HotelRadisson Edwardian Kenilworth

[sue51, 31.10.2006] Radisson Hotels and resorts are part of the worldwide Carlson group, and to me their name has always suggested quality, expensive and very elitist

Needing to stay in central London for a couple of nights, based on previous experiences, I really should have had a sense of foreboding when we secured rooms here for just £99 bed and breakfast. I had always associated Radisson with upmarket outlets, but had never stayed in any. Although we did have a drink in the R E Hampshire in Leicester Square, and at just under £10 for two cokes and a lemonade, well if money means quality, then it would be OK, wouldn't it?

LOCATION
The Kenilworth is a grand looking historical looking building situated on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury. Location wise, you could do far worse. It is a stones throw away from Theatre-land and Tottenham Court Road Station; a hop, skip and a jump away from the British Museum and about 10 minutes brisk walk from Leicester Square and China Town.

As you would expect from such a central hotel, there is no parking on-site, although there is secure parking available about 1/3 mile away from the hotel at a rather breathtaking cost of £25 per day. (And don't forget the congestion charges if travelling during a weekday). There is also a taxi-rank outside the hotel which you can use for loading / unloading, although make sure someone stays with the vehicle or you could find yourself clamped!

RECEPTION / CHECK-IN
Reception is a pleasant well lit affair, with two desks, several NON-SMOKING comfortable seating areas, and the concierge. Having booked through an agent, we had specifically requested our rooms have a bath. As we were checking in, another guest was complaining about the size of their room (oh oh! - not a good sign). After the customary swipe of the credit card (I was not offered either an early morning call or a newspaper) and the taking of personal details, I was despatched to my room with no offer of help with my luggage, as the concierge had phoned in sick!!

In order to operate the lift, and gain access to the room corridors, you will require your room key - you have been warned. That said this level of security in central London is probably to be welcomed. The hotel entrance had automatic doors that didn't work, and as far as I can see, nobody challenged visitors entering the hotel. The front door was also supposed to be locked and operated through a bell system after 1030pm, however, arriving back at the hotel well after midnight; this was definitely not in operation.

THE ROOMS
The only word I can use to describe the first room I was allocated is "matchbox & bathless"; it was smaller than my box-room at home and had no natural windows. Needless to say, I complained, and thankfully I had the booking reservation which clearly stated a bath was required, because the hotel claimed to have no record of the request!

They did, begrudgingly reallocate my room to a larger one that, guess what, didn't have a bath. I was then reallocated a third room, which was apparently superior (in quite what way I haven't worked out yet) with a double bed and once again, a blacked out window meaning that the room had no natural light - it opened partially and revealed "a flat roof and another window". The whole process from arriving at the hotel to actually getting into the room I eventually stayed in took just under an hour.

For some reason, my colleague's room was even SMALLER than mine; Her new room did have two large windows with a view or sorts, and natural light.

OK, pleasantries out of the way, the room? Small & pleasantly furnished with a desk area, well stacked with plug & internet sockets, and also places for international sockets. There was one working chair, a small double bed (which to be fair surpassed any other bed I have slept in for comfort!!). There was also a small round table with two smaller chairs, a built in wardrobe storing trouser press and iron / ironing board.

The bathroom was again petite, with a bath & massage shower and heated towel rail that couldn't be turned off. Towel sizes are substantial and more than sufficient for my ample frame.

All the R E Kenilworth's rooms have full and thankfully very effective air conditioning.

There was a remote control TV offering the usual terrestrial range of channels and a few Sky ones thrown in for good measure, not to mention a couple of radio stations.

TV and coffee making facilities were provided (no biscuits) and the room had a mini-bar, which I was unable to open. Reception did eventually manage to "force" the door, but then it wouldn't close again, which meant that thanks to the heat generated by the fridge (encased in a cupboard) the contents of the top layer ended up warm. The fridge is also sensor operated, i.e. anything you remove is automatically added to your room bill, yet reception were adamant I had three bottles of water, when in fact I only had two, and at £1.50 a bottle, and £2 for Coke, I wasn't in a rush to form a strong relationship between us.

On the upside, the Radisson Kenilworth does provide high speed wireless internet in all its rooms Free of Charge.

The room also had a free digitally operated safe, meaning you didn't have to take your prized possessions and all your credit cards with you. The safe could be operated by entering in a number and following the instructions, of alternatively by swiping a credit card.

EATING
In this area, providing you like burgers, Chinese or Japanese, you will not be short of places to eat, because the hotel restaurant choice is limited and expensive with starters priced from around £7; some of my colleagues ate here on the second night, and a number of the limited choices on the menu were unavailable - although they were offered free desserts to compensate!!

Breakfast to be fair was a sumptuous feast of juices, fresh fruit, cereals, breads, toast, and cooked buffet food to die for, including different varieties of sausages and bacon, and poached haddock at no extra charge. It is worth remembering that if you have an early start, breakfast is not open until 0700. A colleague did order a breakfast for room service for sometime earlier than this, but it didn't arrive.

DRINKS
The hotel bar is not 24 hour - what is it with London? All the pubs appear to shut at ridiculously early times and stop serving food quite early on, and the hotel was no different. On a Sunday night the bar normally shuts at around 12 and 1am on weekdays, which I found quite bewildering. A single gin and tonic set us back £7.50 and a Remy Martin Brandy £6 a shot. A Courvoisier was a staggering £7.50 a shot; I realise this is central London, but these prices are way over the top, other Brandy's were available for around £12 a shot - so little danger of a hangover here unless you are dripping in Money.

Interestingly, the house red wine was just under £5 a glass, considerably cheaper than the Hilton Milton Keynes (where three colleagues and I ended up with a £160 bar bill for a one night stay)!!


LEISURE FACILITIES
There is a gym on site; however, in light of the location I would guess that if you do chose to stay here, unless you are a seriously committed fitness fanatic, then a visit to the gym is going to be the last thing on your mind.

CONFERENCE FACILITIES
The R E Kenilworth offers six meeting rooms accommodating up to 150 people and a host of modern facilities. The wireless internet access coupled with its proximity to Tottenham Court Road tube station definitely makes it worth more than a second glance!!

COST
Rack rates start from £229, although we paid £99 for a midget single room. We booked through an agent, but this is the same rate you will pay if booking on Radisson's website.

If you are happy to stump up that little bit extra, it is worth booking a room for two people to guarantee you that little bit of extra space.

MY VERDICT
The jury really is still out on this hotel. It would most definitely NOT be my first choice if I was staying in central London on my own; the limited choice of food in the restaurant / room service combined with the extortionate price of drinks mean that I would need to get out and about to eat, and this is not an area I would feel particularly comfortable walking around in the dark on my own.

It did have its good points; the bed was extraordinarily comfortable and there are cafes and restaurants nearby, and of course its proximity to central London combined the price of a basic room (£99) would be a lure for some people, providing you don't mind a very small room and no bath.

The free wireless internet access is a nice touch, and is common in many of the Radisson Edwardian outlets, so all in all, if you are looking for somewhere reasonable near to Leicester Square then you could do a lot worse. I have never before stayed in a hotel in central London, so really difficult to compare like with like, but have stayed in other Metropolitan cities, and really don't like the idea of rooms without natural light .

RECOMMENDED IF TRAVELLING IN A GROUP and looking for affordable comfort
NOT RECOMMENDED FOR LONE FEMALE TRAVELLERS (unless of course you have extremely deep pockets and a never ending bank balance)