Having booked a Junior Suite through the hotel's website, we were looking forward to our brief stay at the Soho. We had called in advance to ask for a late checkout, which was helpfully granted without any argument.
But when we arrived, the receptionist cheerfully told us that we'd been upgraded. Also, as we were celebrating my birthday, we were handed some vouchers for Champagne at the hotel bar. While waiting for the room to be made ready, we went for a walk around the local streets, and borrowed some umbrellas from reception.
When we got back to the hotel, we were led to the room, which was actually an apartment. Two bedrooms, a kitchenette, two bathrooms, TVs all over the place, and enormous windows down one wall of the extremely long main room. It was fantastic. The photos don't do it justice.
Everything in the room and the communal areas of the hotel seemed to be spotless and fresh, including the comfortable ground-floor lounge, and stylish bar. Every staff member we encountered offered a friendly greeting and a smile, and wanted to know if there was anything they could do to help us enjoy our stay.
Some time around midnight, after spending the evening out and about, we called in to the hotel bar for our Champagnes, and it was bustling with life. Cocktails seemed popular, as did Champagne. It was a nice place to have a couple of...Having booked a Junior Suite through the hotel's website, we were looking forward to our brief stay at the Soho. We had called in advance to ask for a late checkout, which was helpfully granted without any argument.
But when we arrived, the receptionist cheerfully told us that we'd been upgraded. Also, as we were celebrating my birthday, we were handed some vouchers for Champagne at the hotel bar. While waiting for the room to be made ready, we went for a walk around the local streets, and borrowed some umbrellas from reception.
When we got back to the hotel, we were led to the room, which was actually an apartment. Two bedrooms, a kitchenette, two bathrooms, TVs all over the place, and enormous windows down one wall of the extremely long main room. It was fantastic. The photos don't do it justice.
Everything in the room and the communal areas of the hotel seemed to be spotless and fresh, including the comfortable ground-floor lounge, and stylish bar. Every staff member we encountered offered a friendly greeting and a smile, and wanted to know if there was anything they could do to help us enjoy our stay.
Some time around midnight, after spending the evening out and about, we called in to the hotel bar for our Champagnes, and it was bustling with life. Cocktails seemed popular, as did Champagne. It was a nice place to have a couple of drinks, though it was a bit of a culture shock after the last pub of the night, which was the (fairly) nearby Norman's Coach & Horses (Google it...)
The hotel is very well-located for the bars, pubs and theatres of Soho and Leicester Square, and a shortish walk from the Seven Dials and Covent Garden shopping areas. It's also only a couple of minutes form Oxford Street. You have a choice of tube stations, with Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus both being 10 minutes' walk. Tucked away in a back-street, there was no noticeable noise outside the hotel, despite being in the middle of one of London's liveliest areas. So sleeping was a breeze.
Although we were very fortunate to get such a fantastic upgrade, the general feel of this hotel (tasteful, comfortable but sufficiently modern and fresh) means we'll almost certainly return to it next time we stay in London, albeit in a less spectacular room.
My only minor gripe is that in rooms costing up to £2000 a night, they still charge for internet access. It's surprising how many hotels still do this. In this age, it's a bit like charging to use the TV.More
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