London Marriott Regent's Park Review

By Ramon

Ramon is the creator of Travelling Companion. He focuses on flight reviews, hotel reviews, and helping stretch your travel dollars, miles, and points further. ​​

Trip Overview: European Adventures 2018
Flight Review: American Airlines A330-300 Economy CLT-LHR
Hotel Review: London Marriott Regent's Park
Food in London
Flight Review: British Airways A319 Economy LGW-BCN
Hotel Review: AC Hotel Irla Barcelona
Train Review: Renfe Clase Turista Barcelona-Valencia 
Exploring Life in Valencia
Exploring Life in Barcelona
Flight Review: American Airlines 777-200 Economy BCN-JFK
Flight Review: American Airlines A321T Business Class Seats JFK-DCA ​​​​​

Arrival at London Heathrow
Our flight landed at London-Heathrow at 6:45 AM and after taxing we deplaned and headed towards immigration. London Heathrow is one of the most confusing airports I have ever been to. The signage in the airport left us confused about where we needed to go to exit and we stood for quite a while in the line for EU passengers until we realized there was a much shorter line for non-EU citizens. The immigration lines at London-Heathrow were very long and once we cleared immigration we searched for a way to our hotel.  Once we were able to find the signs for shared rides we headed up an elevator then waited in a long line at another bank of elevators in a parking garage and eventually grew so frustrated by the line that we dragged our bags up several flights of stairs. Once we were finally able to locate the pick-up spot we waited and waited for the Uber to arrive in the terrible traffic. Finally, about 1 hour after deplaning we hopped in an Uber headed to our hotel. I think in the future I will try the Heathrow Express because the process for using Uber at London-Heathrow is a mess. Unfortunately, we waited too long to search for the Heathrow Express tickets and in that time the prices went from £5.50 to £25.00 so we decided to use Uber instead.

Location
The London Marriott Regent's Park is located in Northwest London about a 40 minute drive from London-Heathrow. The hotel is a six minute walk from the Swiss Cottage Tube station on the Jubilee Line and an easy connection to all the sites in Central London. Also, as the name implies the hotel is walking distance from Regent's Park and nearby the London Zoo. The location is ideal because you can enjoy easy access to the sites in central London in a quiet setting.                                                      

London Marriott Regent's Park

Check In and Dining               
The check-in time for the hotel was 3 pm but we arrived around 9 am. As soon as we walked into the hotel we were greeted by friendly agent who offered to take our bags. Despite the dated exterior the hotel had a modern lobby. At the check-in counter we were informed by a friendly check-in agent that our room was not ready yet. The concierge offered to hold our bags while we waited. We agreed and because we were both hungry headed to the hotel's restaurant Carluccio's.​

London Marriott Regent's Park Lobby

 Carluccio's is open 7am-11 pm on Saturday and Sunday and 6:30 am-11:00 pm Monday-Friday. The restaurant was very busy but after a short wait we were able to get a seat. The restaurant offered both a buffet and an a la carte breakfast. We decided to order off of the a la carte menu and it did not disappoint. 

Carluccio's Menu

Christina ordered a poached egg with spinach on Italian bread and I ordered a salmon and egg on Italian bread and we were both impressed. The bread was perfectly toasted and the eggs were full and flavor and delicious. Because I was so exhausted from the lack of sleep on our redeye flight I ordered tea and a friendly waitress insisted that I have it with milk  which I assumed was the British way to drink tea. However, I found the tea to be too bitter for my taste. Overall, I was very impressed by this meal and it was definitely one of the best breakfasts I have had at a hotel. 

Salmon and Egg on Italian Bread

Room
After our meal our room was ready and we headed up to third floor. The hallways of the hotel seemed very dated and in need of renovation.

Hallway

 My first impression of the room was positive. The room was small, my understanding is that is normal for European hotel rooms, but the the room had a modern feel.    

Mini-Fridge and Safe

Our room was the smallest room type in the hotel the Deluxe King room and as you enter the room there was a closet, mini-refridgarator, and a safe. Next to the safe was a coffee maker, mugs, glasses, and an ice bucket. ​

Coffee Maker and Glasses

At the center of the room was a king bed with a headboard. On either side of the bed were tables each of which had USB chargers! I was excited by the plethora of the USB chargers because this meant we did not need to go out and buy converters (Though this would be an issue in Barcelona). I found the bed too hard but was still able to get two good nights of sleep. 

Deluxe King Room

One of my favorite features of room was the smart TV. This allowed us to easily connect our Apple devices to the TV to stream music and videos. ​

Deluxe King Room

Deluxe King Room

Deluxe King Room

Another great feature of the room was that it offered a balcony. We did not use the balcony since it was a cold but I could see this being a great feature on warmer days. ​

Bathroom

Bathroom

The bathroom in this hotel room was small and had basic bath amenities. I really enjoyed the strong water pressure from the shower. ​

Bathroom Amenities

Amenities
The hotel had a fitness club which was complimentary to hotel guests but also offered memberships as part of the Marriott Fitness Club. The Fitness Club featured an indoor pool and a gym.

Fitness Club

We worked out one morning in the gym and it was nearly empty and had a large selection of cardio equipment and weights. The machines offered access to several television channels on the TV screens at the front of the gym.

Gym

Gym

I also appreciated the view from the gym of the hotel grounds. We did not get a chance to use the pool but I thought it was fairly large indoor pool.​

View from Gym

Pool

Service
The service at the London Marriott Hotel Regent's Park was excellent. From the minute we walked in the door we were greeted by friendly staff who seemed eager to help. This attitude continued throughout our stay from the very early check-in that was accommodated by the hotel staff to friendly concierge who sent us off with free bottles of water at check-out. The staff at this hotel seemed to really care about service.
                                                                             
Take Away
The exterior of the London Marriott Hotel Regent's Park is not impressive but once you step inside the hotel offers modern touches, a good restaurant, great service, and a convenient location. All of these factors paired with a great price for London ($151 a night) was a perfect match for our stay. I wouldn't hesitate to stay at this hotel again on our next trip to London. ​