Reviews of Starwood hotels - London

[KeithMEL]

Not going for the Metropolitan, KeithMEL? Como Shambala amenities await...

The decor is looking tired these days and feels rather late 90s, they need a re-design soon. Still a great bar scene at Met though! The other one I looked at was an old favourite St Martin's Lane (which is also owned by the Morgan's Group like Sanderson) but the price tag isn't looking so nice for my dates.

[MAN Flyer]

What I don't quite get, is this seeming obsession with the Hotel bar.

Bearing in mind these locations are not exactly stuck in the middle of the desert (only real travellers go there... ), it's not as though there is nowhere else to go in London, LA, Hong Kong etc.

I have a number of Golden Rules while getting through an increasingly mundane travel experience, some of which are:

- If breakfast is not included in my rate or I don't get it in the lounge/due to status, hell will freeze over before I pay those extortionate rates hotels charge

- Never use anything from the mini bar and again get clobbered with ludicrous charges for said items.
(exceptions can be made to this after partaking in heavy or ongoing alcohol consumption that leaves one feeling a little parched and in need of water the following morning, and one hasn't been smart enough to buy water before going out and getting clattered)

- I rarely spend any time in the Hotel Bar and, due as much to wanting to get out and about as to avoid (yet again) getting clobbered with outrageously overpriced drinks. I spend enough time in Hotels as it is.

Of course, the fact that I tend to be in Hotels with lounge access and free drinks there, probably assists me in deciding I won'y pay £10-£20 for a drink I can get for free. Having said that, I believe these W(otsits) don't have lounges anyway...?

I have to hold my hands up here and admit to spending a few bob in BarSu at the SGS from time to time, but that is an exception...

[KeithMEL]

A good hotel bar means there's a nice scene in the lobby to enjoy whilst resting my feet from the day's shopping and waiting to go out for the night. Plus a good scene (nice cocktails, good music, good people watching etc) adds so much life and atmosphere to a hotel and makes it a lot more welcoming and relaxing. In London I haven't found much difference in prices between the hotel bars (say, the Met or the Sanderson) and some of the cocktail bars I hang out in outside. In Hong Kong the W isn't that much different in pricing to say, the Kee Club or Felix either (and plays much better music on a Fri night and Sun afternoon!).

I don't do mini bars either, it's a bit depressing drinking alone in a hotel room. And yes I reserve the same exception for water. Neither do I do hotel breakfasts even if they're free as 1) i don't wake up in time for them; 2) i like checking out the local cafes. Of course, this is from a leisure* traveller's perspective.

Lounges aren't a W thing. The Living Room is usually the main bar (and most if not all have free wifi), but a few Ws have another bar in a different area of the hotel. They do try to be "destination bars" and some of the better ones attract a fair bit of locals. I find most of the lounges in traditional hotels pretty mundane and boring, and that's when I actively seek a bar outside after dumping all the carrier bags accumulated from the day down in the room, unless i've not brought my laptop along in which case i'd stop by for the internet access. Again from a leisure* traveller's perspective so what do i know?

*defined in this instance as a non-desert/Arctic/"off beaten track" adventurer (but i did the Nevis high wire bungy when i was in ZQN so there ), museum and art gallery shunning philistine who only ever shops (and considers Harvey Nicks' and global flagships of his fave designers cultural attractions), eats and drinks when he's overseas

[HUGE AL]

And let's not forget, "TRENDY!"

[KeithMEL]

And let's not forget, "TRENDY!"

Which the Andaz London most definitely isn't! (bringing this back on topic somewhat )

[jhm]

[a] philistine who only ever shops ..., eats and drinks when he's overseas

The shopping in MEL must be cr*p and I'm surprised you haven't succumbed to dehydration or starvation when at home!

[KeithMEL]

The shopping in MEL must be cr*p and I'm surprised you haven't succumbed to dehydration or starvation when at home!

The range of international designers retailed here is rather limited in comparison and overpriced. I stick to local designers back here.
Didn't stop me from buying a new pair of shoes at Prada the other day (as none of my existing shoes matched my outfit for this party I was attending that evening). I could've saved at least $100 buying it overseas though but it was a one off as I needed something there and then. And our once humble Prada boutique on Collins St has been upgraded to epicentre status now so we get the latest season stuff instead of having to wait 6 months, not bad for the relatively small market that Australia is.

But who needs an excuse for shopping anyway.

[jhm]

Plus a good scene (nice cocktails, good music, good people watching etc) adds so much life and atmosphere to a hotel and makes it a lot more welcoming and relaxing.

Plus the street cred of staying at such a hotel!

Neither do I do hotel breakfasts even if they're free as 1) i don't wake up in time for them; 2) i like checking out the local cafes.

Most hotel breakfasts tend to be bland and boring but there are some which I would drag myself out of bed for (and go back to sleep afterwards ), e.g. Westin Tokyo (freshly made and baked patisserie!), Westin Cape Town (oysters and bubbly in the lounge with a view of Table Mountain), Shangri-La Shanghai (the amazing choice) etc.

[KeithMEL]

Most hotel breakfasts tend to be bland and boring but there are some which I would (and have) drag myself out of bed for (and go back to sleep afterwards ), e.g. Westin Tokyo (freshly made and baked patisserie!), Westin Cape Town (oysters and bubbly in the lounge with a view of Table Mountain), Shangri-La Shanghai (the amazing choice) etc.

Once upon a time I did drag myself up early to have lobster omelette and champagne at Nine Thirty, W LA. Those were the days...

Will try the Westin Tokyo pastries if I ever do make an SPG stay there - not such a problem being in time for brekky in Tokyo given the earliest possible time to get back is at 5am anyway (ie when the subway opens).

[jhm]

Once upon a time I did drag myself up early to eat oyster omelette and champagne at Nine Thirty, W LA. Those were the days...

If you happen to be at the Westin Cape Town (recommended for the lounge and also the nice upgrade to a suite both times I was there), they also do a mean egg white omelette in the lounge!

[HUGE AL]

Which the Andaz London most definitely isn't!

Really?! Hmmm...isn't that what they're going for???

...but there are some which I would drag myself out of bed for (and go back to sleep afterwards ), e.g. Westin Tokyo (freshly made and baked patisserie!), Westin Cape Town (oysters and bubbly in the lounge with a view of Table Mountain), Shangri-La Shanghai (the amazing choice) etc.

PHT also has the fresh baked pastries as well. That Diamond Breakfast is outstanding!

[KeithMEL]

Really?! Hmmm...isn't that what they're going for???

Perhaps a matter of personal taste, however the London property seemed like a stripped down, less sophisticated Park Hyatt rather than a cool design hotel. The vibe also felt no different from a 'regular' upscale hotel. I only did a brief walk through of the LA property's lobby at 2am so can't really comment on that one.

[stargold]

Really?! Hmmm...isn't that what they're going for???

I guess the Sanderson/St Martins Lane interior is very much more funky / unique than Andaz, which is ultimately a chain hotel with a design-oriented twist.

A family friend was staying at the Sanderson so I got a look around the room - really not my style at all. One Aldwych, on the other hand...

[jhm]

Remember also that the Andaz London is a conversion from Terence Conran's Great Eastern Hotel opened in 2000 (which itself was a conversion from the derelict railway hotel first opened in 1884).

[KeithMEL]

Dilemma of dilemmas....

Do I make a bold move and stay somewhere exciting, funky and fresh, ie the Sanderson - but give up a 3 night head start for next year's requal for 2011 (Nights Advance promo: http://www.sqtalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7961)? Or stay somewhere thoroughly dull and unexciting, and relatively unappealing ie any one of the Starwood props in London but take advantage of a v good promo?

This is given I'm not actually certain of requalifying next year as asking about my new employer's preferred chain of hotels obviously didn't cross my mind during the recruitment process. I mean, I should really think of making it easier to requalify for PLT as a strategic investment to ensure I'd be well taken care of during those 90% of the time when I'd stay with Starwood on my own dime right..... OTOH surely it's not too hard to make up those 3 nights elsewhere. (I qualify on nights rather than stays as I really cannot be stuffed with stay runs given i don't exactly travel light)



If the former this would make London the 3rd "SPG No Way" city for me after SIN and TYO, or at least until the W Piccadilly is completed.