Review: Conrad London St James hotel

Introduction

The Conrad London St James hotel is one of the more high-end offerings from Hilton’s vast collection of London hotels. Situated in the historic Queen Anne's Chambers, the hotel was formerly the InterContinental London Westminster, before becoming the Conrad London St James in 2014.

Location & Impressions

The Conrad London St James is in close proximity to its namesake, St James’s Park, as well as Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace.

Its closest Tube stations are, predictably, St James's Park (connected to the District and Central lines), and Westminster – handy if you've got business in Canary Wharf, which is in easy reach via the Jubilee line.

The lobby is compact, but the check-in team were friendly and efficient, and the wait times on both arrival and departure were short.

A separate lobby lounge area leads to the elevators.

Our King Executive Room has a good amount of natural light flowing through the windows, which also overlook the street below.

Room

Booking a King Executive Room provides for a modern and elegant 'home' for your London visit, with luxe touches such as a marble tub and a hidden television screen elevating the feel of the space.

The layout of the room allows for a small space to serve as the foyer on entry, with the bathroom directly ahead of you and the bedroom area to the left.

A comfortable king bed is provided, striking a good balance between soft and supportive. 

A large sliding door seals off the bathroom from the rest of the room, with separate areas for both the toilet and shower. 

A marble tub is also provided, which is perfect for a good soak after a long day of meetings. 

The shower suite offers both a rain shower and handheld shower, with amenities from Shanghai Tang provided.

In the bedroom, the television is hidden away behind a glass screen, with a small reading nook to the left. 

That reading nook also has a small side table where you can enjoy a coffee in the morning. 

Speaking of which, an espresso pod machine is on hand, with several different flavours available.

There's also a small selection of snacks in the mini bar. 

That minibar also comes stocked with sparkling and still water, plus a variety of soft drinks and alcoholic beverages. 

Closet space is adequate, and you’ll also find the in-room safe, ironing equipment and robes in here, plus a kettle if you prefer to make your own tea or coffee.

Work

At 36sqm, the King Executive Room is ideal for getting stuck into some work, and the working desk is perfectly adequate for taking care of  business.

Above the desk, you’ll find A/V connections and a couple of power sockets for keeping your devices charged up – although you may need to unplug that clock radio.

During the daytime the Executive Lounge is relatively quiet and a great place to catch up on work if you don’t want to be stuck in your room.

A small business centre on-site also means you can print, fax, and complete other tasks.

The complimentary WiFi performed well, with download speeds clocking in at 38Mbps: suitable for downloading large files, or streaming. The connection was stable, with no dropouts.

Eat

The breakfast buffet offered in the Executive Lounge was high quality, with a range of hot food items and continental offerings including bacon, eggs, sausages, baked beans, hashbrowns and mushrooms if you want to build your own full-english breakfast (minus the black pudding!). 

For those that prefer lighter options in the mornings, a selection of croissants, wholegrain breads, fruits, yoghurts and smoked salmon were also available.

The complimentary evening canapes were well catered, with proactive, friendly wait service from staff and a choice of two cocktails. 

The hotel's Blue Boar restaurant was popular with fellow travellers, serving up a variety of British-inspired dishes.

Diners can expect classic local fare like the cottage pie, as well as more adventurous dishes such as the chargrilled king trumpet mushroom and a range of smoked meats.  

Relax

The Conrad London St James doesn’t offer a spa or swimming pool, however there is a small fitness centre consisting of a few weight and cardio machines where you can squeeze in a quick workout.

Runners will appreciate the Conrad London St James' enviable location, surrounded by a number of royal parks including Hyde Park, Green Park and St James's Park.

Depending on how far you like to run, you can easily take in iconic sights like Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace and the River Thames on your route, which makes for a stimulating workout. 

Overall

With a well-placed position in London for both sightseeing and business, the Conrad London St James is a refined and elegant accommodation option: and while it has over 250 guest rooms and suites, there’s a boutique feel to the hotel’s amenities and service, which makes it a great place to stay when you're in town. 

The writer stayed as a guest of the Conrad London St James hotel.

Rod H

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Rod H

Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards

06 Mar 2015

Total posts 232

Looks nice but I think one would have to take out a significant loan to pay for the room and food etc!!! London is hideously expensive!!!

Guess it's OK if some else is paying ie. your employer.

Certainly not for the tourist.

Sunday, 15 Dec 2019, 05:48:12 pm

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