Britannia Hampstead Hotel, London

HAMPSTEAD BRITANNIA HOTEL - LONDON


On a weekend break to London we stayed at the Britannia. (But please note this is only a review of the hotel London review will follow)

It's situated in the village of Hampstead about a ten minuet drive from the centre of London. (Actual address Primrose Hill Road, Hampstead, London NW3 3NA) Hampstead boasts designer shops and a great restaurant's but only being there for two ...
...to do the touristy thing in the city centre so we saw very little of Hampstead itself. A sort tube ride away is London city centre were there is so much to do, theatres, shows, Buckingham palace, London eye etc etc etc. the night life is ok. The hotel is a ten minuet walk from Camden which is full of pubs but when we went they were all full and not accepting any more people the queues are out the door. We found one that was half full o we stuck in ... more

HAMPSTEAD BRITANNIA HOTEL - LONDON

On a weekend break to London we stayed at the Britannia. (But please note this is only a review of the hotel London review will follow)

It's situated in the village of Hampstead about a ten minuet drive from the centre of London. (Actual address Primrose Hill Road, Hampstead, London NW3 3NA) Hampstead boasts designer shops and a great restaurant's but only being there for two days we didn't see much of the area we wanted to do the touristy thing in the city centre so we saw very little of Hampstead itself. A sort tube ride away is London city centre were there is so much to do, theatres, shows, Buckingham palace, London eye etc etc etc. the night life is ok. The hotel is a ten minuet walk from Camden which is full of pubs but when we went they were all full and not accepting any more people the queues are out the door. We found one that was half full o we stuck in there till closing time. But there was a reason it was half full, it was a dump!! But it served vodka so it suited me.
But as I said this is a hotel review so let's get back to the hotel.

The hotel

It has 102 rooms on 5 floors with stairs and two very small lifts (fit in 8 people or so it says but with four in we were breathing in). The main doors are up 3-5 steps but there is a side door for wheelchair access. Up the stars you come to a swivel glass door through this is the main lobby. With a painted ceiling and a marble floor the first impressions are very impressive. In the corner of this room is the dark wooden reception area and behind here is a staff member who speaks very little English (all staff are a mix of French and Zimbabwean, none speak much English. This room also leads to the conference room (which I did not see) the toilets (which I did not see) and the bar (which I saw lots off) the bar has sofas and tables and chairs to seat about 40 people. The bar is well stocked with every thing you could wish for including bar food such as chips, sandwiches, crisps etc. there is a TV on in here which usually has sport of some sort on and a piano is sometime played by a young girl. In the adjoining room is the dining area but ill explaining more about this in a second.
The hotel has a very classic Victorian feel with the painted ceilings and dark wood. The marble floor gives the feel of space were there isn't really that much.

The dining
This is where things go down hill a little.
Breakfast is served between 7.30 and 10.00 and consists of a full English breakfast cereal, toast, fruit, tea, coffee, and juice. It is all a serve your self and if your not quick it could be gone they run out of food very quickly.
Evening meal is usually meat and veg with potatoes and some sort of stroganoff or casserole but it is all low quality ingredients the veg was bruised and the meat very fatty. A pudding of gateau or fruit was available but again it ran out very quickly and many people did not get any.
Prices were had an inclusive price as we went as part of a package but website prices are below.
 Breakfast £9.50
 Dinner £12.50
 Champagne £17.50
 Fruit Basket £7.50
I wouldn't recommend eating in I would go out, prices inside the restaurant are reasonable but the food isn't great. Nor is the service (see the staff)
The rooms
We had a standard double room on the fifth floor. (No 517 to be exact) it had a double bed, dressing table with mirror and hair dryer, a double wardrobe with hangers and shelves and a table with two chairs. There is a kettle with hot drinks and biscuits and a lamp. The en-suit has a toilet bath and show with clean towels delivered every day and shower gel and shampoo replaced daily too. Shaver points are on the wall. The rooms are very cold I know that's a silly thing to complain about but all the time we were in there were freezing. We did turn up our radiators but it was really cold all the time. The view from the hotel is one of other buildings so not much to look at but who cares, you don't go to the capital city for panoramic views.
The staff
I did not meet a staff member who was English they were mainly French so booking in and ordering drinks and such, was a slow process. With out sounding bitchy or mean I have to say I didn't really like the staff. They were not rude or grumpy but they were just slow and lethargic. They gave the impression they would rather be some where else. They walked slowly, didn't speak unless spoken to, didn't bother with small talk they just got on with it. If you asked for help they offered it but were just a little put out by it. And they looked scruffy, hair un-brushed, no make up and dark tiered eyes.
I don't mean to be rude about them we never had a problem with any of them I just felt they should have been wearing a t shirt saying "id rather be sunbathing or fishing"
Parking
Parking is on street only and is sparse when the hotel and neighbouring hotels are full.
Prices
Prices depend on the time of year but start at £69.00 and go up to about £140. They do cheap breaks and wedding packages so ring for more information.
More information
Primrose Hill Road, Hampstead, London NW3 3NA
Tel: 020 7586 2233 Fax : 020 7586 1659
Reservations Local : 0845 838 1009
Email : res713@britanniahotels.com

Summery
I wouldn't recommend this hotel if you want a 'posh' hotel but for a cheap break its not bad. It is clean and tidy and all the staff are helpful (if somewhat resentfully) it is only a 3 start so you really get what you pay for.
Any one considering this hotel should view the website and virtual tour for a real feel of the hotel.
Thanks for reading, this is my first hotel review so let me know you think anything could have been improved upon or changed (god ive left myself open for some right comments now haven't I)

Thanks
Tina
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