REVIEW: HILTON LONDON PADDINGTON STATION

First I just gotta stay this was one of the most comfortable hotels I have stayed at. It wasn’t fancy, but our room was large and we slept amazingly even with jet lag.

Our family of 4 only had 3 nights in London. I had originally booked the Crowne Plaza at Kings Cross as we could use some of our free night IHG certificates there for a room with 2 double beds. It is very difficult to find a hotel that points can be used with in London. About a week beforehand I started to have second thought on that hotel. Basically since we were flying economy, and only staying 3 nights, I was wondering if we needed a bigger room that we could all sleep comfortably in.  I started looking at some AirBnB’s but we were landing at 9am and most of them couldn’t give us an early check in, or even have a place for our bags. So decided to book the Hilton Paddington Station which was about $300USD a night for a standard suite.

After a pretty good 8 hour flight from Atlanta to London, our family of 4 decided to take the Heathrow Express train that drops you off directly at Paddington station. We bought roundtrip tickets at the airport that were $45USD per adult, and kids free. (I think 12 and under) This is the easiest way to get into London, its a quick 15 minute ride. The train has room for luggage and is very convenient.

The train drops you off about 100 yards from the hotel entrance.

They have some signs, but it could be marked better. Basically you just go up to the 2nd story and the hotel is right there.

It was about 10am and I was hoping we could get a room. I already checked into a room on the Hilton app and was told that my room was not ready yet. I had emailed the GM a few days beforehand asking for an early check in and a person came out of the back saying they could put me in a different suite (339) and I said that would be great. I asked if I could get a roll-away bed as well and they said they would send someone up in just a minute. Then they told me about my Diamond benefits which included executive lounge access, and breakfast in the restaurant.

Went up to our room and was surprised at how large it really was. Entry into a large hallway with a large closet, then 2 separate rooms.

Each room had their own door. Our bedroom was huge for London. Actually had 2 twin beds made, but could easily be pushed together. However they always pushed the beds apart when they made up the room.

They had 2 bottles of water, but brought up more shortly and replaced them with 4 fresh bottles each day. There was also a mini bar and coffee maker in the bedroom. The fridge had expensive beverages in it, but did have a small section for personal use.

The second room was pretty good size and also had its own door. It had a double size fold out sofa and we were able to fit in a roll away bed very comfortably.

A person came to make up the spare room right when we checked in as they thought we probably wanted to take a nap. They also brought us up plenty of towels, water, and extra toiletries so we would be set. This is a great way to start, and each day housekeeping always made sure we were fully stocked with those items. (you’d be surprised how many times our family of 4 doesn’t get 4 towels everyday…)

The bathroom was large as well and off of the hallway. I was kind of surprised it only had one sink, but had a shower, as well as a shower/bath combo.

The views from our room were OK.  The windows were kind of small though, and hard to look out of. We overlooked the outside entrance of the hotel.

As a Diamond member, we also had access to the executive lounge.

The lounge was on the ground floor and had quick breakfast items and snacks though out the day. They they also had evening items with free drinks.

The lounge was nice, but nothing amazing. It was a decent place to relax and have a drink though. It was on the ground floor and while it didn’t have outside views, it did overlook the inside of Paddington Station which was a unique feature.

We also had a few breakfast’s in the main restaurant. While good, it was pretty average for a Hilton chain.

While the hotel is nice, its nothing over the top. Our room had a few rough spots with carpet and some paint chips, but we slept good. The location is great and what sets this hotel apart. Being able to get off of the tube and not even having to take a step outside to get to your hotel, just makes traveling less stressful.

You can also walk to several pubs in the area, or to St. Marys Hospital where penicillin was first used.

The hotel is also close to Hyde park. (a great park to get a run in the morning too.)

You can walk through Hyde Park, and in about 20 minutes you can be at Harrods, National History Museum, or the National Science Museum.

I am very pleased that we made a last minute decision to stay in a suite at the Hilton Paddington. From a great location, early check in, lounge access, to a large comfortable room, we were able to get plenty of rest here. Some days we had very busy agendas and didn’t get back to the hotel until after 10pm. We had to get ourselves out of bed at 9am the next morning in order just to make it to breakfast. Its not very often 4 people sleep like that on vacation, much less with jet lag.