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Home » Reviews » Conrad London St James Review: Grand Deluxe
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Conrad London St James Review: Grand Deluxe

Miles May 10, 2015 Hilton 3 Comments

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Conrad London St James Review: Grand Deluxe

The Conrad London St. James hasn’t really been open all that long. Originally opened in 2012 as an Intercontinental before being purchased and reopened last September 1st as the Conrad St James. Overall, I enjoyed staying at this property and seeing as though it was part of a prize ( 5 nights at any hilton worldwide) won at a charity auction it was an outstanding redemption. It really came down to this or the Hilton Park Lane, and seeing as though I had just stayed over that way I thought I’d give it a go.  However, if were to use my own points ( 80,000 ) or pay to stay here I’d probably think twice given my experience.

Conrad London St James

The Deets

  • Where: London
  • How many points: None but normally 80,000 Hhonors
  • Status: Gold
  • Upgrade: Yes – Superior to Grand Deluxe
  • Value: £235 to £350 

Conrad London St James

It is a Hilton Honors Category 9 hotel

From the moment you walk into the lobby your olfactory senses are hit with a great floral bouquet that is just on the verge of overwhelming, but really quite perfect after battling the London weather.

Conrad London St James Conrad London St James

I’ve stayed at a few Conrads and this very much stuck with the overall theme. Crisp, luxurious accommodations with an almost Asian style and approach to luxury. At least this was the goal…

Check in was a breeze – straight to the HHonors desk and we were told we were upgraded to a Grand Deluxe room. I inquired about lounge access ( As a gold you are only entitled to lounge access if you are in fact upgraded to an executive room), he politely offered me a rate of £55. Ridiculous really considering our redemption included free breakfast.

IMG_4945
Where’s Miles?

Conrad London St James

Conrad London St James

 

The Room

I think the design team has made great use of the space. It looks and feels much larger than it actually is. The combo treatment of the vanity on one side with the built-in flat screen on the other makes what would ordinarily be a small/regular room, feel quite large. The desk area is great for business travelers and has made outstanding use of international sockets and plug-ins. For what it’s worth, the room looked exactly how it’s advertised on the website.

Conrad London St James
416: Grand Deluxe

Conrad London St James

Conrad London St James
Desk work center

The built in TV is absolutely Gorgeous.

 

Conrad London St James
Built in 42in LCD

  

Another added benefit of having Gold status – free upgraded high speed internet.

 

Conrad London St JamesConrad London St James

 

One thing I thought was an excellent touch was the Water on the Bottom shelf, both still and sparkling, as well as the large bottle of water on the counter top were all gratis. It’s always so appreciated when a hotel of this price point does little extras to make you feel welcomed. This is certainly one of them.

 

Conrad London St James
Mini bar with free bottled water

Conrad London St James
Another free bottle of water

Conrad London St James
Nespresso cups for coffee and espresso

Conrad London St James

While it was nice to have the Nespresso machine as well as a half dozen options for espresso, the first one came out dirty. Such a disappointment for staying at a Conrad. All it takes is someone to run a clean cycle or even a few pure water shots to clean the inside out.


Obvs, Miles made great use of the 2 terrycloth robes. He was ready to wash off a day of traveling!

Conrad London St James
Ready for a scrub a dub dub

Conrad London St James
Aromatherapy products!

Conrad London St James
Large marble soaking tub

Conrad London St James
Marble sink and vanity area

 

Conrad London St James
Aromatherapy products

 

The hotel provides Aromatherapy bathroom products.

Conrad London St James
Rain shower head

 

Conrad London St James  Conrad London St James

Now this is where it got to be a little annoying. The shower was beautiful and had two functions for using it – 1) The rain shower overhead or 2) the adjustable shower head with multi function. I actually found both to work very well; however, here’s the problem:

No matter which you use: the bathroom floods!

Conrad London St James
Flooded clear under the sink

Conrad London St James

 

Breakfast the next morning

Was fine. Nothing out of this world, but it did have a pretty tasty selection of fruit, hot food, breads, pastries, and juices. It is served in the Blue Boar restaurant and pub.

Conrad London St James
Blue Boar check in

Conrad London St James
Blue Boar Restaurant

Conrad London St James
Breakfast

Conrad London St James
Hot food

IConrad London St James
Buffett

Conrad London St James
Breakfast buffet

Conrad London St James
Breakfast buffet


The Gym

is small, but functional. Miles got a pretty decent workout in. And as I always say… if you want some free water. Go to the gym =)

Conrad London St James
Gym

Conrad London St James
Lance ain’t got nuthan on meeeeee

Conrad London St James
Tiger Woods? How bout MONKEY MILES!!!!!!

Conrad London St James
Cardio!

 

Conrad London St James
Going so fast ya can’t even see a Monkey!

Conrad London St James
Phew…This Monkey is whooped!

 

Minor shortcomings

Flooding:

I’m not sure either of these pictures really shows the amount of flooding. There is a seal around the door and the bottom of the shower is slightly lowered with an edge, but unless you are extremely mindful of the direction the shower head is pointing, water escapes. The first shower flooded so bad it took every towel and both robes to mop up the mess. I’m not exactly sure what the hotel is to do about this, or if it was just this room, but it was nerve racking.

Concierge amenities

1) After mopping up the mess, I called the Concierge to request a hair straightener. It never came.

Half an hour later I called the front desk who then got ahold of housekeeping who then brought one “straight” away. Puns aside, it wasn’t a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but for the premium the hotel charges, it’s just another tick against it.

2) Also called the concierge to have the complimentary shoe shine done while I was away at dinner. They came quickly! However, after dinner, when I came back to the room the shoes were hanging on the door and after inspecting them….were un-shined. I didn’t even bother calling to have them redone. I was too tired and didn’t really want to get someone in trouble.

3) With unshined shoes in hand, I entered a room that hadn’t been given turndown service. Not a big deal, but it meant that all the soaking wet towels in the bathroom were piled up in the tub and at this hour I didn’t feel like waiting for someone to deliver towels that should have just been in the room. In the morning I slipped out and stole a couple for a housekeeping cart so we could take a shower in the morning. The second night we got turndown and also our room was made up.

 

 

Overall.

Check-in: 5/5

Quick, deferential, and got an upgrade and a great breakfast.

Room: 4/5 –

Beautiful room. Great products, wonderful towels and robes, umbrella, hangers, plugs, free water, wood work and everything. But…….what is this monkey business of a leaky shower?!?!?! Ruined it. Who wants to mop up a bathroom floor while on vacation?

Service 3/5 

  1.  Had to call more than once for an hair straightener to be delivered.
  2. Shoes just didn’t get shined. Really? Take note of the Peninsula for comparison
  3. Dirty Nespresso machine? Come on!!!
  4. Turn down for what?!?! Apparently not for room 416

Status Recogntion

  1. Easy check-in
  2. Upgraded
  3. Free breakfast

Location

The location is simply incredible if you are here to see the sights. This alone would bring back, however if you’re looking for some night action…not the place. But, being minutes from Westminster Abbey, Parliament, the Thames is more than incredible. I would highly recommend this place

Conrad London St James Conrad London St James

 

 

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Monkey Miles has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Monkey Miles and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.


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About Author

Miles

This Monkey didn't get the name Miles for nothing. I might look like an innocent little furball, but I am a Points and Awards BEAST!! Follow me around the world to see how I fly in lie flat seats and sleep in 5* suites for pennies on the dollar.

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