as overall for the rates they are currently charging there are so many better hotels, Bankside to me is the standout hotel for Marriott as the hotel has character and great staff. The rooms are comfortable and service superb, but when you get to the £300-400 a night range and staying a few nights via Emyr or FHR you can find deals at some much better hotels, you dont get the points, but you get the service, which apart from Bankside you don’t really get at any Marriott Hotels.
I am also Marriott Ambassador. I have stayed at Marriott Park Lane, Sheraton Grand, W Leicester Square and London EDITION. I liked all of them, aside from MPL where I had awful service – this included someone attempting to charge me for breakfast when I was a Platinum member and also in an Executive Suite. The highlight of MPL was when they booked the pool for us but then we couldn’t use it because they let a family book the pool for two people and then turn up with their two kids as well. This apparently meant that our booking was rendered invalid and we couldn’t enter due to covid rules – of course, the family were also dive bombing into the pool. We then had to traipse back upstairs in our swimwear, slippers and robes. There was no attempt at service recovery. I have stayed at a large number of five star and luxury properties across the UK and Europe, and this was the worst service I have experienced at a hotel of their purported calibre.
London EDITION is considerably superior – I have stayed several times and the service, hard product and F&B is impeccable. If you are over 40, you might get perturbed by the spartan and moody decor, but if you can look past or embrace that, then you will find a high quality hotel with excellent staff. The food is very good in Berner’s Tavern (we have done breakfast and Sunday lunch) and I really didn’t mind paying for their breakfast. The lobby bar has a great vibe and very good drinks.
The other hotel I would recommend in London is Great Scotland Yard (yes, I know it’s not Marriott) – make sure you book via Emyr (Hyatt Prive) for lots of extra benefits.
- This reply was modified 55 years, 4 months ago by .
The theme here seems to be that Marriott Park Lane is a definite no!
Only stayed once at JW Grosvenor House and had a decent time. Same with Sheraton Park Lane but that was the intern stay…
Stayed at Westin London City last month and aside from the weird light switches in the room, was happy with the stay. Good lounge, good breakfast and great pool.
Just wondering if anyone had anything further to add to this thread, or any updates? Looking for a Central London stay, perfer recently refurbished rooms and a great pool perhaps a spa.
I stayed a lot at Sheraton and Marriott County Hall during lockdown when i got a government rate.
Sheraton is so classy, the breakfast in the palm court type area with silver teapots. May now have moved to the Italian restaurant though. Goid with upgrades too.
County Hall breakfast is good and upper elites get directed to the library if the main restaurant is busy. Some ok room upgrades but never to suites. I tried using SNAs there for one of their top suites. It got rejected before my stay. I then stayed on the same floor as that suite and it remained empty for the 5 nights I stayed there. That stuck in my craw.
I like The Dixon. The rooms were really nice and well designed, and the breakfast was great. But, no lounge and don’t expect early check in (I’ve never had it in multiple stays!)
St Pancras hotel probably has the best lounge I’ve been in, in a hotel. Has to be experienced at least once. The rooms are ok, everything very high quality but a little dated.
Threadneedles I hated, just not my thing at all. Appreciate some might like it.
And with Crossrail, I think the Canary Wharf Marriott is central-ish, given its mere steps away from the station. Had some of the best service I’ve had at a Marriott, has a great lounge too.
Little Left Field but Marriott Maida Vale. It’s not central central but it’s not far at all think train was 10 mins and 5-10 mins walk max from Euston.
Newly refurbished rooms. Lounge was in the restaurant, not great but a few drinks and a bit of salad / snack before heading out.
Canary Wharf isn’t bad either but again don’t class that as central.
Otherwise I think JWM, Edition and Ren @ St Pancras are the best of the bunch.
Yet to try Westin but sure I will soon
Stayed at all Central London hotels as platinum and titanium.
Westin I think edges out ahead of the others as they have a nice lounge and spacious, modern rooms.
Service has also been a step above anything experienced in the other ‘Marriott managed’ hotels in London.
That being said for me it’s all about location and convenience.
If I’m in London it’s for meetings in the city so Westin is super convenient.
Seem to waste a bit too much time navigating public transport or dinner options if staying further a field such as Regents park or Maida vale.@Wenby I 100% agree it’s all about location proximity to where you need to be. Why I’ve ended up at ICPL or JWM GH even if others might be better.
The Maida Vale property can be £200 a night cheaper though some weekends, it’s actually quicker for me than Mayfair hotels when coming into Euston and that pays for a lot of Ubers.
St Pancras is probably the location vs price sweet spot but rates can be so variable I’m not paying £350+ pn to stay here vs £175 at Maida Vale for example.
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