I have actually stayed here on my first ever visit to London 10 years ago! I guess it is a round after a decade. The hotel have since undergo a huge renovations and is totally different from when I am last here. I had a total of 3 nights in London and spent the first two nights at the Conrad London. I shifted over since it is more affordable which makes sense for my early departure. It is also nearer to Paddington which will help in getting to Heathrow the next morning. Earlier in the year, I also stayed at the DT London Bridge. It would be nice to see how things are after a decade.
Booking Process & Pre Arrival
I booked directly with Hilton and got the queen room. I will be staying here for one night. It will be a very short stay since I am checking in late and I will be leaving at 5am. Surprisingly, I did not get any upgrade prior despite most of the room types being available. Hilton London Metropole comes with 1100 guest rooms and suites spread across 14 categories. This is a very huge property with two towers. Clearly you are not going to get the personalised service or style here. Elite status helps but it is still a very busy resort like property. You can check out the breakdown below.
| Rooms | Executive Lounge Access |
|---|---|
| Guest | No |
| Deluxe | No |
| Deluxe City | No |
| Two Bed Connecting | No |
| Four Bed Connecting | No |
| Executive Interior View | Yes |
| Executive | Yes |
| Superior | No |
| Superior with Sofa Bed | No |
| Studio Suite | Yes |
| One Bedroom Deluxe Suite | Yes |
| One Bedroom Family Suite | Yes |
| One Bedroom Executive Suite | Yes |
| Two Bedroom Family Suite | Yes |
Checking In
I had a rather late arrival since I only shifted hotels in the evening. I came over from the Conrad and got here at around 7.30pm. The hotel have two entrance, if you are coming by car, you should drop on the back street. It is difficult to stop and unload in front. The front entrance is more suitable for pedestrian entrance. It is still quite busy here despite it being in the evening already.
There are elite lines available. I was helped by a professional and efficient guy who warmly welcomed me for being a Diamond member and help me with my bags. According to him, I had my choice of rooms. I can choose anything I want. We jokingly said how about the presidential suite! I opted for a room near the executive lounge since I will be in and out of the place. This is just to make things easy. Do remember to see where your room is to take the correct elevator.
Executive King Room
I went for one of the executive rooms located on the same floor as the lounge. I got room 231 in the Tower Wing. It is a short walk away from the elevators. I was pleasantly surprised by the decor of the place. Gone are those tired looking rooms from 2015!
Right upon entering, you have an entrance way with a full length mirror on the side. I really appreciate them having some hooks by the side which might be great for your outerwear. This is super handy during the winter and wet season which London is quite famous for. Next to it is the wardrobe, the spacious wardrobe is good enough for your stay here. It comes fully equipped with hangers and an ironing kit. There is also s safe and even a mini fridge here. The fridge is left empty for your use. That seems to be a weird location.
The bathroom is very nice and modern. This is one of Hilton newer style. I really appreciate it. The standing shower comes with a fully enclosed glass door. It comes with both a rainforest shower head and a handheld shower head. Water pressure and temperature control are excellent. This is my kind of set up. I hate those shower tub combo with the disgusting curtains. The bathroom also comes with a single sink and plenty of counter space. Amenities as per usual are from Crabtree and Evelyn in large pump size bottles.
Moving on to the main space of the room itself, I really love the warm finishing and lighting. The decor is modern. I wish i can see more Hilton like this. Along the wall, you can find a large high-quality smart screen television mounted on the wall. It comes with a good number of both local and international cable TV channels. The TV is lovely to be viewed from both the bed as well as the sitting area. Perfect for a movie night. Below the TV is a latch that stretch along, this provide additional storage area. It can be a little luggage platform for smaller bags and carry on luggage.
Also left on the side is a small mini bar corner which comes with a kettle and some package coffee and tea. There are also some biscuits here. Next to it is the working desk. It is of a good size. Ports and plugs are readily available. The Wi-Fi connection is very strong and stable in the room which makes for a pretty nice work set up. It can also be a vanity spot. They also had a nespresso coffee machine here. Bottled drinking water are not provided here. They do have these glass pitcher that you can use to replenish drinking water.
The mattress and bedding are high quality. The same goes for the sheets and pillows. I had a lovely sleep. Night stands are available on both sides of the bed where outlets can be found and controls for the lighting.
In the corner there is a sitting area with a coffee table. There is only a chair for one. It feels like a pair can be left here since they have additional space for it. It is nice to have this amount of space in a normal room over here.
There is nothing much to speak of the view here since I am only on the second floor. It simply faces the street opposite. There should be a nicer view of the surrounding area if you are on the higher floors.
Executive Lounge
Having access to this facility will make your experience here a lot better given how huge this property is. At the very least, you will not be sharing it with 1100 rooms of guests! The lounge is open daily from 7am to 10pm daily with breakfast from 7am to 10.30am, afternoon tea from 3pm to 5pm and dinner from 6pm to 8pm. The lounge is located in the Tower Wing on the second floor. The place looks very new and lovely. It is in a modern design. The space is rather generous to handle the crowd of this property. The place was buzzing when I visited right in the peak evening timing. There is probably seatings for about 60 to 70 pax. Here are some pictures of the place.
I only manage to check out the lounge during the evening cocktails timing. Here are some of the items on offer. The food aspect was quite bare.
Drinks are a lot better. You can find sparkling wine, red wine, white wine, rose, beers and ciders. There are also some spirits. They also had these rather fancy machines that can make various coffee drinks.
Conclusion
How do I put it? This is a super quick and short stay. I literally spend less than 12 hours in this property. We literally got in, went to the lounge, went back to shower and sleep before checking out. The hotel is very nice after the renovations. The hardware is top notch. I love the executive lounge that I was assigned. Sadly, I did not have the opportunity to check out the fitness centre and breakfast. This is a great options if you want a balance between price and quality. The location isn’t fancy but this is a nice spot with easy access to 4 Tube lines which allows you to scoot around the city and to the airport. I am looking forward to be back the next time I am in town. ic experience
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