The night of the MAD Blog Awards, which was hosted in Kensington (where I was lucky to be a finalist in the Outstanding Contribution category) I decided to stay in the nearby Doubletree by Hilton Hotel at Hyde Park.
First impressions
It was a beautiful sunny day, so I walked from Paddington station, the scenic route (as it’s actually quite close by), through Hyde Park. I arrived way before my check-in time, but I was still greeted with a warm chocolate chip cookie (a pretty amazing tasting cookie), which I thought was a charming and delightful novelty. Check-in was smooth and easy and the staff were very friendly. The reception was clean, bright and airy and I was excited about seeing my room later on. I left my heavy bag there and headed to Oxford street for a spot of window shopping.
The Room
The room was clean, modern and contained most of the things the modern traveller needs in a hotel, like an iron, ironing board, hairdryer, fridge, telephone, safe and large flatscreen tv. There were a few nice extras in the room too, like a bowl of fruit, a mini box of complimentary truffles, ipod dock and a posh coffee machine. For those not adventurous enough to use the coffee machine, there are also normal tea and coffee making facilities. It would have been nice if there were instructions for the air conditioning though, as once it was on, it was hard to figure out how to turn it off again and I woke up in the night cold.
The bed
The bed was spacious and extremely comfortable, which could be something to do with “The signature Sweet DreamsTM by DoubleTree Sleep Experience” which includes a custom-designed mattress, plush pillows and luxurious linens. I slept like a baby!
The decor
The room was decorated in a simple, sleek, and clean design, in natural earthy colours, with everything coordinating perfectly and crisp white sheets. This style is suitable for anyone from individuals away on business, or couples on a leisure break to families with young children. The grassy views out the window were a pleasant surprise for a London hotel.
The bathroom
Small but spotlessly clean, the bathroom contained the usual high quality hotel toiletries and a placard stating extra items you could get by calling reception, if needed. The large shower was hot and powerful, just how it should be and there was a plentiful supply of white fluffy towels.
The negatives
The only downside I found to my room, was that the design seem more geared towards men. There was no mirror situated near to a plug socket and the mirror in the bathroom had extremely unflattering lighting. As I was getting ready for the awards, this made doing my hair and makeup difficult. I had to dry and straighten my hair in the reflection of the tv and my makeup looked very different in the light of day, to what it did in the bathroom. This also meant that there wasn’t anywhere to sit and do make-up, so I had to get ready for the awards standing up. The positives for this hotel, far outweigh those few minor negatives though and I thoroughly enjoyed my stay.
Breakfast
Serving times for breakfast went right up to 11am, so I didn’t have to rush in the morning. I was greeted in a bright airy restaurant with a huge selection of buffet items. These included contintental meats and cheeses, fresh fruit, pastries, cereals, a selection of fruit juices and a full hot buffet. I had hoped to sample a bit of everything, but my hangover sadly refined me to just the hot buffet.
Overall
The service, the style, the food and everything about this hotel seemed effortless. It was everything you expect from a four star hotel, barr the socket-mirror issue. I would happily stay in another Doubletree by Hilton, with my whole family. I would also love to see how Doubletree compares to the other Hilton brands.
A bit about Doubletree by Hilton
Doubletree by Hilton have more than 400 locations in 33+ countries on six continents and every guest is always greeted with a hot chocolate chip cookie. Doubletree are part of Hiltons huge loyalty rewards programme HHonors which allows you to earn airmiles for a large choice of airlines, as well as free stays at Hilton hotels. The Wake Up DoubleTree BreakfastTM provides a wide range of full and low-calorie buffet items from both a hot and cold selection. You will find complimetary gourmet coffee and high quality Crabtree and Evelyn toiletries in every hotel room. At most Doubletree by Hilton hotels, you will also find state of the art conference and leisure facilities.
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