London is one of my favorite cities in the entire world! So when I had the chance to stay at Eccleston Square Hotel in London, I knew I would be enjoying this historical and inspiring city in style.
I had, in fact, been to London many times before.
Once as a backpacker, once seeing an old boyfriend, and once as a quick stopover between flights. And while this particular trip was only 24 hours long, it was definitely my first time doing London the way it was meant to be done: with elegance and relaxation.
The Property
The Eccleston Square Hotel is a high tech and family run boutique hotel that combines the luxury of a huge hotel brand with the intimacy of a bed and breakfast. Aside from the wonderful location and impeccable service, the top reason to visit this hotel is its award-winning status as one of the most technologically-advanced hotel in Europe!
Voted #1 as Conde Nast’s Reader’s Choice Hotel in London in 2016, this hotel is heaven for any traveler (and then some)! The hotel contains 39 rooms, a dining space, cocktail lounge and meeting space that doubles as a great movie-viewing area.
This luxury hideaway sits overlooking Eccleston Square and Pimlico, an affluent and historical neighborhood situated in the City of Westminster. Enjoy the garden square view from your balcony or soak up the local vibes with amazing shopping, famous landmarks, trendy eateries and the Victoria Station all within a ten minute walk of the hotel.
The Amenities
I was slightly confused when I heard the term “tech hotel.” Upon my arrival, I quickly learned that this was the only way I ever wanted to travel again. Eccleston Square Hotel combines forward-thinking intuitive technology with sophisticated interiors and sleek service. Basically, everything is controlled remotely. (I felt like I was living in the future!)
Each room includes an iPad 2 designed to take room service orders or set beauty appointments, a complimentary cell phone with GPS for exploring the city and free international calls, and touch dials at every corner that control everything from your light switches to your privacy controls on the frosted, smart-glass shower door!
Each room also has a luxury, state-of-the-art mattress that basically feels like heaven. Also controlled remotely, you can not only adjust your bed to your needs with head and foot options, but you can also get a much-needed massage!
If that didn’t make you immediately book a reservation, you can also expect:
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46 inch HD, 3D Neo plasma Panasonic TVs with surround sound
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Flat screen TVs concealed in the bathroom mirror
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High speed Fibre Optic Wi-Fi throughout
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SKY TV channels including SKY movies and SKY sports
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Access to a library of 3D Blu-ray DVD
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Nespresso coffee maker with selection of free capsules
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Personal safes
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Integrated UK, European and American plugs
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L’Occitane aromatherapy products and pillow mist
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Access to Eccleston Square’s award-winning private garden
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A rainfall shower with the best water pressure ever
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Super comfy bathrobes, towels and slippers
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Well-equipped mini-bar
And while this cozy property does not have a gym inside, they have partnered with a local gym down the street.
Things to Do
Eccleston Square Hotel is so comfortable, relaxing and high-tech, you’ll find it seriously hard to leave your room.
As mentioned above, there is more comfort in your room than you know what to do with. From unlimited movies and television, to massage beds to movie night and cocktails in the lobby, there’s almost no reason to go out.
It doesn’t help any of you explorers to know that their breakfast is one of the best I’ve had at any hotel. There are a considerable amount of options, but I was told that the pancakes were the real deal. Eating these delicious pancakes with quality English tea in bed did not disappoint.
But should you decide to venture, there’s more than enough sites nearby. Surely you’re familiar with the famous Westminster Bridge, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey? All of these famous landmarks are within the neighborhood and a short 20 minute walk away.
The Staff
Walking into Eccleston Square Hotel was like walking into a cousin’s house that I had never met before: I didn’t know anyone, but I felt like I was home.
As a travel blogger, I’m lucky to occasionally meet the PR staff that helps run the joint. I not only met Esther, the bubbly and warm PR coordinator, but Olivia Byrne, winner of the “Game Changer” award and London’s youngest hotelier. This impressive young woman founded Eccleston Sqaure Hotel at the ripe old age of 23!
These women not only impressed me with their girl boss attitude, but were the nicest people I had ever met in the hotel industry! Hospitable, kind, and just plain hilarious.
The entire staff went out of their way to make me comfortable, offer me recommendations and even laughed at my dumb jokes (although I’m pretty sure they were funny jokes, anyway). Honestly, the staff would be the primary reason for my return to Eccleston Square Hotel.
I stayed at this hotel and have a hard time relating to this article. My experience was horrible.
The rooms do not allow you to walk in the front or the right side of the bed, unless you do it sideways, the clearance is about 16 to 18 inches. The shower is 3 feet from the bed, separated by a glass not a wall. The rooms are high-tech, because you can open the curtains via a touch screen and change the tv via an iPad. Definitely technology, but totally unnecessary and not a good reason to stay here.
The staff is very rude (Manuel being less rude than Simone, who is the rudest hotel employee I have ever interacted with). During my check-in another guest came in because her cab driver wanted to be paid in cash and would not let her son get out of the car until she paid him (because the cab’s credit card machine was broken) and Simone told her he could not help, but that she could “walk down the street a couple blocks to an ATM, enter her card there and get cash”. Then she said the cab driver is a “horrible, horrible man”, to which he decided to say “well, he has a very hard job”, I guess explaining to her that he was “not a horrible man” and keeping her son hostage was a reasonable measure? I had a problem with the number of rooms I booked and Manuel felt compelled to tell me that when he travels, he takes care of the details, but that not everybody is like him. Somehow these 2 staff members are under the erroneous impression that lecturing their guests will improve their satisfaction.
I’m so sorry to hear that! Hopefully you reached out to them and they were able to make it up to you!