Keyser

i'm quite familiar with the area....i usually stay at the le méridien....however, there was a £45 per day difference between this place & the le méridien so i decided to stay here instead....will try to avoid the small standard rooms....

Keyser

checked in yesterday....upgraded to a one bedroom suite with a rather strange layout....however, its very spacious & comfortable....

slariz

Had a 5-night stay here last week on points. Was not upgraded, but they said it was one of the larger "Classic King" rooms, and based on the layout, that was probably the case. Had a couch, desk and overall was about twice as large as what I would consider the usual London hotel room. Furniture was somewhat dated though looked to be in decent condition. Carpet could use replacement. Bathroom was small, but functional. Overlooked a back alley and was adjacent to a utility closet so had lots of mechanical fans whirring through the night.

Look, it is not the newest hotel, but the location was incredible. Could pretty much walk most anywhere we wanted and it certainly helped that the weather was perfect.

habshabs444

I just had a 4 night stay (3 nights paid, 1 night on points) at the Park Lane last week and it did exceed my expectations, however, they weren't very high to begin with.

For car transfer, we used 247 Airport Transfer to and from LHR they were on time for both pickups. The cars were modern (Audi A6 & VW Passat) and the drivers were friendly. Highly recommended for 65GBP roundtrip.

Arriving at around noon, I was informed that my suite (my SNAs actually went through for the first time this year) was ready. I was on the 3rd flr (301) which was a surprisingly large suite with high ceilings with a long hallway connecting the bedroom and the living area. The room was a little dated but that was to be expected. The living area wasn't that functional as it could only accompany a loveseat due to the width of the room. The bedroom was quite large and the bathroom was very large. The tub could have easily fit two people and had good water pressure and more than enough hot water. The only strange thing was that you had to step rather high to get into the tub which could have been a struggle if anyone was super short.

We had breakfast each morning in the restaurant as our Plat amenity. Service was quite good with constant refills of coffee, juice etc. The actual buffet was adequate and did the trick. We did have drinks in the bar one night and they were on the pricey side, but again this was to be expected.

By far the best part about this hotel was the location. Everything we wanted to see in London was within walking distance (keep in mind we enjoy walking on vacations). Buckingham Palace is a short stroll through the park and Hyde Park is a short walk away. Although there are some very pricey restaurants surrounding the hotel, there are also some great more inexpensive ones, two of which were recommended different nights for dinner and were spot on.

I would definitely stay here again while in London. I'm sure the LM Piccadilly is much nicer, but it is only a few blocks down the road and I'd rather save the 100GBP per night which was the differential when I was staying here and use it elsewhere.

jmc123

Had a 1-night stay in a standard king room. The room was large and spacious, but as others have said, the hotel is a bit tired and dated. The bed and bed linens were very comfortable, but the room was pretty spare. No coffee/tea-maker, no bottled water. Bathroom was stocked with standard Sheraton toiletries, shower pressure was great, but did not like the two-spigot sink (ie, one spigot for hot water and one spigot for cold water, so there is no way to get warm water out of one spigot). Service was terrible - when I arrived in the late afternoon, there was no doorman / valet in site. Later that evening, I was expecting a fax, which was never delivered. I was told by my assistant that it had gone through and that she had called to confirm receipt and request delivery to my room. I called the reception and they did not have any knowledge of a fax coming through and asked me to come downstairs. I went downstairs and gave them my information, the time the fax was sent, and still nothing. My assistant then emailed them the document instead of faxing it, requesting that they print and deliver to my room. After dinner, I returned to my room and there was still nothing. I repeated the same process as before (calling them, then going downstairs, giving them the time of the email and who it was sent by), only to have them shrug their shoulders that they did not receive it and direct me to the business center to print it myself (they gave me a code for free Internet access in order to log in to email and mentioned that all printing was free). Had a light dinner at the Palm Court - had the sea bass (which was delicious), very reasonably priced (and even more so with the 20% discount you get if you show your SPG card) and very efficient service. Bought the breakfast package option and had buffet breakfast on the ground floor in the morning - just a very standard buffet breakfast, nothing special. All in all, it is fine if you're not planning to spend much time in the room and because of the convenient location (under 10 min to Paddington and it's in Mayfair) - just don't expect great service (as it's not really a business-oriented hotel).

stc

A bit tired?

I would have said the hotel was deceased.

jmc123

Haha, yes, I was being quite generous. The rooms and bathrooms are quite depressing actually (for example, very cheap paint job on the bathroom walls where the paint goes over some of the fixtures, looks like someone slapped on some thick white paint and didn't bother to smooth it out). This hotel definitely isn't up to normal Sheraton standards. But like I said, if you aren't planning to spend much time in the room and you have a cheap rate, it's fine. But if you like to lounge in your room for a bit, I'd imagine it would be quite depressing.

Nfldflyer

Good advice. This transfer service is much cheaper than the standard black cab price. Anyone doing business in London should check them out. I used them the last time i stayed at the Sheraton Park Lane and coming from Heathrow.

terminalfive

stay at London fairly often and wow have prices gone up - even at weekends. Now you really struggle to stay at Starwood Properties in the Centre under 200 - 250£ this being the cheapest option

smat

Which is why, despite being an SPG Platinum, I generally book at Doubletree/Hilton properties, as the rates can be considerably less.....

terminalfive

London is pretty much the only City where I really am "forced" to make the same choice

Already a few nights this year and they have all been Hilton (Paddington and Kensington so far)

Actually got the Paddington for under 100£ which was super value with free Breaky etc. (gold status for me with HH)

Would love to try this hotel out but I'm getting a couple of Hiltons around 140£ - quite a lot cheaper...

cbrown5294

Let me start by saying I stayed here in 2007 and had a horrible experience but thought time would have fixed this hotel but I was surely wrong.
Back in 2007 (I was Gold then) we checked in and was given a room right over the kitchen and the smell of greese was horrible. We got another room and this one was right next to some sort of generator and could hear that all day/night.
Fast foward to this week-I figured as a Platnium it should be better
I had booked a Classic King non-smoking using 12k per night. I arrived and was told no upgrades, etc and that was fine since I was not expecting much. Instead of an upgrade I got a downgrade
The room was a Queen bed on the 3rd floor overlooking the roof of the hotel and was right on top of the generators. I went to front desk and inquired where was my king bed and got numerous answers and was given the option of a smoking king. I held my ground and 20 minutes later I had a king non-smoking. I basically had to fight for my reserved room type.
The rooms are horrible. The bed is about 1 ft away from the door and you can hear EVERYTHING from the hallway. The floors in the hallway creek with every step an you hear every sound. I am still at the hotel and want out so bad I may just eat it and go check in to the Hyatt in a few days.
Of all the hotels/motels/hostels I have stayed in this must be one of the worst especially for 12k night and the average $350 they get per night.

red star

The room type is not guaranteed on award reservations. Since you've got the reserved room in the end your remaining issue is with the noise.
Unfortunately this is pretty common in the UK because the British a huge fans of noisy flats, thin walls and the like.

rooivalk

Yes, unfortunately for you, award stays are booked ROH and you'll have to take whatever room they give you.

platbrownguy

Got a decent-seeming rate here for New Year's (check in 30 Dec for 4 nights), at £161/night (best rate guarantee, dhr.com). SPG wanted £299/night here, £334 at the LeM, £389 at the Park Tower, £394 at the W, etc.

Flexible cancellation because it's a BRG, so I'm holding this with the intent of using it only if there are no better deals that pop up.

Questions:

1) Any insights on whether rates are likely to drop for New Years, or do hotels typically book up?

2) Location is primary, won't be in the room much. Expecting a tired old property with noise issues, but any other reasons why staying here wouldn't be advisable around NYE?

Any current tips on types of rooms to get/avoid?