In this post:
THE HOTEL
The hotel sits within a very grand looking building that has been home to several hotels since the early 1900’s.
The hotel provided this stay to allow me to bring you this review.
Edwardian Hotels purchased the property in 1990 and in 2008 it underwent a major refurbishment and was rebranded Radisson Blu Edwardian. Then in January 2024 the hotel was sold to Starwood capital and is now called, Radisson Blu Bloomsbury.
I met with the General Manager, Matteo several times where he shared the vision for the hotel’s future which sounded great.
It is also home to the famous Bloomsbury Street Kitchen Restaurant which I tried for lunch and also has a great gym and function rooms.
LOCATION
If you are visiting London as a tourist this hotel is located brilliantly. With major attractions such as The British Museum, Covent Garden, Oxford Street and Trafalgar Square all within a short walk from the hotel’s door.
The whole area is bustling with dozens of restaurants, bars and shops. You will not struggle to find things to do.
CHECK IN
I arrived at the hotel a little early and understandably the room wasn’t quite ready which wasn’t a problem as I had a reservation at Bloomsbury Street Kitchen.
Entering the lobby area, you can tell it was renovated in 2021. Big bright spaces tastefully designed with areas to sit and work or to relax in. Christmas was in full swing too.
After lunch I went back to check in to collect my room key and there was someone offering a welcome drink to guests which I thought was a great touch. I was surprised to see premium drinks such as Peroni beers and good quality wine on offer.
THE ROOM
Our room was a Premium Room which was located on floor 2 and looked out to the front of the hotel and the main road, although I couldn’t hear any traffic.
The room wasn’t the biggest I have ever stayed in, but it was a very comfortable size for my one-night stay. It would also be comfortable for longer stays too.
Again, like my previous hotel review (here), it had herringbone floors which I always love so we were off to a good start.
The large single bay window made sure the room wasn’t dark. Underneath the window was a round table and two chairs.
Other items in the room included a Nespresso machine, a mini fridge to use for your own items, a safe, iron and ironing board, and a robe.
The bathroom was large and light although I would say I was disappointed with the overall aesthetics. The marble is dated, and I don’t believe they have plans to update the bathrooms.
Currently, they use Noble Isle toiletries which were great.
BLOOMSBURY STREET KITCHEN
Rated 55 out of 21,000 restaurants in London, we have been very keen to try here for quite a while.
Offering a cross between Japanese and Mediterranean small plates it sounded different to us but combining two of our favourite food regions we thought we’d give it a go.
Between us we ordered a variety of dishes from both sides of the menu including but not limited to Rigatoni all’Amatriciana, Gnocchi with San Marzano Tomatoes, Seared Beef Tacos and Grilled Salmon Yazai Zuke.
Everything we ate was absolutely delicious and I still struggle to believe this is a hotel restaurant.
I didn’t try any wine as I had a meeting I needed to attend after lunch but from looking at the menu they have a lot of great looking choices at reasonable prices too.
The ambiance is fantastic and if you are lucky enough you might be seated in the beautiful end section with tall arched windows with lots of plants.
10 out of 10 from us!
THE BAR
BREAKFAST
Breakfast is in the main restaurant that we had lunch in.
Given it’s not a large hotel, the spread wasn’t too big either however I have to admit that this was one of my favourite hotel breakfast experiences.
We had a bed and breakfast rate so ours was included, and we had a combination of buffet foods and cooked to order foods, such as poached eggs and omelettes. The whole experience was calm and relaxed which was such a nice surprise compared to most other hotel breakfasts where it’s chaotic and stressful.
The restaurant has a few different areas to sit in, so it felt more personable.
Service was really quick, and Katrina tells me the coffee was also very nice.
OTHER FACILITIES
The hotel doesn’t have too many other facilities like a spa but that’s ok as not too many hotels this centrally have one and those that do are five times the price.
They do however have a brilliant and modern gym space. If you have read my other reviews, you know how much I like to train so hotel gyms are important to me and this one did not fail.
With dumbbells up to 30kg and plenty of cardio machines there is enough here for most people to have a good workout.
They also have several meeting rooms that were renovated in 2021.
SUMMARY
We really enjoyed our stay here and will definitely be back to review a different room choice in the new year.
They are in very good hands with Matteo the GM. He has a great manner about him, and I look forward to catching up with him in the future to hear how the renovations went.
Other than the bathrooms looking a little dated, I cannot fault my stay here and I am already excited to visit again when the rooms are renovated.
We will be back.
1 comment
Bloomsbury Street Restaurant is amazing, I visited last year for the first time and can now understand why the reviews are so good. In my experience they achieve something unusual in creating a hotel restaurant with good food, high level of service offering great value. I would highly recommend.
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