As of November 2002. Pricing, availability, and amenities subject to change.
The author did not receive compensation for this review.
Overall: 8/10
Recently, I had the opportunity to travel to London as part of a family vacation throughout Ireland and the United Kingdom. After taking a long look at different hotels across a number of brands and also a good amount of AIRBNB/VRBO options, we settled on the Waldorf Hilton. Set inside a historic building on Aldwych Street, it is conveniently located in the Covent Garden area of London within walking district of most theaters. In fact, on our last night there we stumbled upon the premier of the newest season of NETFLIX's The Crown and got the chance to watch some celebrities walk the red carpet at the Royal Opera House.
Booking: 8/10
Booking was conducted via the Hilton website three months in advance to the trip. Hilton's search and booking engine's are very user friendly and allow the user to search in their home currency or by points with options for multiple rooms and the use of special rates. Overall the process was very simple. We booked the cheapest available Hilton Honors Semi Flex room, the Queen Guest Room. The stay covered Sunday to Wednesday with a rate change for Tuesday night(not positive on why it was more that night) but here is the cost per night breakdown for one room.
Sunday & Monday Night: 210.90 GBP (248.69 USD, 240.80 EURO)
Tuesday Night: 222.30 GPB (262.14 USD, 253.82 EURO)
Total Cost: 644.10 GBP (759.52 USD, 735.43 EURO)
Average Night Cost: 214.70 GBP (253.17 USD, 245.14 EURO)
Check-In: 10/10
As Diamond members, I was banking on the chance for a room upgrade upon check-in and I was not disappointed. In fact the entire check in process is a testament to some of the extra customer care personal touches that the Waldorf does well. The night prior to check-in I had received the standard welcome message via Hilton's app from the hotel. Since we were arriving early to London the next day via train from York, I was concerned with not only getting an early check -in but also ensuring that our rooms were close since I was traveling with my mother on her first trip out of the United States.
I decided to wait until the next morning to reply to the welcome message just in case there were any issues with our train. Having completely forgot about messaging them first thing in the morning, I ended up not messaging them until we were about an hour out of arriving at King's Cross Station. Requesting not only an early check-in but also that our rooms were close I surely expected that we would be storing our bags at the hotel while we explored for the day. However, not long after sending my request I received a personal message from Anastasia at the front desk stating not only that our rooms were ready for check-in but that they were also right next to each other and that we were upgraded to Queen Deluxe Rooms a slightly larger version of the Queen Guest room. To come full circle, during the actual check-in process at the front desk we had the same Anastasia who had messaged us earlier check us in.
Room: 7/10
The Queen Deluxe room was was great and on par with smaller sized hotel rooms that you would see in New York or Paris. Although the Queen Guest might have been too small for my liking had we not been upgraded. Amenities included:
Complimentary Tea & Coffee
Complimentary Water (2 bottles)
Mini Bar(Drinks Only)
Bathrobe & Slippers
Iron & Ironing Board
Blow Dryer
I found the bed to be extremely comfortable, while the chair not as much. Desk space and multiple different power sockets were available for those looking to work from their room. I also liked the old school touch of having a button inside the room to indicate whether or not you wanted your room cleaned or did not want to be disturbed along with a door bell.
Bathroom: 7/10
The bathroom had a full a bathtub with shower, toilet and double sink which I thought was a nice touch. However the other Queen Deluxe room only had a single sink, not sure if it is possible to request one with a double or not but it might be worth a try upon check-in. The bathroom contained all of your typical travel sized soaps and shampoos along with a very interesting volume control for the TV (no TV in bathroom, this was audio from the TV in the bedroom) that did not seem to work for me. Two other minor grumps were that the towel warmer rack did not work(was essential for one of the rainy London days!!) and I had multiple lights out in the bathroom as well. A quick call to the front desk and the lights were fixed, however the towel warmer was out of commission for good.
Dining: 6/10
Dining options are aplenty at the Waldorf, with five different restaurants/bars along with a very nice executive lounge. We ended up only trying a few of their options and for the most part, those were good hotel dining options. The cause for the lower score was mainly due to the fact that inflated pricing was on par for your typical hotel fare along with limited food options at the bar during the afternoon.
Executive Lounge: By far one of the better executive lounges I have been in. Open for the majority of the day with cold and hot food options and a large selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.
Homage Restaurant: We did not eat in the Homage Restaurant for dinner, however diamond and above members have complimentary access to the breakfast buffet located in the restaurant. The buffet contains a mix of both hot and cold food options(think a full English breakfast along with cold cuts, cheese, breads, yogurt and fruit) You can also order add-ons from their menu to go with the buffet items at an extra cost. The room itself is beautifully decorated and makes you feel like you are eating like a king in a grand cafe!! The food was top notch and the buffet would easily have received a 10/10 alone for food and atmosphere!
Room Service: Room service is slowly making its return to hotels in the post Covid era and I decided to give it a shot when we first arrived as we were looking for something quick while relaxing after the train trip from York. The menu had a good array of different food, ranging from standard breakfast fare, soups, sandwiches, entrees and sides, along with tea, coffee, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.
Afternoon Tea: Did not try
Good Godfrey's Bar and Lounge: Did not try
T Room: Did not try
The Wild Monkey: Did not try
Fitness Center: 8/10
The hotel did not have it's own dedicated fitness center, however staying at the hotel provides you access to a commercial gym called Fitness First located next to the hotel that was accessible from the hotel itself. Being a commercial gym, it had much more than your normal hotel gym. Cardio, strength, functional areas and a pool are all available along with very nice locker rooms. You can see more here at the Fitness First website
Location: 7/10
Located in Covent Garden, the hotel is within walking distance to most theaters and is a few blocks away from Trafalgar Square or the British Museum. A wide range of restaurants, cafes, and even a few convenience stores are available right outside the hotel's doorstep. A bus stop is also located in front of the hotel and if a waiting taxi wasn't available, typically one was available within 10 minutes once ordered. Covent Garden and Temple tube stations are the closest stations within walking distance. Some typical distances are:
British Museum: 12 minute walk
Covent Garden: 6 minute walk
Covent Garden Tube Station: 6 minute walk
Temple Tube Station: 9 minute walk
Trafalgar Square: 10 minute walk
Buckingham Palace: 10 minutes by car
King's Cross Station: 14 minutes by car
The Tower of London: 22 minutes by car
Final Thoughts: 8/10
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Waldorf Hilton London. While less expensive hotels can be had, at an average nightly rate of 214.70 GBP (253.17 USD, 245.14 EURO) I found that the top notch customer service, comfortable and clean room, great amenities and solid food options resulted in really great value at that price point. I would not hesitate to stay here again and look forward to our return during our next trip to London!
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