Hilton London Paddington — Hotel in London

I felt it was important to highlight the issues surrounding my last stay at the Paddington Hilton in London. As a diamond member, I was welcomed and upgraded to the "newly refurbished" GWR rooms. However, I was asked to wait a few hours in order for this room to be made ready. I did not see this as a problem considering I was being upgraded into what I imagined should be a better room. Getting to the room was a bit of a journey and required using 2 lifts, but again I did not see this as any real issue, especially considering the age of the hotel. I was however gradually dismayed as I entered the new wing of the hotel. The architrave and skirting boards throughout were very worn and in some places coming away from the doors. The lift going to my floor had considerable damage to the lighting and buttons. I could tell this was old damage that had not been sorted due to the amount of dust.

My room was clean and tidy on initial inspection and the decor was nice. However, I had no bathrobe or slipper as expected (the staff stated they no longer do this). On further inspection of the room, I discovered 1 of the bed lights was broken off, the night light was broken and there was an led light above the bed that would not go out without using the master switch located on the other side of the room. This shut off all the lights which meant it was incredibly dark in the room and if you needed to use the facilities, you had to turn the master switch back on, which of course illuminated those lights that would not go out.

Every vent had an accumulation of dust which was a fire risk. The shower head was corroded and sprayed everywhere but down. There was also no shower gel as would be expected. Although the bed was clean and comfortable, the experience was not what I would expect from any hotel regardless of price, and certainly not from a newly refurbished hotel.

Another great disappointment was the executive lounge. The furniture was very worn. The snacks were mediocre and were not replenished for over 2 hours. The evening canapes were simply disgusting. Mini (very mini) burgers which appeared to have been thrown into the serving warmer. This was served for the 3 evenings I was there and on each occasion, the food ran out very early on and was not refilled for over an hour. Added to this was the general cleanliness of the whole area. Food, cups, utensils, plates, and snack wrappers, were all left out on tables for hours. This is not what I expected from an executive lounge.

Altogether, I am incredibly disappointed. Staff were made aware and simply said they will look into it. It appeared to me that the hotel was trying to do everything on the cheap. The experience of being a diamond member and having the perks that come with it should always override what is becoming a very expensive stay. However, on this occasion, I had better food and room experience in other...

Extremely disappointing experience at this property. Seemingly a convenient option given the proximity to Heathrow Express/Paddington, this property is anything but. Upon arrival (admittedly early), there were “no rooms” available, despite the next couple in the line to check in being told they could be moved into a terrace suite that was available for an additional £95. This issue was raised and a multitude of answers were given, ranging from the original clerk misspoke and it was not available to it would be available in another 2 hours for an additional £275. In fact, the clerks seemed more focused on scolding a paying customer for highlighting a discrepancy in an attempt to set the record straight rather than acknowledging the source of frustration. This offer was refused and “lounge access” was given. Entering the lounge the lack of air conditioning was apparent. Sweltering conditions in the lounge made it a space to avoid rather than kill time, and the air remained broken throughout the day. The breakfast facility (hard to call it a restaurant) in the lobby had an equally poor staff and backwards way of doing things. A credit card is required to open a tab which is held by the restaurant staff and you are given a key to retrieve it at the end, accompanied by a placard on the table denoting a minimum spend of £10 per hour, all of this despite being a “full service restaurant”. The attempt to order a la carte or have attentive, timely wait staff failed miserably, as did the sad excuse for a “English Breakfast” (most likely a frozen/microwaved substitute). When the “upgraded room” was finally made available, accessing it was just as convenient as the hotel proclaims to be, requiring two separate elevators, a maze of hallways, and a flight of stairs. Credit where credit is due, the room itself (recently renovated) was clean and well appointed. Lastly, and keeping with the theme of previous staff encounters, departing the hotel was no easy task. Pouring rain made even the short (uncovered) walk around the building and into Paddington less than desirable. The simple task of calling a cab to go from covered point A to B was a stated impossibility from the front desk clerk working the morning shift, who claimed that the cab drivers wouldn’t accept such a short trip. When clarifying if she meant that the black cabs wouldn’t take the trip, the agent stated that the hotel worked with another company (despite there only being one licensed taxi company in London), and suggested taking an Uber. Overall, for a property claiming to be a “full service” and “convenient” option, this hotel fails at every level. From a disinterested (to put it nicely) staff to abysmal food offerings and transparency, recommending the Hilton London Paddington to anyone is...

If you stay at this hotel, do so solely because of its proximity to Paddington Station. The hotel is literally located inside the busy train station, so it's an excellent choice if you want to get around the city easily. The Paddington Tube station is directly across the street as well. We opted to stay here before our next day flight to Heathrow, and it made it super easy to hop on the Express train to the airport without much fuss. However, this would not be my first choice for a hotel in London for many reasons.

THE GOOD

Location. Super close to all manner of rail transport in London, making it easy to get anywhere in the city just steps from your hotel room door.

Nice breakfast buffet and Executive Lounge (if you're a Hilton Diamond member). We very much enjoyed the massive breakfast spread as well as the snacks and drinks in the Lounge, when it was open.

They take good care of Hilton members. We were given a complimentary upgrade to a massive two room suite with a separate sitting room as well as a large bathroom with tub and separate shower. So much space, which was very welcome!

The windows in the rooms open so you can let in the fresh air from outside.

Paddington Bear is right outside your door! You can visit his statue 24/7.

THE BAD

Sad, drab, dated rooms. Our suite was in sore need of renovation and repair. The bathroom looked so old and uninviting, and the decor was tired. The furniture was damaged, too, and felt dirty.

Poor staff. We arrived via train in the pouring cold rain, and the man at the front desk was less than helpful in giving directions to the hotel entrance. Plus, the inside entrance is locked after 10 pm or so, and the only way to gain access to the hotel is through the front door outside. We had to get soaked in the rain just to check in.

The cost. The location is great for transportation, which means you will pay for the convenience. This is a pricey hotel in both rate (think over $350 USD per night) and Hilton points.

Safety is iffy, especially late at night. You probably don't want to be hanging out in the train station after midnight. I wouldn't recommend this hotel to single travelers for that reason, it can become a bit sketchy.

I would probably stay at the Hilton London Paddington again, especially if had a flight out of Heathrow -- but only the night of arrival and/or departure via air. Maybe one night, then moving to a better property for the remainder of my stay...