The Trafalgar St. James London, Curio Collection by Hilton — Hotel in London

I would strongly advise against staying at this hotel.

My recent experience from July 12th to July 23rd, 2024, at what was advertised as a "5-star" hotel was deeply disappointing and far from the level of service and comfort one would expect. The issues began immediately upon arrival, with construction disrupting the entire property—something that was not disclosed on their website. When I raised this issue with the staff, they claimed that the construction notice was on the website, but I checked before booking and even after my stay, and there was no mention of it.

The check-in process was marked by poor service, with staff who appeared inadequately trained and unprepared to meet basic hospitality standards. As a frequent traveler, I expect a certain level of professionalism and courtesy, especially from a hotel that claims to be 5-star. Unfortunately, the service here fell drastically short. The fire alarms went off randomly without warning, and on one occasion, we were only notified in advance after the fact. There was no functioning front lobby due to ongoing construction; guests were directed to enter through a side entrance where the floors were torn up. With only two seats available in the makeshift lobby, if another party was occupying them, we were left to wait outside.

When I finally checked in, I was informed that my room was not ready and was told to take a walk with my family, including my 1-year-old daughter, despite the heat and humidity, after a long international flight. The staff did not proactively offer the room upgrade that my Hilton status entitles me to; I had to ask for it myself, which felt uncomfortable and unnecessary. Only after I insisted did they find an available room.

Upon entering the room, it was immediately apparent that this was not the luxurious experience one expects from a 5-star hotel. To add to the discomfort, a staff member walked in without verifying if anyone was inside, despite having knocked first. His abrupt entry was both intrusive and unsettling.

The construction noise was incessant, starting every morning around 10 a.m. for the duration of our stay. For families with young children or anyone hoping to enjoy a peaceful vacation, this environment is entirely unsuitable. The hotel attempted to move us to quieter rooms and eventually upgraded us, but the damage to our experience was already done. The fire alarm testing that occurred during our stay was another unnecessary disturbance, particularly when we were not notified beforehand, causing significant distress.

While the hotel is situated in a prime location, and the doormen were pleasant, these small positives were overshadowed by the numerous issues we encountered. Toby, the front desk manager, made an effort to rectify the situation, but it was too little, too late.

Given the state of the property and the poor service, I would never consider staying here again. The front desk staff, who are the first point of contact and represent the hotel, appeared disengaged and disinterested in providing a welcoming experience. The ongoing construction should necessitate closing the hotel to guests until it is complete, but it is clear that financial motivations take precedence over customer satisfaction. Guests are left to suffer the consequences, spending significant amounts of money only to be met with constant disruptions and subpar service.

To add insult to injury, 2 out of the 3 elevators were out of service, further complicating our stay.

In summary, this hotel fails to live up to its 5-star rating in every respect. I will be sharing this review, along with photos and videos, with my network of travel enthusiasts, friends, and family, and across all my travel groups. This experience has left me and my family feeling deeply disappointed, especially after waiting years and saving diligently for what we hoped would be a dream vacation. Instead, we were met with frustration and regret. I strongly recommend choosing another hotel...

Long store short do yourself a favor and book at L’oscar Hotel instead. We spent a few days there before and it was INCREDIBLE. The staff with myself, my husband and my son - there are no words. This was a last minute trip so I decided we’d try something different our last night in the city. HUGE MISTAKE on my part. When we first arrived I Was told by concierge (maybe door man) not sure that he’s helping someone else so basically good luck taking ur luggage, toddler, baby stroller etc up and directed us to use the ramp because his hands were full with two rolling suitcases of 2 adult men. Not a big deal just would expect something different from a 5* hotel. After waiting 10/15 minutes in a cramped hallway by the elevator doors to check in (with a toddler and all our luggage on the floor) - there was confusion about my son (3) on having a baby cot and whether I was able to stay in the room I booked because of my 3 year old but I felt I wasn’t being explicitly told what I’m suppose to do with that information … so I went and looked up on there website I couldn’t find any information so I googled and saw on booking it says free cot 0-3 free cot. I went downstairs to inquire about the Wi-Fi and what to do about my sons sleeping arrangements and how we can resolve the problem so we can settle in. I was told my last name is wrong on my Hilton account and that is why the Wi-Fi isn’t working when i explained I don’t think it is and spelled it I kept getting told that it is and it felt to me very attacking and condescending - I also inquired about the baby bed etc and was met the same way. I was so confused on what was going on I was on the verge of tears. When the other front desk woman intervened and called housekeeping about the crib, explained how to use Wi-Fi without putting in the surname, and informed the other front desk woman my last name is not wrong. It feels as though our family staying here is an inconvenience for them. I would not recommend in general but especially if you have children - holiday inn service (probably worse honestly) at a 5* star hotel. Also the smell in the hallways and rooms is so so so so strong and I am not sensitive to smells- very concerning. I wish I booked through Amex platinum so I could talk to them about this but unfortunately I booked directly through Hilton so I could use up some of my points. Also wasn’t told about the free breakfast being a gold member I had to inquire.. this hotel is just not it thankfully only booked one night.

Update: About 2 hours after my review we received a call from the hotel. We were given an apology over the phone and a room upgrade offer - we accepted and I inquired about having some of my points refunded as well. This request was denied but I do feel they handled the situation very well and wanted to do there best to make up for our check in experience and make my son feel special. When we got to our new room he was welcomed with a goodie bag and for us a bottle of Prosecco, some treats and a handwritten note apologizing for the miscommunication and so on. The smell on this floor is also so much better and is a normal, good smell of a typical hotel. The view from the room is very nice and also looks towards the Canadian embassy which was a nice touch since I am from Canada. This was all very much appreciated - especially the...

The Trafalgar is a very nice hotel but has nothing distinctive other than the location at the center of West End sightseeing. However, when we stayed in January, there was no place to eat after 10pm when we returned from a show. The restaurant menu is very limited & was not to our taste.

My low rating is due a billing dispute. I caution you to carefully check your bill & resolve any issues before you check out.

I made my initial on-line reservation at the Trafalgar for two rooms. Before we arrived, I canceled one of the rooms on the Hilton.com website. The night we checked in at the hotel was chaotic - we had been traveling for 24 hours. The streets around Trafalgar Square were shut for maintenance & our taxi driver had driven around for half an hour trying to find the hotel. When he finally dropped us off as close as he could get, we were on the wrong street & dragged our suitcases about 3 blocks. And it was raining. So I was quite flustered when I arrived at the front desk. I discovered then that I had not properly cancelled the second room in my reservation & indeed had 2 rooms waiting for me. I explained my error to the receptionist & he said that he would take care of it. I thought nothing more about it for the rest of my stay & assumed that the hotel had waived the “no show” fee for the second room.

Reviewing my credit card statement when I got home 10 days later, I discovered that I had been charged the $348 one night “no show” fee. As a longtime Hilton Diamond member, I thought that we could easily resolve my error & have the fee reversed. Hilton referred the issue to the hotel & I had several email exchanges with the assistant front desk manager. In his final email, he stated that the room had to be cancelled six days before arrival and that this the no show fee was their policy.

As a last effort, I found the name of the hotel general manager online & sent him a physical letter explaining the situation, hoping for some allowance to be made. I received no response.

The hotel is completely in its right to charge a one night no show fee. However, had I escalated the problem in person & spoken to the manager, I believe some sort of accommodation could have been made. $348 is a hefty fee for an honest mistake, especially for a 20+ year Hilton Diamond member who has stayed hundreds of nights at Hilton properties.

If you choose to stay at the Trafalgar, carefully review your bill & resolve any disputes before checking out. I will not be staying...