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The Park Tower Knightsbridge London Review
After a quick trip to Scotland we needed a place to stay while in London. What in the heck is going on? The prices are just insane right now, and with many brands going dynamic, it’s gotten even tougher. I have seen the Park Tower Hotel listed many times in the past, but have never been that enticed to stay given the other Marriott options. I’ve stayed at quite a few Marriott properties, and despite the hotel being quite dated, I really enjoyed the stay, and wouldn’t hesitate to return.
Stay Details:
- When: May
- Where: London, UK
- Rate: 50k per night
- BAR $550 a night
- Status: Marriott Platinum
- Benefits:
- Upgrade to Executive room
- Breakfast
Booking:
I’ve found weirdly attractive deals with Marriott and high value hotels releasing space at the 50k level. I stayed at the Edition New York for 50k points, and found 1 night at the London Edition for 50k, but I really wanted 2 nights.
Ultimately, a couple nights prior to check in The Park Tower Knightsbridge opened back to back nights at 50k and I pulled the trigger.
My wife has the Bonvoy Boundless which comes with an annual free night certificate worth 35k points. Remember, Marriott allows you to add 15k Marriott Bonvoy points to any cert to top it up and that’s just what we did. Rates were over $550 a night when we booked, so this was an exceptional use of the cert.
Location
Could it be better? Across the street from both Harvey Nichols and Mandarin Oriental, a quick walk to Hyde Park, 10ish minutes to Chelsea, Harrod’s, and the Knightsbridge tube station. I loved it and would return to the hotel just for the location alone.
First Impression
The exterior of the hotel is drab and quite ugly, but once you’re inside the vibe completely changes.
The lobby is beautiful but feels dated which I’d say is a fair representation of the entire hotel. It’s very well maintained, but old.
Check in
Quick, easy, beneifts explained, and we were told that we received a one category upgrade. The hotel is in a circular configuration with a central elevator bank that sends you straight your hotel floor with no controls inside the actual elevator car.
The Room:
It reminds me a lot of the JW Marriott in Hong Kong which has a very similar vibe. The bed faces the window bank which floods the room with light and has a great work station. But…it feels old.
The Bathroom
Separate bath and tub, with a nice walk in shower that had great pressure. Individual toiletries…love this, I’m not a fan of the shareable ones that have become quite the trend lately.
Dining
From 7 to 11 you can find breakfast served in the Trianon room on the 2nd floor of the hotel where Platinum elites and up get a complimentary breakfast buffet.
The room is lovely and bright, but the buffet isn’t anything to go out of your way to enjoy.
Overall
On the list of Marriott properties you could book with points, this certainly isn’t the most luxurious, but the location is wonderful, the rooms are comfy and sundrenched, and I wouldn’t hesitate to stay here again.
Don’t expect the chic sexiness of the Edition, the regal boutique vibes of the Marriott Park Lane, or the incredible lounge of Grosvenor House, but if you want an old grande dame then this could be a great use of a 50k night or topping up a 35k night.
There is no way you’d be disappointed with the location and in all honestly, who’s spending a ton of time in their room when in London?
This was the view out our room onto the outdoor terrace of Harvey Nichols where we enjoyed lunch.
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Welcome Offer
$300 Chase Travel℠ Credit + Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Annual Fee
$95
Points Earned
Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards
- $300 Chase Travel℠ Credit + Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- That’s worth $750 when redeemed through Chase Travel℠. Plus, get up to $300 in statement credits on Chase Travel℠ purchases within your first year
- 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3x on dining, including eligible delivery services for takeout & dining out
- 3x on select streaming services
- 3x on online grocery purchases
- (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
- $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠
- The begins immediately for new cardmembers and after your account anniversary for existing cardmembers
- 2x on all other travel
- 10% Anniversary Bonus
- Every year you keep the card, your total spend will yield a 10% points bonus. If you spend $10k in a year, you’ll get 1k bonus points
- Chase Sapphire Preferred continues to redeem at 1.25c in the Chase Travel℠ and the slew of other benefits remain in tact including Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver ( primary ), purchase protections, etc.
- Points are transferrable to 14 Ultimate Rewards partners
- Redeem in Chase Travel℠ for 1.25 cents per point
- No foreign transaction fees
- Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver is my favorite
- Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2027.
- $95 Annual Fee
We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.
Historically 80k is a very, very good offer and hit in both 2022 and 2023. In 2021, we saw the offer hit an all time high of 100k. Who knows if that will ever come back.
Main Cast:
Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.
Supporting Cast:
Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® is exceptional starter card and offers transferrable Ultimate Rewards, and pairs well with other Chase cards.
If you carry this card alongside Chase’s cashback cards like the Chase Freedom Flex® and Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the business versions: Ink Business Cash® , Ink Business Unlimited® you can combine the points into Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners
Annual fee is quite low at $95 a year + you get a 10% anniversary bonus on points + $50 hotel credit in Chase travel.
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