Sky Bar — Restaurant in London

I actually quite liked the Sky Bar’s atmosphere and drink selection, and was having a good night until I was ripped off. It’s not something I expected to have happen at a Marriott, and left a really bad taste in my mouth.

Dinner at the Indian restaurant was fantastic, and I went to Sky Bar afterward to read a book and kill some time. Ordered “A Balvenie Doublewood 12, neat, with a side glass of ice water.”

That’s exactly what I received… a shot of scotch in a rocks glass, water on the side.

An hour later, I ordered a double Baileys on ice.

When the bill came, it was for 2x Balvenie and 1x Baileys. The woman who came to collect my payment wasn’t the same person who’d served me, so when I pointed out the error she went and got the male server.

It went downhill from there.

He insisted, with a big smile on his face, that I was mistaken and had ordered and consumed a double scotch.

Sooo why isn’t the Baileys (the less expensive drink by about half) also rang in as a double, I asked. I actually DID have a double Baileys — no argument there.

He didn’t respond to that and instead said of the whiskey, “Our glasses are bigger here, it probably looked like less.”

Hmm, no. It was a standard rocks glass. There was no ice to confuse things. I’m well aware of what a single vs a double in a rocks glass looks like, having been a bartender in the past.

I wished I had taken a photo of the drink, but who would think you’d have to do that at a place serving £15 cocktails?!

It was clear to me that he’d intentionally switched the drink quantities to inflate the bill, and instead of “Oops, honest mistake,” this man stood there and argued with me to the point it became uncomfortable. It was clear he wasn’t going to back down, so I paid the wrong bill and left.

It’s a shame, in such a beautiful spot, to feel like you’ve just been hustled...

Twice Burned — Shame on Me

I’ve now visited Sky Bar at Courtyard London Heathrow Airport twice, and I can say with confidence — the joke’s on me for giving them a second chance.

Both times, I ordered fish and chips with mushy peas. I'm not British, but I've traveled enough to know what mushy peas are supposed to be. What I received were just crushed green peas, and I had the displeasure of three different staff members — including the manager — trying to convince me that's what "mushy peas" are. Hilarious, if it weren’t so insulting.

But it gets worse.

The portion of chips served with the dish was so measly I genuinely thought they forgot to include them. I’ve had bigger sides of chips in economy meals on flights.

Even more baffling was the manager’s approach. He came over not to apologize or ask how they could fix the experience, but to clarify that I had a “comment” about the food — not a complaint. A textbook example of deflecting responsibility.

Sorry, but this is not customer service — it’s scripted indifference.

The first time, I thought maybe it was a one-off. The second time confirmed it: this is how they operate. A hotel bar that banks on airport travelers not caring or returning.

Shame on you, Courtyard London Heathrow Airport. Just because your guests may only stay a night or two doesn’t mean you can cut corners and misrepresent classic British dishes. If you were serving locals, you’d be out of business by now.

I hate being taken advantage of — especially when I'm being lied to about what fish and chips in the UK is supposed to be.

I’ll let the photos speak for themselves. You...

Easily one of my favourite bars / restaurants in the Bath Road area now, and if you’re at all into watching planes, or want a different view with your drink and meal, you have to head here. It’s a modern space and everywhere, including the toilets, is spotlessly clean. There’s a large bar in the main restaurant area with a decent range of drinks, but note they still apply a service charge even if you’re ordering there yourself, so you might as well just take advantage of the table service.

The outdoor tables are the real gem offering great views over the end of the airport runway and a constant stream of activity to watch. There’s a decent enough atmosphere and the staff walk about frequently to collect additional food and drink orders, all of which is served quickly. The food menu isn’t the most extensive but there should be something to suit most, and while it isn’t the cheapest I felt it was reasonable value given the prime location. The pepperoni pizza was a good size for one person, was cooked well with the perfect amount of topping.

A highly recommended spot and somewhere I’ll be returning to...