Le Meridien is a legacy brand brought over to Marriott Bonvoy from the SPG programme. I’ve stayed at two Le Merdiens in the past (Marrakesh and Munich) and neither experience was great.
I’m going to give the London one – Le Meridien Piccadilly a try this time, partly because it is the last chance remaining – the hotel is leaving the Marriott group at the end of November.
Its location at the very centre of London is excellent. You could walk to so many major attractions from this point, and the tube can bring you non-stop to many spots, including Heathrow airport.
I was upgraded to a Junior Suite on the 7th floor, from a standard room.
Although not having a separate living room, it comes with a study, and the bedroom is huge. I think “junior” is really an understatement.
The bathroom is likewise fairly big, with both a shower and a tub. Although aged, the shower has great water pressure and it’s got multiple little shower heads from different angles that makes sure you are cleaned very well…
Its prime location doesn’t only come with benefits though – windows are not facing the main street but there are still notable noises.
The hotel is very old and I don’t know when’s the last time refurbishment happened. One major issue is, although my room is not lacking in socket-outlets, most of them are of an obsolete design and incompatible with modern devices:
I could find only two usable ones, both of them in the study.
Breakfast is served in the restaurant. I really like its design, especially the glass ceiling / window which allows lots of natural light pouring in.
It’s a Saturday, and I was shocked by the fact that I was the only guest throughout my entire meal. You could order a set of Full English, Fitness or Continental breakfast, and there are other items that are payable.
The executive lounge is still closed, which is the case for many hotels in the UK and Europe. To my surprise, this hotel has decided to offer proper compensation for it: free soft drinks are provided to lounge guests all day, and select items from the menu are free from 5pm to 7pm – this includes starters, burgers, sandwiches and pizza. I guess it must be much better than the usual lounge offerings!
It is by far the best Le Meridien I’ve ever stayed, and it’s a shame to see it leave Marriott. I was told by the front desk that the hotel is joining Kew Green – however I found that it’s just a management team, not a franchise, but it’s not joining any major brand that’s for sure.
Recent Comments