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As I was considering how best to use an expiring Marriott Free Night Certificate without incurring any unnecessary costs (i.e. I was looking to book somewhere I could reach with relative ease from Los Angeles or London), I realised that the London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square was one of the few London Marriotts at which I had never stayed.
A quick search showed plenty of award availability at a time that I had already planned to be on the other side of the pond, so I picked a convenient date and put my Free Night Certificate to what I was hoping would be good use.
The admin
- Length of stay: 1 night
- Actual cost of stay: 1 x Free Night Certificate worth up to 85,000 points*
- Points cost of the booking (had I paid with points): 76,000 points
- Cash cost of the booking (had I booked with cash): £532/$675 (inc. taxes)
- Elite status at time of stay: Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium (details)
- Points earned from the booking: 1,000 (welcome gift)
- Upgrade instruments used: None
- Room booked: 1 King Bed, Deluxe Guest Room
- Room received: 1 King Bed, Grosvenor Square View, Superior Guest Room
- Upgraded: Yes
*This is the same certificate as the one offered by the card_name
Getting there/location
The London Marriott Grosvenor Square is in the very heart of London and in one of the more expensive areas of the city – Mayfair.
It sits overlooking Grosvenor Square (although the entrance is on Duke St) and is within a short walk of the JW Marriott Grosvenor House and the London Marriott Hotel Park Lane.
If you’re arriving from Heathrow and using public transport, the one of the cheapest ways to get to the hotel would be to take the Underground (subway) Piccadilly Line to Green Park (no changes required) and to then walk to the property (approx. 15 minutes).
The quickest way to the property from Heathrow (using public transport) is to take the Elizabeth Line to Bond Street (no changes required) and to then walk to the property (~5 minutes).
If you’re arriving from Gatwick and using public transport, one of the easier ways to get to the hotel would be to take the Thameslink service to London’s Farringdon station, change there to the Elizabeth Line and travel to Bond Street Station from where you’ll have a ~5-minute walk to the hotel.
The upgrade
One of the benefits of the Bonvoy Titanium status that I hold is that I’m eligible for a complimentary upgrade at check-in, and the rooms that I am eligible to be upgraded into include select suites.
I had booked a 1 King Bed, Deluxe Guest Room with my Free Night Certificate (a room category that’s one up from the entry level room which has a queen bed) and on the day of check-in, that was upgraded to 1 King Bed, Grosvenor Square View, Superior Guest Room.
Based on what the hotel’s website shows, this appears to be a room that’s 1 category above the room that I booked.
As I walked to the hotel from Bond Street station (i.e. in the 4-5 minutes before I walked into the lobby to check-in), I checked to see what rooms the property was still prepared to sell, and found that the following room categories (above the category that I had been upgraded into) were still available to be booked:
- Executive Room, M Club lounge access, Guest room, 1 King, Sofa bed.
- One Bedroom Suite, M Club lounge access, 1 Bedroom Suite, 1 King, Sofa bed.
The hotel’s Junior suite category wasn’t bookable, so as the property may consider everything above that to be a ‘premium suite’ (I don’t know), that could be the reason why a suite upgrade wasn’t forthcoming.
It’s hard to understand, however, why an upgrade to the Executive Room (75 sq ft larger that the room I was upgraded to) wasn’t offered.
As we were only staying for one night, I couldn’t be bothered to question the upgrade at the front desk – I wanted to get checked in as swiftly as possible so that we could go about our day in what was a gloriously sunny afternoon in London – but for a longer stay, I would have asked for an explanation.
Check-in
The entrance to the hotel is on a side street leading to Grosvenor Square (a square which up until recent years was where the US Embassy stood), and once you pass through the property’s sliding doors …
… you’ll find the lobby (and check-in desks) to your left.
The agent at the front desk was polite and friendly, and after confirming that I wanted to take the offer of 1,000 bonus Bonvoy points as my welcome gift and not a single $10 food & beverage credit, we were quickly on our way to the room.
1 King Bed, Grosvenor Square View, Superior Guest Room
Our room was located on a floor one up from street level (1st floor if you’re British, 2nd floor if you’re American) and that in itself was interesting as my Bonvoy profile specifies that I would prefer a high floor, where possible, on all of my stays.
On its own, this isn’t really a big deal at all, but when considered alongside the minimal upgrade that was given (despite better upgrade options being available), it doesn’t suggest that this a property that’s keen to go out of its way to meet the expectations of its higher-tier Bonvoy members.
The 1 king bed, Grosvenor Square view, superior guest rooms are laid out like most other hotel rooms. There’s a short entrance hallway with a door to the bathroom on one side and closets on the other.
As you’d expect, the king-size bed takes up a significant portion of the available space, but the room doesn’t feel small, and it would probably be big enough for most people’s needs.
The bed was very comfortable (not too soft and not too firm), and facing it is a appropriately sized flat screen TV and, in one corner, a small desk and chair.
On the other side of the TV is another chair with a small table and a connecting door to an adjoining room.
A little unusually, there’s another connecting door to a different room next to the bed.
We didn’t hear any noise from either connecting room, but during busier times (or if you’re unfortunate enough to have thoughtless neighbors) having two connecting doors could be an issue.
The room’s storage space is in the hallway leading from the door, and this is where you’ll find a small-ish closet, the room safe, the mini bar and tea/coffee making facilities.
Our complimentary bottled water was to be found on the room’s desk and given the nature of the bottle, it may or may not have been tap water.
The room’s bathroom is small and it’s home to one of those annoying types of bath that manage to take up too much space while at the same time managing to be too small to be of much use as a place in which to relax.
It’s also worth noting that if you have any kind of mobility issues, you may have trouble getting into this bath (even if all you want to do is to use the shower).
The wall that you have to step over to get into the bath is quite high and the gap between the shower screen and the wall separating the bath from the shower isn’t big (see the image above).
Once you get it going, the shower is very good (the water heats quickly and the pressure is good) but the lack of markings on the shower controls is annoying.
This isn’t one of those irritating hotel showers that requires you have a doctorate in engineering before you can work out how it works, but it would be nice to know what’s hot and what’s cold without having to play a guessing game.
As is usual at most hotels nowadays, the main toiletries on offer come in full-size bottles and in this case, are provided by ‘thisworks’ which isn’t a brand I recognise.
Not all the toiletries on offer are full-size – the body lotion placed to one side of the sink comes in ‘old fashioned’ miniature bottles.
Finally (as far as the room is concerned) I should mention power and connectivity.
Wifi is complimentary for Bonvoy members, and it seemed to work fine on this visit. I didn’t have to use it for any big uploads or downloads so I can’t comment on how efficient it is when put under pressure, but for emails and web browsing it was quick enough.
The desk in the corner of the room has access to multiple power outlets and a little unusually (in a good way) this is where the hotel provides two UK power outlets, a US power outlet and a European power outlet.
There are also UK power outlets on both sides of the bed …
… but if the room has any USB ports, I didn’t see them.
The M Club lounge
The hotel calls its executive lounge the M Club lounge and this is located on the lower ground floor (basement) and can be accessed by Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite, Titanium Elite, and Ambassador Elite members as well as guests who have booked an Executive Room or a suite.
The lounge is made up of two separate areas. There’s a small area to the left of the lounge entrance which looks like this:
And the main lounge area is to the right of the lounge entrance and is considerably larger than the area to the left.
The M Club is where Bonvoy Platinum Elite, Titanium Elite, and Ambassador Elite members are served complimentary breakfast (more on that in the next section) and, in addition, the lounge also offers the following complimentary f&b services:
- Afternoon tea – 13:30 to 16:00
- Evening canapés – 17:30 to 19:30
- Evening desserts – 17:30 to 20:00
- Evening drinks – 17:30 to 21:30
On this visit, this is what I saw offered.
Afternoon tea
- Sandwiches:
- Cheese & onion
- Salmon & cream cheese
- Turkey and olive
- Cakes:
- ‘Toffy Tray’
- ‘Apricot Flapjack’
- Fruit scones
- Cheese scones
Evening canapés and desserts
- Canapés:
- ‘Pork terrine croute’
- ‘Chorizo risotto’
- ‘Pesto feta pastry’
- ‘Cheese soufflé’
- Cheese bites
- Carrot and cucumber crudités
- Humus
- Olives
- Chocolate fudge cake
- Unnamed cake with white frosting
Evening drinks (all self-pour)
- Draft Stella Artois
- Draft Goose Session IPA
- White, red, and rosé wines
At all times of the day (during lounge opening hours), guests can also help themselves to hot beverages …
… a variety of non-alcoholic chilled drinks …
… and snacks including cookies (biscuits), chips (crisps), candy (sweets) and on this visit, donuts.
Overall, the afternoon and evening food on offer in the lounge appears to be standard Marriott fare (for Europe) and is neither great nor terrible. Average, acceptable and nothing special are all ways that the offering could be described.
The evening drinks were low quality with very cheap wines, a very limited beer selection, and unless they made an appearance after I left, there aren’t any spirits/liquor on offer.
Also, I can’t help but wonder who thought it was a good idea to serve Stella Artois in what is supposed to be a 5* hotel? Some of my fellow Americans may be under the impression that ‘Stella’ is a good or high-end European lager, but you’ll find a very different opinion of it if you ask most Londoners.
On a more positive note…
The selection of chilled non-alcoholic drinks was very good and even included some higher-end sodas, and while the snacking options were limited, the chips (crips) seemed good, and it was nice to see some fresh fruit on offer.
Outside of the f&b services, the lounge was mostly quiet on this weekend visit, but the lack of natural light here doesn’t make it a particularly inviting place to spend a lot of time.
The absence of natural light in the lounge isn’t a factor unique to the London Marriott Grosvenor Square (the lounge at the more illustrious JW Marriott Grosvenor House also fails to offer guests natural light), but it’s a factor worth keeping in mind if you’re planning on using the lounge for any meaningful length of time.
Complimentary breakfast for elites
As I mentioned in the section above, Bonvoy Elite members whose status entitles them to a complimentary breakfast can enjoy that breakfast in the M Club Lounge. There’s no option to have a complimentary breakfast in the Gordon Ramsay Bar & Grill (the hotel’s all day restaurant).
The complimentary breakfast is a buffet offering both hot and cold dishes and most of the usual continental breakfast options.
Compared to what you’ll find in a lot of Marriott lounges in the US, this is a veritable feast. For a central London property that enjoys touting its 5* status, this isn’t good enough.
The quality of the hot food was no better than what I’d expect at a budget hotel and while the continental options seemed ok, the coffee from the machines was appalling.
It’s hard to escape the feeling that this is a very reluctant breakfast offering as there’s certainly no effort made to impress.
If I compare this to the JW Marriott Grosvenor House (a property that also serves complimentary breakfast in its lounge and a property that’s often close in price to the Marriott Grosvenor Square), it’s like comparing night and day.
Where the breadth of the JW’s offering is usually quite impressive and the food quality (mostly) very good, the Marriott Grosvenor Square is the exact opposite … so much so that as I had gone down to breakfast ahead of Joanna so that I could take a few pictures, I quickly texted her to say that she shouldn’t bother following me as we would be eating breakfast out.
Aside from the friendliness of the lounge staff there really aren’t any positive points I can make in this section and if I said that the complimentary breakfast offering was ‘disappointing’ I’d be making quite a bit understatement.
Other dining & bars
The property has two restaurants associated with it – Gordon Ramsay Bar & Grill & Lucky Cat by Gordon Ramsay.
The Gordon Ramsay Bar & Grill serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and is open from 07:00 to 22:00 Monday to Saturday and 07:00 to 21:00 on Sundays.
The Lucky Cat by Gordon Ramsay serves a selection of Asian/Asian fusion dishes for lunch and dinner and is open from 12:00 to 00:00 Monday to Wednesday, 12:00 to 02:00 Thursday to Saturday, and 12:00 to 23:00 on Sundays.
With London offering so many fantastic dining options we didn’t feel the need to try out either of these establishments (we very rarely eat lunch or dinner in whatever hotel we happen to be visiting) but you’ll find more information on both restaurants through these links:
The hotel bar is called the Luggage Room and is decorated in the image of a 1920’s speakeasy.
It’s open from 17:00 to 01:00 Tuesday to Saturday and is closed on Monday & Sunday.
The bar staff are very friendly, and it appears to be an establishment of some historical significance given that a walking tour group passed through as we enjoyed an early evening drink.
As with a lot of hotel bars, this one is expensive, and while no visitor should be surprised that a hotel bar in central London is expensive, the fact that this bar charges £5/~$6.40 just for a tonic mixer feels like it’s taking things a little too far (by contrast, the bars at the Hyatt Regency London Blackfriars and the Great Scotland Yard Hotel both charge £3.50/~$4.50 for the same).
Overall, the surroundings are nice, the atmosphere is good, but there are plenty of better options in the local area where your wallet won’t be gouged quite as much.
Gym/fitness Centre
The hotel’s fitness centre is located on the lower ground floor and for a central London hotel gym it’s well equipped.
It’s not particularly big and it doesn’t offer any natural light, but there are more than enough equipment options to meet most people’s needs.
A key thing I feel I should highlight is that the London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square is just a 10-minute walk from London’s Hyde Park (the largest park in central london), so unless you’re pressed for time or the weather isn’t good, there’s little reason to restrict yourself to a treadmill in a windowless basement gym.
Hyde Park is extremely ‘runner friendly’ so if you feel the need to do some cardio, make the most of what’s on your doorstep.
Final thoughts
The hotel is in a great central location, and I can see why that may be a big attraction for a lot of people, but that aside, the property doesn’t really stand out in any way at all.
The rooms are fine (no more, no less), the staff are friendly, and the bar is nice (if overpriced), but you can get a lot more than that at a variety of other properties in London without paying significantly more than what the Marriott Grosvenor Square charges.
If you’re a big fan of Marriott or simply want to make the most of your Bonvoy status, there are better Marriott options out there.
The St. Ermin’s hotel (Autograph Collection) has a great central location and in my experience offers Bonvoy Elites a better experience than the Marriott Grosvenor Square (there’s no lounge so a full breakfast is offered in the restaurant). It also often cheaper.
The Marriott London Canary Wharf and the Westin London City are further out from the center but both are considerably better properties than the Marriott Grosvenor Square and they offer better elite recognition too (the Canary Wharf property has a small lounge but offers elites a full breakfast in the main restaurant).
And when they are priced similarly (as they often are) …
… I can’t think of a single reason why someone should choose the Grosvenor Square property over the JW Marriott Grosvenor House.
For anyone not set on staying at a Marriott property, better options are even easier to find in London.
Even if you insist on sticking to chain hotels, you’ll often find that properties like the Conrad, the Great Scotland Yard, the May Fair, and the Hilton Park Lane are all priced similarly to the Marriott Grosvenor Square, and each of those properties offers a better all-round experience.
You’ll even sometimes find that the Churchill (a Hyatt Regency property) and the InterContinental Park Lane are comparable in price to the Marriott Grosvenor Square and they’re both considerably better properties than the Marriott.
Conclusion
Overall, aside from the mediocre elite status recognition and the rather dismal lounge breakfast, there’s nothing very wrong with the London Marriott Grosvenor Square, but given what the property charges, there are a lot of other better options out there.
If there’s a great deal that none of the other comparable (or better) properties in London can match, booking the Marriott Grosvenor Square would be understandable.
Outside of a great deal, however, booking a stay at the London Marriott Grosvenor Square would make no sense to me at all.
Related reading:
A review of the Great Scotland Yard Hotel London (Hyatt Unbound Collection)
A review ot the Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill (Regency Suite)
Helpful and detailed review. Definitely won’t be staying there.
Looks like the shower screen was hinged. It should open outwards, making the bath easier to access.
It moved no more than a few inches which, funnily enough, made the bath even less accessible.