Recently, Shelly and I had a four-night stay at the Hilton London Waldorf in London England. We are Hilton Honors Diamond members so we booked the lowest price room, the queen guest room and hoped for an upgrade upon arrival. The Waldorf is a Grade 2 historical building that was built in 1908 and features a restored Edwardian interior. The hotel has 298 guest rooms including 19 suites. The amenities include a 14-meter pool, sauna, steam room and fitness center.
Location and Transportation from Heathrow Airport
The Waldorf is located in the center of the Theater District of London and is centrally located to many major attractions. You can take the Tube (Piccadilly line) from Heathrow Airport to the Covent Garden Station which takes 47 minutes. From Covent Garden, it is a 10-minute walk to the hotel. The Temple subway station is nearby for the District and Circle lines.
The Theater District is home to the Aldwych, Novello, Duchess, Lyceum and Theater Royal theaters that are just steps away from the Waldorf.
The Rooms
The Hilton London Waldorf has nine room categories:
- Twin guest room
- Twin deluxe room
- Queen guest room
- Queen deluxe room
- Queen superior room
- King executive room (this review)
- King junior suite with executive lounge access
- King executive suite with executive lounge access
- King Astor suite with four-poster bed
When we arrived at the reception desk, we found out that the hotel was sold out but they were able to upgrade us to an executive king room with lounge access. This king room measures out at 506 square feet and major amenities include:
- Refrigerator
- 42-inch HDTV
- Seating area with sofa
- Workstation desk with a comfy chair
- Bathrobes and slippers
- Standard and high-speed internet (for diamond members)
- Executive lounge access
- Air conditioning
I want to mention that the Waldorf rooms do have air conditioning because there are some hotels in the UK historical register that could not be retrofitted with air conditioning. Water bottles were replenished each day with both regular and mineral waters.
The Executive Lounge
Executive lounge access is available to all guests staying in rooms with executive lounge access and Hilton Honors diamond members. Your room key will unlock the door into the lounge foyer. The lounge has time-of-day appropriate food all through the day along with complimentary beverages including beer and wine. There is a large seating area and two computer work stations.
Dining
The London Waldorf has several options for food and beverages:
- Afternoon tea at the Waldorf – A traditional afternoon tea experience.
- Good Godfrey’s bar and lounge – A venue with a 1920s decor serving drinks and light food fare.
- The Parrot – A bar and music venue that takes drink-making to an art form. This bar is open until after midnight and features local musical talents.
- Homage Restaurant – The main hotel restaurant serving breakfast and dinner.
Since we only ate breakfast at The Waldorf, I will only review that meal. The Homage breakfast features a large buffet with the standard American fare along with the traditional full English breakfast. You can also order breakfast off the menu and visit the omelet station. We did notice that after you place your omelet order, you don’t have to stand there and wait for your omelet. The chef will bring your omelet to your table when it is ready. Our opinion is that the breakfast food and service were very good.
Overall Impressions
The Hilton London Waldorf hotel is a classic and historic hotel located near many major attractions. The staff of the hotel was all outstanding and the desk staff cheerfully upgraded our room from a standard queen guestroom to an executive king room with executive lounge access. The king room at 506 square feet was roomy and the HVAC was quiet and efficient thanks to the local ac repair service. Breakfast in the Homage Restaurant did exceed our expectations. Having access to the Executive Lounge was an added plus. We definitely would stay here again.
