The Chesterfield Mayfair — Hotel in London

I always try to seek out unique lodgings whenever I travel, generally smaller venues with interesting decor and distinct character. I discovered the Chesterfield Mayfair many years ago and it immediately became one of my favorite hotels. First off, the property is a beautiful little jewel box, with lush furnishings and old world charm in both the public spaces as well as the individual rooms and suites. The food is very good and the afternoon tea id exquisite. But what truly sets this hotel apart is it’s customer service. Each member of the staff, from front of house to housekeeping, is a star. No matter what you might need, the staff follows through cheerfully, promptly and oftentimes very creatively. I just had a marvelous stay at the Chesterfield Mayfair, the first time since Covid began. I was greatly relieved that it remained the same amazing property I remembered. I’ll close with two little stories illustrating the staff’s outstanding attention to its guests. A few months prior to traveling to the UK I had a shoulder replacement surgery. I was having difficulty unscrewing the cap of the water bottles supplied to my room. One night, the housekeeper knocked on my door offering turndown service and asking if I needed anything else in the room. I asked for more water and asked her to open the cap for me since I was having trouble with it due to my surgery. After that, without me asking, every new bottle of water was cracked open. It’s a small thing but her making a note to consistently do this for me on her own initiative was striking. Another example was while having breakfast one morning I sat next to a young couple. They told me they were in London for her cousin’s wedding. The family had booked them into the hotel and they had never stayed there before. She had made her cousin’s wedding dress but just discovered that it needed emergency alterations. Her cousin’s sewing machine was broken. She said she noticed what beautiful drapes and wall fabrics were in the hotel so inquired at the front desk whether they had access to a sewing machine. It was no surprise to me but was unbelievable to this young woman that a sewing machine appeared in her room shortly afterwards. The Chesterfield is simply the best. I wouldn’t think of staying anywhere else in London and I tell everyone I know who’s planning a trip to London that this is where they need to book and they’d be foolish to go...

Review is for afternoon tea only.

Visited with my 6 year old daughter and she loved the gimmicky afternoon tea with the bubbling pink lemonade sherbet drink, sweet trolley and sweet themed cakes. However, in terms of the actual quality of afternoon tea, it is no where close to the 5 star hotels in London and yet the pricing isn't far off. For a little extra, I would would recommend The Mandarin Oriental, The Savoy, Raffles or Claridges. I am really not sure what the benchmark is for some of the reviews but it is definitely not a refined afternoon tea offering. On arrival, I found the hotel tired and smelt bad in the corridors. Although staff in the lobby were very pleasant, service by staff in the restaurant was just OK. Service was defnitely not outstanding (unlike some other reviews) and if anything, I found service rather slow. Having looked at the website and reading reviews, I was really disappointed. I couldn't actually believe I fell for it!

There are such nicer hotels in London for afternoon tea and I feel I would be really doing people a disservice by not writing an honest review. The price of £75 for adults and £45 for children, is comparable to some of the best hotels in London. After service you're looking at £138 for 1 adult and 1 child. Honestly, the cost is insane in comparison to much better hotels. I also found it odd that the toilets for use were in hotel rooms on the first floor.

Children will be impressed by the gimmicks but they will not understand quality etc. If you're booking to impress the kids,The Ampersand Hotel does a far better afternoon tea for children at £37.50. The Lanes (Theatre Royal) is £35 per child and in a stunning dining room. Fortnum & Mason and the Harrods tea room are also much better for good quality afternoon tea that is child friendly.

I wouldn't waste your precious pennies here and I am really struggling to understand why so many websites recommended it for kids. Slightly annoyed at myself for making the mistake but you...

I recently visited The Chesterfield Mayfair and had a terrible experience at this hotel. This is my fifth trip to Europe in the past five years and in my travels I have never felt so unwelcome in a hotel. The staff here are not friendly or warm. I found the doormen and porters to be particularly rude. In fact I felt so unwelcome at this hotel that I used the side door instead of the front door to avoid feeling so uncomfortable. I have also read this in other trip advisor reviews – seems to be a pattern among some uncomfortable guests. I stayed here over Christmas and I think the hotel is a great location for winter travels around London. However I am sure there are other hotels in this area that are more inviting, charming and personal. The building itself is fairly rundown, although I have to acknowledge the interior is very ‘old English’ which is beautiful in that time of year. I must also mention the lovely man in the bar who had exceptional customer service and made incredible drinks. He was the only one standout member of staff. The breakfast here is average, nothing special at all. The rooms are a decent size but nothing particularly fancy. As I mentioned earlier this is my fifth trip to Europe in the last five years, each time staying no shorter than four weeks and in that time I have never experienced such lack of personality in a hotel. To put it straight I think if you are a high tipping traveler the staff will fawn over you. However if they do not deem you as a particularly generous tipper they barely make eye contact and acknowledge your presence. I also noticed when viewing this hotel on TripAdvisor that there are a lot of rave reviews posted by travellers who have only one or two reviews to their name... to summarise I won’t be back to this hotel and would never recommend it. I would also like to add that I am not a critical traveller. I have always stayed in beautiful hotels around Europe but this is the hotel I have been most...