Guoman Charing Cross Hotel (Hotels in London in general)

Member Name: emmakate06

Product:	Hotels in London in general
Date:	08/07/09 (27 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Location, Location, Location

Disadvantages: Room didnt maintain the elegance of the hotel

I recently stayed at the Guoman Charing Cross hotel as part of a competition prize to see Jimmy Carr. The prize included overnight stay in a luxury hotel and this was the hotel we were booked into.

The hotel itself is a very short distance from Trafalgar Square and is situated directly above Charing Cross station. There is no parking at the hotel, so we parked our car at the Trafalgar Car Park at Spring Gardens. It was a short walking distance from here and was quite manageable with our suitcases. It is a Grade II listed building and is ideally situated to explore the west end theatres and galleries.

The hotel itself is very grand with large sweeping staircases and antique furnishings. Check in was swift and easy and despite arriving two hours early, our room was ready for us so they were more than happy to let us check in early. The lady who checked us in gave us clear directions to our room, and advised us of breakfast time and where the restaurant and bar were located. She was polite and welcoming and it was a nice start to our stay. The reception area is relatively large with several check in desks, obviously it can become quite crowded during the official check in time and check out, but there are a few members of staff on hand to help you out. They also have a luggage area where you can leave your suitcases should your room not be ready on arrival or should you want to still have a full day around London after check out, and then you can come back and pick your cases up later.

Our room itself was a little disappointing and did not represent the charm and elegance that ran throughout the rest of the building. It was very similar to a Holiday Inn Express type room and whilst it was more than adequate for a one night stay, it was quite small and basic. It did have all the necessary amenities and also had an empty fridge which I always find a bonus, especially as there is a spar convenience store next to the hotel, so we purchased some drinks from here and placed them in our fridge. Much better than having to pay the usual mini bar prices. There is air conditioning in the rooms, tea and coffee making facilities, a large desk area and there is also Wifi internet access, though unfortunately this isnt free and comes at a cost of around £6 per half an hour. A television, hairdryer and stationary are also provided within the room. Our room was a standard double room and I believe that the hotel was going through a renovation process whilst we stayed as on their website it now states that the rooms have lcd televisions and the images provided are quite different to the room we stayed in so presumably ours was one which had not been renovated by that point. The bathroom was very large considering the small size of the bedroom and had plenty of space and a large dressing table area. The bathroom was nice, clean and modern and didnt match the bedroom at all. Luxury bathroom in a very basic bedroom!

We didnt actually use the bar within the hotel, but had a sneaky peek whilst walking past and it did look lovely in there with plenty of room and seating for hotel guests. We also had a glance at the menu but it was way too pricey for my liking and with so many convenience stores, restaurants and cafes nearby we decided to grab a bite to eat elsewhere.

We ate in the dining room in the morning for breakfast. The dining room is quite small considering the size of the hotel. We ate quite early on the Sunday morning and had no problem in obtaining seating quite quickly but when we came down to check out at peak breakfast time, there was a large queue which was operating on a one in one out basis due to there being insufficient space. I did hear of some people complaining at having waited over half an hour.

Check out was just as easy as check in and simply involved just returning our keys and then we set off home with a long drive ahead.

I believe that had we been paying customers that the room would have cost approximately £115 not including breakfast and I find this to be quite excessive given the standard of the room. They do have regular deals on their website and the location of the hotel is very good so I would consider staying here again. It is approximately a ten minute walk to the London Eye attraction and about five minutes to Leicester Square so it is ideally situated.

Overall I would stay here again, but would probably try to seek out a discounted deal as opposed to paying the normal standard room rate.

Summary: Nice hotel, in a great location