Detailed review by linzeeloulabelle
linzeeloulabelle
Nottingham, United Kingdom95%
Me and my dad took a trip to Canada back in 06 and wanted to spend the day before in London before flying. Through our travel agent, they booked us this hotel. At only £37.50 pppn i found it amazing value. I’ve done a bit of research into prices and I found this hotel at £139 a night!! I think i got myself a bargain. Normally when staying in London, I’ve stayed at some pretty awful places for the same price, but they have been in the city centre. This has got to be one of the most beautiful hotels I’ve ever stayed in. This hotel is only 30 minutes from Heathrow Airport. Although we did get a little lost trying to find the entrance from the train station, we did come across a strip of clubs on the other side of the train station. If you want to go clubbing the night before your flight, this is also a perfect hotel. We decided to give this a miss though...I didn’t want to be hung-over for a 9am flight.
Pretty much made out of glass windows, this hotel had a waterfall in the courtyard. On first impressions, I have to say, this did it for me. Without even stepping foot into the hotel, I was beyond impressed. I don’t think I have ever seen a hotel so grand and expensive looking. I was a little bit worried about how the staff in a hotel like this were going to be though. I had it in my head that as an expensive hotel if booked directly, the staff would expect certain things from guests and be a little bit stuck up. I know this is bad stereotyping but I had never stayed somewhere like this before.
As me and my Dad had been in the city centre all day, we didn’t get checked in until around 9pm, way past the usual time. Even so, the staff were super helpful. We explained that we had a quite early flight and wondered what the best way of getting to the airport would be. The receptionist explained about their shuttle bus service and booked us seats and also arranged a wake up call for us at 4am. They have a concierge service to get you anything you might need during your stay.
The hotel has 5 floors, 391 rooms and 2 suites. Rooms have satellite TV and pay per view movies if you're spending a bit of time there. Also included in the rooms are bathrobes, iron and ironing board, climate control, tea/ coffee facilities and much more. Everywhere in the hotel also has wireless internet access. There are plenty of places to grab some food or drink in the hotel. Even though it was quite late, we decided to get a drink at the bar before heading up to our room. The staff at the bar were happy to make us hot/ cold or alcoholic beverages as well as explaining that we could still get some bar food if we wanted. Considering it was quite late, I was surprised that food was still being served but I guess as a airport hotel, this is the norm.
Unfortunately, the room was not as grand as the hotel itself. I have never stayed in a Marriot before but I was a bit disappointed. The room looks just like any other chain hotel bedroom. With a double bed, desk with chair, TV, table with two chairs, bedside tables and mini bar, it wasn’t much different to other hotels I have stayed in. Yes, the finishes to the room were probably a little nicer but that is all. The bed, however, was extremely comfortable. With foam pillows and a lovely soft duvet, I was in for a great night sleep. As I didn’t have time to get a full 8 hours in, I was glad that this bed was so comfortable. After getting in the room, it didn’t take long before I went to sleep so I didn’t have time to use any other facilities like the TV or drinks.
Most hotels have a shower only in the en suite but not this one. I was impressed to see a very deep looking bath with a shower overhead. Before a long day of travelling, I was looking forward to having a soak in the bath before my flight. The bath itself was luxurious and I could have stayed in there for a lot longer, if I’d had the time. Instead of cheap/ no name shampoo and conditioner, there were small bottles of a leading brand. My hair does not agree with cheap hair products so this was another thing which made me smile.
As I was not in this hotel for too long, I cannot comment on this personally but for those who are interested The hotel has a range of facilities which are available for guests to use and they include a large swimming pool, sauna, spa, steam room which are all free of charge and there are massages available for an extra cost. I would have loved to have taken up these amazing facilities, especially the ones I wouldn’t have had to pay for. I don’t think it is right when hotels charge for you to use these things as you are already paying enough to stay there in the first place.
If you can afford regular prices, this is a fantastic place to stay for Heathrow Airport but I would advice trying to book the train and hotel deal through your travel agent first. I think they use superbreak.com. I would use this hotel again for sure if I ever fly from Heathrow again.
Marriott London Heathrow Airport10
