In the middle of February, I was lucky enough to be whisked away for a long weekend in London with my grandma. I’m a huge fan of west end shows and musicals, and so our trip was booked- we would go and see various different shows. I couldn’t wait to go.
One thing I hadn’t thought of before going however was which hotel we were staying in. I reckoned that we wouldn’t be spending too much time in the hotel itself, as we were going to be very busy, so as long as it had two beds, a bathroom and some sort of wardrobe I’d have been happy. I knew the name of the hotel was The Grosvenor, however I didn’t have a clue what its reviews were like, or in fact how many stars it had.

Getting to the hotel

The hotel, from the outside was utterly huge, and extremely beautiful. It reminded me very much of a palace, it was a creamy brown colour and looked incredibly posh. The front door was obvious to see. We were met at the door by an Italian (?) man who kindly offered to take our heaving suitcases up the front steps. We agreed, and followed up the three stairs, through the revolving door and into the main reception area of the hotel. I was utterly gobsmacked when my eyes first adjusted to the bright light. Right in front of us was a humungous, grand black piano. Behind the piano, was a set of grand, very posh looking stairs which lead up to what looked like a balcony above? The main reception area wasn’t overly busy, with only two or three families and couples wandering about. The man kindly showed us to reception where we were greeted straight away. Checking in was a very simple process. We had to confirm our booking, show a source of identity, check our credit card details and such like. The man on reception had a very strong English accent and being Scottish, it was fairly difficult to actually understand him, however we eventually figured out that he was trying to tell us when breakfast was served, and asking whether we’d like one key or two, for our rooms. We told him one, and were given the key and pointed in the directions of the lifts. To get to the lifts we had to pass the piano, and on my way, I noticed that there were 3 computers – 2 in use- which I assume could be used for internet access at a small price.
The lifts were very quick and seconds after requesting on to the 5th floor, where our room was, it arrived. There was plenty of space in the lift, and even with two heaving suitcases, I think that another 3 people could have fit.

After the grandness, and impressiveness of the hotel, we were very excited to see our room. We were not disappointed. The room was utterly huge- even with lots of furniture and bits and pieces. We had booked a twin room; however there are also singles, doubles and family rooms available too. The two single beds were fairly big, and very comfy. There was a bedside table at each side of the beds as well as one in the middle which held a telephone and a lamp. The telephone could be used to call any other room, reception or for room service. As well as the two beds, there was a large wardrobe with plenty of coat hangers, a desk, and a huge 30 or so inch television, a dining table with 4 chairs around it, and a microwave and kettle.
As with most hotels we had an en-suite as well. The bathroom was on the small side, however it was fitted with a lovely, clean bath, an overhead shower, a sink and a toilet. The facilities were in spanking clean condition, and the bath was a sparkling white shade. We didn’t use the bath, but I did have a shower and I can truly say it was one of the best showers I have ever had! The water was beautifully hot and even after fifteen minutes the temperature was maintaining and it hadn’t gone cold at all. We were also supplied with mini shampoo, conditioner and a type of shower gel. I didn’t use these in the hotel, but I took them home, and they are still waiting to be used.
There were coffee and tea utensils in one of the drawers which we sampled and they tasted okay. We were also given 3 mint chocolates on arrival in a small dish and they were gorgeous too!
The television was also very handy and provided some entertainment on our morning of departure when we had nothing else to but wait on time to check out. There was a wide choice of channels including the regulars BBC-Channel 5 as well as some extras such as E4 and a few music channels. It did take us about an hour to figure out how to work the TV but this was only because we had failed to realise it wasn’t plugged in.
We didn’t use the microwave at all but I assume it worked as everything else did too!
Overall I was thoroughly impressed with the room, it was spacious and provided just about everything we needed!!

We were told on arrival that breakfast would be served between 6.30 and 10.30 from Monday to Saturday, and between 7.30 and 11.30 on Sundays. We went down for breakfast at around 8am each morning we were there, and it was incredibly busy. The first morning we had to queue up outside the breakfast room for around ten minutes which I found quite annoying. However, we were seated by 8.05 so we still had plenty of time. The second day we only had to wait around 2 or 3 minutes on getting a seat, so this wasn’t too bad.
When you first enter the breakfast room you are greeted by one of the staff. You then have to tell them your room number and then they circle it off on their clipboard. I thought this was quite a good idea as it is likely if they didn’t, they’d end up with some random from the street, or some of the guests would end up going for four or give breakfasts! The breakfast room is very large, and very noisy too. The food selection is outstanding though. On three of the walls, there is a choice of hot breakfasts- including, bacon, sausage, square sausage, boiled egg, scrambled egg, mushrooms, baked beans etc. Then there are a choice of different fruits including melon and pineapple, along with a wide choice of yoghurts of different flavours including a strawberry and a vanilla and banana. You can also choose cereal if you wish, and there are also a lot to choose from- including branflakes, special K and cornflakes. Finally, you will come to the pastries, which smell delicious. In the pastry section you are offered muffins in different flavours, croissants, scones and doughnuts (for breakfast!?). There is also a round of toast with spreads on each table.

Pictures of The Grosvenor, London

The Grosvenor, London

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There was a lounge, where you could order snacks and drinks. The snacks available included toasted baguettes and cakes. On our last morning we came down here at around eleven o clock, and ordered a drink and a scone which we shared. It was a good job that we’d only ordered one scone as it was huge! We were given 5 jams to choose from, but only two butters which I thought odd.

The only one thing that I can complain about staff wise was a few incidents that happened in the breakfast room on our first morning. We were given seats very near to the cutlery and plate trolley, and the staff seemed to congregate here. At one point, there were around 6 people waiting at the door for a seat, yet around 5 of the staff stood here talking and laughing.
Another time on that morning, there were two members of staff at the trolley who were clearly arguing. It made us feel quite uncomfortable, and even once we’d given them a few dirty looks, they didn’t get the message, and they continued to argue and cuss under their breaths.
Other than this though ,the staff were of great help and provided everything we needed.
Room cleaning is once a day and they always knocked before they entered. As with most hotels you are provided with a “do not disturb” sign which can be hung over your door handle outside if you don’t want them to come in. We used this when I was in the shower and we were luckily not disturbed.

Although the hotel is 4*, it doesn’t actually have anything like a swimming pool- not that we’d have had time to use the pool anyway! As I mentioned before however, there are computers downstairs which can be used at a price, and there is Wi-Fi access throughout the hotel as well.
One thing that I found quite weird about the hotel is, that in the main lobby area, there are cabinets which sell jewellery. The jewellery is beautiful but very expensive, and the prices near the £10,000 mark. Needless to say, we didn’t purchase any.
The hotel has a wide range of leaflets and maps telling of what is on in the area, what shows there are to see, information about the tube stations, and so on. The staff are also happy to help you with any directions or places you are inquiring about. Overall, the facilities at the Grosvenor are fairly limited, but the ones they do have are of a high quality.

What is near the Grosvenor?

SweetTooth 93