HOTEL REVIEW: Marriott 5* London County Hall Hotel – Not Your Average Marriott

I recently wrote about the Hilton Imperial Dubrovnik, which is very much not the usual Hilton and more like a 5-star independent hotel. There are also several Marriotts like this, which are way above the normal standard you would get. London Marriott Park Lane is in this category, as is today’s review. However, you certainly pay for the privilege with stays starting from £320 and rising to £450+ in summer a night for the base level room, so it is definitely a hotel to consider using points for. 

Location

The hotel has a handy location within walking distance to Waterloo station, the London Eye Uber boat dock and the South Bank. It is around a 9-minute walk to Waterloo or 5 minutes to Westminster tubes, but there is a bus stop just outside.

Check-in

The entrance up to the hotel is very grand and even has some fake busby wearing guards! However, there are quite a few steps up to the lobby if you have luggage.

There were porters available most of the time to assist with luggage and taxis.

The hotel immediately continues the sense of grandeur as you enter, with a small lounge area by the entrance. A short walk takes you to the elegant reception area with a fireplace.

I was very impressed by the young gentleman serving me at reception. He was very friendly and informative. As a welcome drink, I was offered a glass of sparkling wine and received a generous measure.

The room

I had booked the lowest category of room but received a double upgrade to a Big Ben view room. Due to the age of the building rooms are slightly different even within the same category. This appeared to be a larger than usual room.

It did have an amazing view of the Thames and Big Ben although having the London Eye right outside your room where they may be able to see in was slightly disconcerting!

I also received a delicious tub of fudge as a welcome gift that disappeared quickly!

The room was tastefully decorated, noding to the building’s age but still luxurious and modern in style. The bed was comfortable, and perhaps due to the distance from the door, it was quiet at night.

It was nice to have a decent-sized seating area, but I would have preferred a proper desk to the chair and table arrangement. There was also a wardrobe area as you walked into the room. As you would expect at this price range, there was both a kettle and a Nespresso machine.

The bathroom felt modern and stylish with its large mirror and huge walk-in shower with both rain shower and normal heads. Toiletries were different to the normal Marriott brand and featured large bottles of Molten Brown. This included a hand wash and body lotion which I was pleased to see were not attached to the sink.

There were also some extra amenities such as a toothbrush and vanity kit.

Bars and restaurants

The hotel features Gillray’s Steakhouse and bar as well as the Library where breakfast was served. If you fancy an afternoon tea for kids, there is a Twits themed tea available.

Breakfast

The breakfast setting in The Library, even for M Club, was something special, and it was definitely one of the best ways to start my day in London. I was given a table with one of the best views of Big Ben and the Thames. I was also impressed to see a fully a la carte breakfast instead of the usual buffet.

Here is the menu:

I thought it was fairly generous with one cold and one hot dish, although some cold options were more generous than others. I went for the chia seed pudding which was tasty:

Then I had the smoked salmon scrambled eggs in a bagel which was an odd way to serve it but it tasted good.

I also enjoyed a cappuccino and found the service very good.

The executive lounge – M Club

Most Marriotts have an Executive Lounge called the M Club, as did this one. You can either buy access with an Executive Room or get free access as Platinum or above in Bonvoy. Again, this one was a step above the average lounge in terms of appearance and offerings.

The staff delivered everything, which was a flaw with the lounge. It meant that it took a long time to get my canapes, although the drink came a bit quicker. 

Here are some of the drinks available:

I’d say the standard of wine was a little higher than usual, with an English sparkling wine and a Waddesdon Rothschild Collection Chardonnay, for example.

There was a menu for the canapes:

I thought this was a generous selection and I chose a number of the options to try:

I really enjoyed the food, which was better than the usual standard of Marriott lounges and served in good-sized portions. If you ordered most of the menu, you could definitely make a full meal out of it.

Facilities

The hotel has a large swimming pool and a gym that is open 6am to 10pm. 

Prices

Prices are generally very steep in the summer and usually around £450-550 per night. However, outside the peak tourist season, you can get a room for £320 a night which I would view as reasonable for the quality of the hotel. There are two bonus offers on the BA Amex card as well as the Bonvoy Amex card which include this hotel and would help lower the cost.

If you want to use points, prices start at around 65,000 a night which is on par or a slightly better offer than some of the other London Marriott options.

Conclusion

I was pleasantly surprised by the Marriott County Hall. I had often considered it but ruled it out due to the price in comparison with other “normal” Marriotts. This hotel is definitely a unique, luxury experience, so I do believe it is worth the extra money for the views, rooms, and lounge. I will definitely consider staying here again when my budget or points balance allowed me. The service was generally excellent, and the lounge and breakfast were extremely good for a Marriott. 

You can check prices and book on the official hotel website here.