Back in September 2007 my wife and I had decided we would like to go to London for the weekend and at the same time take in a show. After further investigation, we also realised that The Terracotta Army was on show at The British Museum and a Tutankhamun exhibition at the 02 Arena so we wanted a hotel that was adjacent to most things on our to do list, close access to Euston as well as having easy access to the tube.
We chose the St Giles simply because it appeared on almost every google search we did, had some decent reviews, offered an all in one price for the hotel and a show and was in a fabulous location.
***Location***
They say the three most important things for a hotel is location, location, location but I feel that location is relative. After all, an establishment cannot be located everywhere but the St Giles succeeds in being as good a location for a hotel as any I have ever been to. The location is without a doubt the one major factor in the success of this hotel and this alone excuses it for numerous other areas where it is a let down. The British Museum is a five minute walk away and our trip to the theatre was two tube journeys (15 mins) or a 15 minute walk. Even our trip out to North Greenwich to the O2 was quick (40 mins with a change) given the hotel is also 100 yards from Tottenham Court Road tube which services both the Northern & Central lines with immediate access to the rest of London.
However, if a night at the theatre or a meal and drink in Soho is not your thing then this hotel may not be for you. It is five minutes by taxi from Euston and 15 minute walk from Covent Gardens/Theatreland, Soho, Piccadilly Circus, Chinatown, Leicester Square and a whole host of other places to see.
***Cost***
We booked on-line via www.superbreak.com and for 5 adults/1 child (although note that it is the same price for adults/children as you are effectively booking the room) the price was £882 for two nights including 6 tickets to see Lord of The Rings. This equates to just under £75 pp per night including the show which is good value for Central London, especially given this was also the Easter weekend. We could have got it marginally cheaper if we had spent more time shopping around though and a google search will bring up a host of links to the hotel.
***First Impression***
They say first impressions last and I will likely not forget this one simply because we couldn't find it! Whilst heavily promoted as being on Tottenham Court Road the entrance is actually on Bedford Avenue, just off TCR which was obscured by scaffolding. We eventually found it and once you do you are confronted with a 60s monstrosity that looks like it has been transported from an overspill estate. Looking up, you just see a strange design of staggered windows and a concrete façade. At ground level where you enter is an attempt of modernisation with a glass front and fancy ropes leading you to the reception up a flight of stairs. It is a totally uninspiring sight.
***Checking in***
This was very efficient as there were no queues on arrival and the process was very smooth and the staff appeared organised and polite. However, in the minute or so we were there a coach had deposited the next lot of visitors and before we knew it reception was absolutely jam packed with people attempting to check in. In the two days we were there the reception was very crowded every time we went through it with people either just arriving or leaving. It appears the hotel caters for vast numbers of people, arriving by coach, usually from Europe who arrive and depart en masse. There was no sign of any bell boys either then or throughout the stay so you have to carry your own bags to the rooms. The concierge is located near the entrance and advertises all kinds of sightseeing trips although the majority appeared to be to places outside London, further enhancing the feeling that visitors here are on pre planned/paid for outings, simply using the hotel for a bed.
***The Room***
We stayed on the 11th floor (of twelve) and because we beat the queue at reception had the lift to ourselves. Unfortunately, this was the only occasion in our two day stay that we did not have problems with the lifts. From the pretentious reception with it's fake gold & marble and wood veneer paneling to stepping into the lift gives you a sense of dread in terms of expectations. The first thing I noticed about the inside of the lift was the mirrors were tarnished to the point where they no longer acted as mirrors, giving off a very jaded, tired look which was depressing as it surely cannot cost that much to replace a mirror.
Over my time there I went in every lift and each one was exactly the same. Upon leaving the lift on our floor the room numbers were clearly sign-posted and easy to find although again, the corridors and decoration had seen better times. Each corner had an aluminium cover on it, presumably to stop the plaster chipping as each punter banged their case against it whilst struggling to the room given the absence of bell boys, but the look it gave was far worse than the sight of chipped plaster. All the paintwork was old and was in desperate need of a touch up and the carpets were threadbare in places but the aluminium corner covering stopped you noticing too much. Access was via electronic keycard and you are immediately thrust into the tiniest of hotel rooms. I have stayed in railway sleepers with more room that this. The rooms are very small indeed but clean and surprisingly are a very efficient use of space although no expense was spent on the basic decorations. The bathroom was tiny but big enough although if you were disabled it would be difficult getting into the shower as it had a very high step up. I think it is fair to say that the rooms were functional although I wasn't saying this on the second day when there was no running hot water.
Straight facing you as you enter is a double bed with bedside tables/lamp either side. On the right was a built in wardrobe and desk with a wall mounted TV above it although do not expect to get Sky News or CNN here. BBC News 24 is the highlight of the channels on offer. The first thing I did was go to the window to see what sights were available and I had a lovely view of the concrete patterning on the outside walls as the rooms are set back and gives the impression you are looking outside from the end of a corridor.
There is a safe built into the wardrobe and basic tea & coffee making facilities. There is also a built in hair-dryer in the bathroom and I am told this was more than satisfactory.
The bed was surprisingly comfortable, although there were two major problems with the room. Firstly, given it was tiny then it got very hot, even with the central heating off which meant you had to open the window. Unfortunately, this then prompted a cacophony of noise at all hours of the night which was loud enough to keep you awake, despite being on the 11th floor. It was therefore a compromise of having the window open ever so slightly but we never got the balance between heat/noise correct in our two days there and when workman starting drilling at 4am (on road-works outside) then the window had to be shut and we simply had to suffer the heat as it was the lesser of two evils. We had two nights of fitful sleep during our stay.
Depending on which web site you read there are said to be between 600-670 rooms in this hotel. Now this could very well be true if you count the bedroom and bathroom as two rooms because try as I might I just could not find where there were 600+ rooms here. I worked out that at most there were 300 based on the number of rooms per floor and the number of floors. This was despite having a real nosy in places where I probably shouldn't go.
Clearly, we didn't visit London to spend much time in our hotel room and this is the premis of the St Giles. I think that the owners must think guests just go there to sleep so sell themselves on the location and hope nobody notices the décor.
***Eating & Drinking***
We had paid for bed & breakfast and upon entering the dining room at 9am were met with a sight that I do not think I have seen before. It would seem this hotel has just continued to grow and space has been added on without any thought of matching the décor that is already there. The room was packed to the rafters with people and there was no way that six of us could sit together. The breakfast room is on the first floor and difficult for wheelchair access and once in is like a cattle market. My first impressions was a memory of school dinners with 70s style formica tables and cheap chairs thrown together in every available space. After five minutes though it reminded me more of a prison eating area, but more noisy.
Despite the initial impressions and the fact our party was sat apart the breakfast was in fact seemingly run in terms of a military event with the idea getting people in and out as quickly as possible. Everything appeared to be well organised despite the initial thought of chaos. Both continental breakfasts, including cold cuts as well as the full English was available and was very good indeed. This is where the sheer volume of people is actually a positive given the buffet style cooked items are rarely out for long so taste fresh and hot. The only thing lacking strangely was toast although there was plenty of fresh bread. As soon as you finished you felt obliged to leave to allow another party in to eat so there was no chance of having five minutes to let things settle.
The breakfast area doubles up as "Il Grasso" an Italian restaurant by night. We never ate in the hotel other than breakfast and I would not have been tempted to eat in "Il Grasso" given I could not rid myself of the memories of school dinners. Similarly, the Chinese Restaurant "Chikara" situated next to the hotel bar and the "Kobe Jones" restaurant which is around the back of the hotel, were not graced with our presence but in our time there I saw few visitors.
The Lazy Dog bar did however, spring up a few surprises, the first of which was there were no Australians working behind it. We did frequent this a few times and service was good although each round came to a different amount despite it being the same round. Again though, the décor evokes memories of the 70s with low tables and chairs, dim lighting and huge, light shades which looked like the top of a baked Alaska.
***General***
The lifts were a nightmare. Very slow and if they had six people in claimed to be overloaded and stopped. Given we were on the top floor then common sense would suggest that when we got a lift it would be empty but this turned to be a pipe dream. The lift queues were that long people would get on the lift to go down, knowing it went up first so by the time it got to us it was always full.
Disabled access appeared to be the most basic and there was no lift access to 12th floor so difficult if in a wheelchair/pushchair.
A leisure centre and swimming pool is in the basement although was shut for refurbishment whilst we were there. Apparently it costs £4 to use it for guests and is run by the YMCA.
***Will I stay there again?***
I am absolutely, 100% certain that I will never set foot in this hotel again. There has got to be other hotels in London for the same price that offers a more comfortable experience and whilst they may not have the location of the St Giles given the excellent tube network it is easy to get where you want to go.
***Information***
St Giles Hotel, Bedford Avenue, London, WC1B 3AS Tel: 020-7300-3000. They do have a website www.stgiles.com but it has limited information on it.
***Conclusion***
I left feeling this hotel simply needed a damn good scrub and some serious modernisation. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing eminently wrong with it but it sells itself on it's location and gives the impression it couldn't care less about anything else. Everywhere I went I felt the hotel was tired.
The staff were very polite and helpful but I feel what needs doing is beyond their control.
This is not really a hotel you will go to "stay" in and experience what it has to offer. It is part of a mass production line in providing a service to guests whereby guests are transported to and from it and in between they will feed & water you but that's about it.
It is clear from it's meaningless web site and heavy promotion by a myriad of other web sites that the St Giles is not a hotel that gives you the personal touch. Whilst you will be looked after you will not be cuddled. It will be functional rather than comfortable and once you are gone I suspect they will do little to tempt you back as a new stream of inmates arrive to take your place.
foot of Oxford Street with the whole of London on your doorstep. Only 50 yards from Tottenham Court Road underground / tube station (Exit 3) serviced by the Northern...
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