Having heard about the many accolades and songs of praise of this hotel I decided to book here for 3 nights.

I was ultimately disappointed with this hotel though I can see the potential of this hotel. Many small issues compounded to make for a frustrating stay which suggests larger systems breakdowns behind the scenes. However, the hotel also has elements which ought to be praised as well.

Booked a Deluxe room which included a daily continental breakfast.

The Room...

Our Deluxe room had a very classic decor with yellow walls and mint green accents. The room overlooked the front entrance of the hotel (and the Beverly Hilton beyond) so you could watch the stream of expensive and super-expensive cars come and go all day through a large window which opens up to let in fresh air. The same window was poor in blocking out the noise from traffic. There was an arm chair, small coffee table, and a two seater sofa in the room.

The King bed was very comfortable and the pillows were very soft and comfy. The bedside control panel only controlled the air conditioning fan speed (not temperature), the night light, valet call, and either DND or Make Up room call signs. There were 4 phones, one on each side of the bed with one a cordless unit, one in the bathroom and the other on the desk. Hi-speed internet was complimentary and the room also had a Bose Wave radio /cd unit.

The disappointment was the flat panel tv which was a cheap unit which was less than 26", for a hotel which has Bang & Olufsen telephones phones, using Zenith was an error as while B&O and Peninsula can be synonomous, the cheap television set is not.

The bathroom only had a single sink, a deep soaking tub, separate WC and stall shower and stocked with Molton Brown toiletries which were only replenished after I kept asking.

All in all, a comfortable room perfect for a short stay.

Service Issues...

Service is VERY SLOW and there aren't any little touches or attention to detail at this hotel. A request for ice will take 25-35 minutes. Ordering the continental breakfast from Room service in the morning takes 20 - 30 minutes to arrive. I cannot understand why a continental breakfast would take so long - the apple and orange juice was not even freshly squeezed. There was no extra pot of hot water for my tea which was like coffee by the time it arrived. Pastries were decent but the croissants were stale.

My room key needed to be re-keyed twice as each time only one of our keys would work. Both times, the staff gave us a look of bewilderment, made us feel that we were imposing on them with a ridiculous request, and made us feel by their snide comments as if it were MY fault.

Room Service...

I ordered our breakfast from Room Service every morning. The first morning we ordered only after waking up and it took over 30 minutes for delivery. The quality was pretty good, though the Apple and orange juice wasn't freshly squeezed and the croissants were doughy, heavy, and tough and very stale.

One evening, feeling peckish (after a busy day out), I ordered some soup and a ham and cheese sandwich. Thirty-five minutes later my soup and a sandwich arrived. Only after the waiter left I realised that my sandwich was a cheese only sandwich. Calling room service again I was promised another sandwich but no real apologies were offered. Another 25 minutes passed before the new sandwich appeared. The waiter was not concerned that the first sandwich was incorrect nor did he apologies either.

The quality of food is pretty good but not delicious as compared to other hotels. Portions on the whole are generous though their burger was on the skimpy side.

Concierge...

I found the Concierge service to be competent but nothing extraordinary. I did not find the Concierges to be overly friendly or willing to offer any extra help. This attitude defines the service we experienced throughout our stay; barely competent but will not go any further or above and beyond.

Conclusions...

Complimentary internet access is very much welcomed and I wish more luxury hotels would follow suit of Peninsula. Service needs polishing and needs to be improved (service was lackluster, not very attentive, lacking a close eye to detail and lacking the little things) but if the hotel can get their service act together this would be an excellent hotel worthy of its reputation.