REVIEW: DOUBLETREE WESTMINISTER, LONDON

After landing at about 10am from Atlanta, I really just wanted to get to my hotel and take a 3 hour nap or so. Now I know that’s not always possible and was prepared to drop of my bags and walk around the city. I took a 38GBP Uber (taxi was 80) from LHR to the DoubleTree Westminster.  When pulling up you notice that there is nothing too special about the exterior building, it looks just like the office buildings next to it.

There was a small line, and no dedicated Hhonors desk, but it was only a few minutes until I was up. They immediately started pushing their delicious cookies but I know I eat too much when I travel so I declined. (don’t worry, I did have a few throughout my 3 nights there though…. Just gotta pace yourself.) I asked if my room was ready and if I could get a Diamond upgrade. He informed me they could give me a room on the 4 floor, but the Hhonors rooms weren’t ready. (didn’t say if that’s a real upgrade or not though as Hilton often says they give you a upgrade buts its just like a deluxe room on a higher floor.) I thought for a few seconds and decided I just wanted to check-in and he gave me my keys to the 4^th floor and informed me of a few highlights of the hotel like breakfast, lounge benefits, and workout room.

quick grab n go breakfast in mornings

Once I got out of the elevators on the 4^th floor, it feels much different as it’s a lil old and dark and drabby looking. I go into my room and it’s the same. Its OK but just a lil outdated. Immediately upon walking in is the bathroom on the left. Its was small and basic but clean. You have to close the door just to be able to  use the toilet. Basic Hilton amenities were given.

Immediately after that was what I thought was a small closet, but it ended up just being an iron storage.

Then came the main portion of the room. Again it was basic but clean. The bed was large and was just fine to sleep on. Not the most comfortable bed, but better that my airplane bed on Delta. There was also a small TV with a desk next to that. Then there was a wardrobe that had a safe in it, and some other shelves and storage next to that with a small mini fridge for personal use.  There was also a hotpot for hot water for your coffee or tea.

The worst part was the view. As you can see, it was basically looking back into the hotel. I decided to lay down and turn the TV and try to get some sleep. I dozed in and out as it was the afternoon now and you could hear them cleaning other rooms. There was not a ton of outlets and they did not have USB charging outlets.

Now I thought about asking to switch rooms after the first night. However during the night time, I never heard a sound in my room. I am a pretty light sleeper and I hate hearing people in hallways, or your neighbors, or well any noise whatsoever. So I decided that while my room wasn’t great, it was quiet which was more important.

Gym

The gym is on the 13-15^th floors and offers some great views. Its uniquely laid out as you take the elevator to the 13^th floor, then walk up to the 14^th floors where its split with the 15^th floors. Its pretty cool, but once you realize what equipment is there, its small and basic.  At 7am in the morning ,there was a wait for the 2 treadmills they have. It was snowing in London at this time, so running indoors with a view was better than the alternative.

Executive Lounge

The DoubleTree has an executive lounge on the 2^nd floor. I appreciate that a DoubleTree has this as most DoubleTree’s don’t so it’s a nice lil surprise. When I say lil its because it’s a little lounge. It was just a rectangular room.  During the day you could grab some water or soda from here and they had fruit and chips to snack on. At 530, they did put on a decent spread. Not really enough for a dinner, but enough for have a drink and some food until dinner. They had some beer and wine as well, but no liqueur. It was quite crowded each night around 6pm though. Hard to find a table spot for more than 2 people.

As a Diamond member I could have breakfast in the lounge or in the restaurant. Each morning the lounge had the same food offerings that you can see below. Enough if you are in a hurry, but nothing spectacular. It was not crowded here though.

Breakfast

The hotel breakfast restaurant was on the 1^st floor. This buffet was unimpressive compared to other Hiltons. Again, basic and nothing over the top. They seem to have a newer staff as each morning it was not crowded, but they were always running around as if they were busy or perhaps shorthanded. They would always ask when I sat down if I would like any coffee, I would say no but ask for some juice, that would never come out. They did have a juice area for self serve. Also, as you can see on the menu below, the buffet includes made to order eggs. One morning after waiting 5 minutes just to be seated in the empty restaurant, I thought I would try an omelet out.  I sat down, declined the coffee but asked for juice never which surprisingly came out. I literally sat there for 15 minutes waiting for a server to come out. After about 5 minutes I could have gotten up and waived one down, but I wanted to see how long it would take. I wasn’t craving an omelet or anything, just wanted to see if it was good or not. Well after 15 minutes, my patience was too thin and I just ate some eggs off the buffet as I had meetings to go to. Each morning the buffet included the same offerings.

The DoubleTree also has a dinner restaurant and bar. While I did not try the food, it was a descent place to have drinks at night. Some hotel bars can be depressing but this one was lively and I had a good time in that area with my colleagues.

One nice thing was my flight wasn’t until 5pm and I asked for a 2pm checkout the night before. The front desk person immediately said no problem. He asked my room number and he looked at me like 4^th floor, for a Diamond member? While they didn’t have an office center that I saw, I was able to email the bell desk my boarding pass and they printed it off for me.

Now the hotel is OK, but the best part was the location. It was a 5 minute walk to Westminster Abbey and Big Ben and everything else in that area. One night we walked to Convent Gardens and SoHo which was about a 15-20 minute walk. It was about a 6BPB Uber ride when we decided to go home.  It was also only a 10 minute walk to the office which is very convenient for me.

In Nov I was in London for work as well and stayed at the St Ermins.  While the St. Ermins was fancier than the DoubleTree, I didn’t feel it was spectacular and wasn’t worth the money. While the DoubleTree isn’t spectacular either, its cheaper and sufficient. I would not go out of my way to stay at the DoubleTree but would recommend it based on price and location.

Review: St. Ermin’s Hotel, London

After driving from Cambridge to LHR, dropping the car off, getting on the train to Paddington Station, and then taking a taxi, I finally arrived for one night at St Ermin’s at around 2:30 in the afternoon.

The hotel entrance is a little hidden off of the main street, but its quite elegant.  Walked through the doors and was impressed by an intimate lounge and checkin area. I was a little before checkin and my room was not ready quite yet. I could checking into a regular room or wait an hour and get into the deluxe room they upgraded me for being a Marriott Gold member. I elected to wait and they stored my bags for me. I went for a walk and found several restaurants and main tourist attractions like Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey all within a 10 minute walk.

I got back around 4 and they already had my luggage waiting for me in my deluxe 6^th floor room. I got in the tiny elevator and went up. I am not sure what was deluxe about it, but it was a very small room as typical for London. Had a comfortable king size bed, desk with European and US power plugs, and a small wardrobe. In my room was some candy and bottled water. There was also a small minibar, hot water cup, and a coffee grinder.

The bathroom was very small as well. No place to set toiletries, but luckily I didn’t really have much. The shampoo and conditioner are large bottle on the shower wall as well.

Went downstairs as they had a welcoming reception with free wine from 5-6. Then went over to the bar for a few drinks as it was a nice relaxed setting with a local musician playing.

The next morning I was looking forward to the breakfast that I received for free for being a gold member. After waiting for 10 minutes for the three people in front of me to get seated, I finally got my table. I first saw some bacon and eggs, and some continental style items and then walked around the restaurant thinking there must be more. I am not sure what the price was but if I was paying for this I would have wanted my money back.

While the food was good and well presented, it was not a large variety. There are numerous cafes close by where you can eat breakfast for under $5.

They also had some cheap to go items in the lobby if you were in a hurry.

Overall, the location is great for seeing numerous London sites. It was also only a 5 minute walk for my business.  For the price, I was expecting a lil more though and will try to stay to one of the numerous other nearby hotels next time.