This is my second stay at this property, my first stay was when it was still The Principal and I had an excellent stay then too! Every staff member I spoke to was so helpful and courteous, but special thanks to Doreen, Tricia (I think? Sorry if I got your name wrong, you helped relocate me to the new room!) and the engineer who’s name I didn’t catch. I was actually ready to just suck it up because it seemed like it was a building issue, but he insisted on checking for another room to move me to. I had booked a Queen with Park View room on the first floor, and was pleased that the room was ready for checking in before 2. Room itself was compact but tastefully decorated; comfortable for one and would have probably been tight for two. However to my dismay, there was a low-grade humming sound that was coming from some machinery, the kind that would give me a headache so I called down to see if there was anything that can be done. They sent an engineer right away, and he concluded there was nothing that could be done and informed the front desk that they should look to move me to a different room. The front desk let me know that they did not have anything available in the same category so it would “take some time”. I went out to explore and when I came back, my new room was ready and to my utter surprise and delight, they had relocated me to a giant suite! From looking on the website, the room category was “1 Bedroom Suite Dining Park View”. I have no status and actually booked through BA so I honestly was not expecting anything so this was a welcome surprise. There was a huge living room, dining area and separate bedroom area with a canopy bed, writing desk and a bathtub by the windows. Also a large bathroom with double sinks, separate shower and toilet “room”. There was also a stand-alone toilet with sink just off the entrance/living room. Complimentary snacks, soft drinks, water and beer, as well as nespresso-like coffee machine and tea kettle. The fridge also had a little jug of milk (I love English hotels for thinking of the milk!) Bathroom well stocked with nice sized bottles of shower gel, shampoo and conditioner. Also vanity kits with cotton buds/pads, shower gel, toothbrush/toothpaste, shower cap and even bath salts! Oh and the towel warmer was a definite treat. Bathroom floor also felt mildly heated. The water sometimes came out a bit onto the bathroom floor but it would be completely dry by the next morning (I was showering morning and night so this is pretty incredible). While I didn’t try this time around, I do love that there is a coffee shop (Burr) in the hotel, as well as a cocktail bar (Fitz)There are also many details of the hotel building itself that is worth paying attention to (eg Lucky George!) Highly recommend taking the grand staircase and exploring the hotel. If there is a miss, I think it’s the lack of any sort of information highlighting the hotel’s history and architecture. Hotel is in across from Russell Square, I really liked chilling out for a bit at the end of my day before heading back to the hotel. Or at the start while planning out my day! Around the corner is the Russell Square tube stop on the Piccadilly line. Easy ride from Heathrow. Tottenham Court Road is also walkable if you don’t have too much stuff for the Elizabeth Line. As is Holburn for the Central Line. Kings Cross/St Pancras is one stop on the Piccadilly line with multiple other lines to transfer to. Or you could take a leisurely 15 minute walk too. My most important discovery this trip: around the corner/under 5 mins walk away is The Brunswick Centre. It’s like an open air mall with a courtyard area and shops and restaurants lining it all around. Boots, Sainsbury, Waitrose and even Tian Tian, a large Asian market! Next time, Tian Tian will be my first stop to stock up on cup noodles for when I get the munchies at night! I didn’t realize this was there until towards the end of my trip. Sad. Yes the Tesco Express by the tube station is convenient but definitely worth a few extra steps to Brunswick Centre for more choice.…
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