January 6, 2014

Review: London EDITION

United 767 BusinessFirst London to Houston

We arrived at Paddington Station via the Heathrow Express and were out to the street and in a cab in about five minutes.  Definitely the quickest way to get into London.  The drive from Paddington took about ten minutes in light traffic given that it was Sunday.  The hotel is located in the Fitzrovia area which is a really cool part of London's West End close to parks, shopping, and a ton of bars and restaurants. 

We made our way into the gorgeous lobby where Emma checked us in and sent us on our way.  We had been upgraded to a Superior Room which at 301 square feet, was still pretty good size for a big city hotel room.  The room was warm with wood walls and a clean white bathroom.  Very similar to Ian Shrager's other project (Public) in Chicago.

The best part of the London Edition was definitely the public spaces.  Ian Shrager doesn't seem like the type of guy to partner with conservative Marriott but the relationship clearly works because the hotel is beautiful. Everything from the decor to the music to the lighting was just perfect.  The service was friendly and warm but a bit indifferent at times.  We were there over the holidays and saw many of the same staff working long hours so perhaps they were a bit burnt out. 

We enjoyed a few drinks at the Lobby Bar which was a great place to relax before dinner.  We also had drinks and dinner at Berners Tavern which was awesome.  We don't usually love hotel restaurants, but this was definitely a standout.  I honestly can't remember what we ate but I remember it all being really good.  The I do remember drinking the dill cocktail pictured below but not the second or third...or fourth.

The hotel is a Marriott category nine property requiring 45,000 points per night.  We used 90,000 points for the first two nights and paid cash (roughly $430 AI) for the third.  Not cheap if you had to pay for each night with cash.  But, given that we only had to pay for one night, it was a pretty good deal for a property this nice during New Years.  All in all, we had a great stay at the property and we will likely return upon our next trip to London. 

Lobby from the "First Floor"
Lobby Bar
The "Real Dill" at Berners Tavern
Berners Tavern

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