London Marriott Hotel Kensington, Studio 2 & 3

There's a reason why I've stayed at this location 10 times! I can't state enough how much I look forward to staying at this hotel each time I come to London. The location is superb, nestled between two Tube stops less than 10 minutes apart and surrounded by beautiful neighborhoods that are always a joy to walk though. There's a fully equipped gym connected to the hotel itself that all guests have access to. Win! The breakfast offering in the mornings is one of the best I have ever come across Win! And more importantly, the staff is always friendly, eager to greet you with a smile, and more than happy to help make your stay as pleasant as possible. Win! My only real nitpick is that the Executive Lounge is a bit dearth in the middle of the day with its offerings (other Marriott's by comparison tend to offer more variety), but the dinner service is always sound and the staff work their butts off to keep the food coming and well stocked. I'm flummoxed as to why anyone would go out of their way to give this hotel less than a 4/5 star rating. Sure, the rooms are small, but you're in London! You're not there to chill out in the rooms anyway. They're always clean and they have everything you'd need to make your stay enjoyable. If you're someone who's going to complain about the thread count of the sheets, that the staff weren't unable to accommodate your request of the room temp being set at 72.6 degrees, or, I don't know, you weren't treated like King Henry VIII because of your Platinum Elite status, you're likely an insufferable spoiled child anyway who'd complain that puppies noses are too cold. This hotel is great.

We stayed here for 5 days, we had a decent time. We got to the hotel early and had requested early check-in days prior, they were able to get us in for an early check in but it was at the cost of losing the free upgrade we had received. I asked them about it and they said there was no difference between the upgrade and our selected room (the upgrade added on extra space and the free executive lounge access) I didn’t care to challenge it as I had just gotten off a 10 hour flight . Walls were a bit thin, you could hear water rushing through the pipes above us, doors shutting, and people talking but it didn’t bother us as much. There’s a bus stop right in front of the hotel, however I wish it would’ve been much closer to the main attractions but we had an idea of that before booking . Overall, it was a decent stay!

We stay on avg 150/200+ days a year in a hotel. That being said. The location is not near a tube. So expect a 10+ min walk. It’s also got an inside outside aspect so even with a view your inside staring at the hotel lobby. While the spread for breakfast an the lounge were rather impressive. It’s also ridiculously over crowded. Your not special staying here lol. The restaurant itself for dinner has its own issues. While the cook needs some lessons. The waitress needs training. I ordered plain buttered noodles for a child. We got noodles covered in pepper tomato’s an olives. The food was gross. The rooms layout was extremely odd. Massive room an a tiny bathroom. A bathroom that clearly needs some maintenance work and a door that doesn’t slam shut all hours of the night. The shower has a handle but it’s in the way of standing so you have to lean to the right. The door well is missing a door so the floor gets soaking wet. The tub is so high that you have to jump to get out. The ceiling had spots that have never been cleaned. We ended up eating across the street at the other Marriott property. Much better.