Sky Lounge — Local services in London

I had booked a table for 4 for 4 June 2023 at 4.15pm and got a reminder call a couple of days prior to confirm if we still intended going which I thought was good in case our plans had changed or if there is any change in the numbers attending. For me, it was downhill from there onwards. From the moment I came to the entrance, I felt like i was walking into some cheap tired hotel as it was adorned with plastic flowers. To make it worse, there was a Christmas display with baubles and cotton wool for snow effect. This is in June. Then took the lift to 34th floor and there were more displays of plastic flowers. In a couple of corners there were several green live ( i think) indoor plants, all bunched up together. There was what looked like a mannequin with a red nylon cloth draped around her and trailing on the floor and if you didn't look where you were going- meaning if you were too busy admiring the view while walking to your table, there is a good chance you would step on the red nylon cloth and slip, taking the mannequin with you. We ordered cocktails and a portion of fries and thought of ordering some more food later after we had looked at the menu properly. The drinks came after about 10 minutes of ordering. The chips came about 45 minutes after ordering. The drinks were ok. Not even a cursory slice of lime or orange slice stuck on the rim of the glass, bearing in mind I paid £12 for a mocktail. The menu is the worst I have seen in a hotel of this rating (5*?). Even Premier Inn or McDonalds have a better choice. It's just as well the choice is diabolical as I don't think I could have managed to eat anything with a fork and a knife at a low coffee table which was already full with 4 drinks glasses, and a pot plant with a cheap plastic flower which kept on falling out of the pot. If it had been placed in a flower vase with a narrow mouth, it might not have. Did the bar manager or the restaurant staff have a practice run to see how they get on dining ( with the type of food on offer) on a small coffee table of that size? Not given a jot of thought about customer experience. If anyone thinks they can perch on the stool at the bar while waiting for their mate, they should readily abandon the idea. The bar which is normally the star of the drinks lounge is tucked away in a corner under the stairs and not much bigger than the size of a bathroom in an average terraced house. I really felt sorry for the barman as he barely had enough room to place the drinks on the bar as he prepared them because a lot of the bar top was taken by the drinks bottles which probably could not fit on the shelf inside the bar. The bar looked a mess. Apart from the view through the windows, there was nothing which made me awestruck. Even Westfield shopping centre has a classy feel where the Designer shops are. The service was poor. The prices are ridiculously high for what they offer. The decor is awful. As for the menu, which chef thought you can eat those things on the menu by sitting at a low coffee table which would already be crammed with drinks glasses? Perhaps he/she expects the customers to place the plate on their lap- like people do when watching tv? If it wasn't for the view, we would have walked out sooner. All in all, a hugh...

First and last experience, I had arrived a bit earlier and called them 10 minutes prior to our table time to tell them that we would be 10-15' late, the lady on the phone ensured that there was no problem, after my partner arrived and we went to the reception to get checked in the lady said to us that we would have to wait as our table was released because we arrived late, I proceeded to explain that I had called and showed her the call, we were sent upstairs.

At this point everything was a mess, the lady at the reception didn't know anything, I showed her the call and explained her the situation, their internal communication clearly didn't fail, we were told that there was a table available or if we would prefer to wait for a better table, we decided to wait.

Shortly after the lady comes again to apologize and offer a table further back, she told us that we had a window table but it was released because we were late, at this point the situation felt ridiculous, the lady was constantly trying to blame on us the problem completely ignoring the fact that we called them.

Once we got sited the manager showed up to try to speak to us, he basically proceeded to explain their rules and stuff after we explained the situation, he completely ignored that evidential facts that we were discussing, he started talking over my partner, his face was getting red as he was not liking what we were saying to him, we weren't happy but we weren't rude, in the end he left and not in a good way, this guy is not only absolutely unprepared to be a manager but he is also not suitable for customer service jobs, surprising being an Italian guy at a high end place.

We ended up leaving without getting any food, the service was disgusting and we didn't feel like giving our money away to such place, it is hard to believe that Shangri-la accepts this kind of service blaming customers when they are proving to you the facts, definitely not going nor recommending this place.

Been 10 years in London and I know that the average service is mediocre being optimistic but you wouldn't expect this at such premium place with such high...

Disappointing Birthday Experience at the Sky Lounge

My partner and I visited the Sky Lounge at the Shangri-La for my birthday yesterday, and sadly, it completely missed the mark. We have been to the various bars and lounges in the hotel over the years — I’ve also stayed here around two years ago and have always associated it with high standards and exceptional service. Unfortunately, this visit did not live up to that reputation.

We went to the Sky Lounge at 9pm for drinks after dining at Gŏng upstairs, and while the view is as stunning as ever (and arguably one of the best in London), that’s really the only thing that made the evening feel remotely special.

To start, the service was mediocre at best. We were reminded of the 90 min time slot and the £30 min spend per person which we knew. We ordered a bottle of champagne to enjoy as the sun went down. I didn’t feel particularly welcomed and we noted that one of the servers was actually wearing jeans, which is not what you’d expect from a 5-star hotel bar. Twice our server spilled champagne on the table — she wiped it up but didn’t apologise. The glasses were left wet and dripping onto our clothes, so we ended up drying them ourselves.

It may sound fussy, but when you pay a premium for the experience, basic care and attention to detail should be a given. We also noted that it was a special occasion when booking, but not one person acknowledged my birthday, which made the experience feel generic rather than memorable.

Between dinner at Gŏng and drinks at the Sky Lounge, we spent around £360 which included 15% service charge. Unfortunately, I left feeling like I could have been anywhere in London. Normally I don’t want to come back to reality after being in the Shard but last night I was looking forward to getting home and I certainly didn’t feel special, pampered, or like I’d just been to ‘paradise in the clouds’.

For that price point, and with so many other luxury options in London — I will definitely think twice about spending here again. The view can’t be beaten, but sadly, the service and ambience did not match...