REVIEW: Refurbished London Hilton on Park Lane with New Year’s Eve fireworks

The London Hilton on Park Lane is currently coming to the end of a major refurbishment of both their rooms and the public areas. This hotel was the first Hilton to open in the UK in 1963 and is in one of London’s most affluent and iconic areas. The hotel was previously rather dated and not really worth the money. However, all this has changed with its new reincarnation. I have stayed there twice in the last six weeks. The first was a press stay care of Hilton, but the second was on New Year’s Eve at my own expense using points. The majority of the review will refer to my own stay, but I will refer to elements from the first stay as well. 

Location

The hotel is close to Hyde Park Corner Tube or a 10-minute walk from Green Park Tube, so it is well-connected for sightseeing.  It is also very close to Winter Wonderland for those contemplating a stay around Christmas time. 

Check-in

The reception area has been updated, and it feels slightly more open now. There was not much of a queue, and I was seen to after a very short wait. I was offered a glass of fizz while I checked in, which I thought was a lovely way to start the stay.

I stayed in an Executive Room both times, so they explained what was on offer from the lounge and where it was. 

The room

The refurbishment was evident from the corridors as I walked to my room. The hotel definitely feels more upmarket than a standard Hilton. 

The new style Executive Rooms have been completely modernised in most respects with new furnishings and a new smart bathroom. We had room 2117 on the 21st floor, which had a great view of the fireworks. We had requested a view of the London Eye but not all the rooms face this way. Executive rooms are on the higher floors, however, and the other room I had also faced towards the Thames. 

One of the features I really enjoy at this hotel are the window seats which are perfect for enjoying the views and where we chose to watch the fireworks from.

There was no desk in the room for working. However, the chair would the free-standing table would have been perfectly comfortable for working. There was a socket nearby to plug in a laptop.

The windows only have single glazing so I do find that in the morning, they can become a bit fogged up, but this clears after a while. The room comes with air conditioning although it does not have a digital display to select a specific temperature, although you can turn the temperature up and down with a dial. We were able to find a temperature that we were happy with quite easily.

The room came with lovely plush bathrobes as well as plenty of hanging spaces and drawers. There was a Nespresso machine and proper glasses in the bar area, along with a kettle as well. There was no minibar, just an empty fridge and a bottle of water each. There could have been more Nespresso capsules but I did appreciate the biscuits. 

The rooms now have a tablet which enables you to look at information, order room service and also use Pressreader, which allows you to read from a selection of major publications. The tablet auto-dimmed, which was good as I find it disturbs me when they are bright at night. You can also use it to chat with the front desk, which was useful. 

The room was well set up for power points with a double socket and USB port on both sides of the bed. The switches for the lights weren’t labelled, but as there were only three it was very simple to work out.

The bed itself was comfortable, and the room was quiet. The bed linens were good quality although I would have liked more substance to the pillows themselves. They were lovely and soft, but so soft that even with two, I felt like I would want to be a bit more elevated. 

The bathroom

I thought the bathrooms looked bang up to date and had some high-end features.

The toiletries were also way above a standard Hilton with large-size pump Molton Brown hand wash and body lotion. These had a delicious citrus fragrance and were from their signature Orange and Bergamot range, which I love.

A leather-style case housed some additional amenities, including a toothbrush, mouthwash and shaving kit. In the shower, there were mid-size Molton Brown shower gel, shampoo and conditioner. 

I was impressed with the lighting around the mirror, and there was a small magnifying mirror hidden within it. The shower was large and had the new button-type controls, which I think are a huge improvement over the traditional style. The rainhead shower had decent pressure, and you could have the second smaller shower on at the same time if you wanted. 

New Years Eve and the fireworks

We had a great view of the fireworks, and seeing it from above, you get a different perspective than watching it on TV or actually being there. We had the BBC broadcast on in the background so we could hear the music, BIG Ben and the countdown. It felt like a very special but relaxed way to celebrate New Year’s Eve. Room service was available 24-7 with a decent menu so we also indulged in that as well. It took around 40 minutes to arrive but it was served on a proper room service table, and the food was very good quality. 

The Executive Lounge

The lounge is situated on the first floor and has also been completely refurbished. It was always a good lounge, but now it looks luxurious as well. I liked that the room was divided into different areas. There was a large seating area, and although on NYE it was very full, on my previous visit, it was much quieter. 

As well as the main area there was also bar top seating by the food and drinks, which would be perfect for working.

There are several different food and drink offerings a day:

We went for the drinks and canapes and were impressed with the selection. You could almost make a meal out of what was on offer for the food. Having been twice, the food was pretty much the same both times.

The food consisted of:

• cheese and charcuterie
• samosas
• spring rolls
• mini pies
• tomato mozzarella salad
• Hummous with roasted vegetables
• couscous with feta
• pickles
• snacks such as Thai rice chilli bites

I would have liked to have seen some sort of normal crackers or bread for the cheese and something to dip in the hummus. Otherwise, it was a very tasty spread.

I also thought the drinks selection was excellent. There were two white, two red and a rose wine as well as prosecco. I was pleased to see Aperol to make a spritz as well as some decent gin. Even non-drinkers were well catered for with non-alcoholic spirits and a good range of high-quality soft drinks like ginger beer.

Food and drink

The jewel in the crown of the hotel’s food and drink is the rooftop restaurant Galvin at Windows and also the 10 Degrees Sky bar, which have fantastic views over London. I have not eaten there, but I have visited the bar on several occasions for some great cocktails.

The hotel has now introduced a new bar, Revery as part of the refurbishment, which is by the lobby. I tried a few cocktails here, including the smoky mezcal-based Arriba Arriba and the Revery Martini with clarified Pimm’s No.1 reduction and an edible flower. Snacks were also fun, with lobster sliders and native oysters among the options.

Breakfast

Breakfast was available in the lounge, but I decided to try the main restaurant, the Park Corner Brasserie. This is also newly refurbished, and I thought it looked very smart. Sometimes, the breakfast/all-day dining areas can be a bit cafeteria-esque in hotels, but there was none of that with this restaurant. 

Breakfast is served until 11am which was very welcome after a late NYE night. Once seated at your table, coffee, tea and juice are brought to you by the friendly staff. They were also keen to see if we needed any top-ups. As well as the buffet, there is also a small a la carte menu which you pay extra for. 

You could also order quite a few gluten-free and vegan options. Omelettes are available to order at the table as well but are included in the price. 

I thought the selection on the buffet was pretty comprehensive.

There were the usual full English elements, quite a few Arabic options such as labneh and Arabic bread and a selection of salad, meat and cheese. Yoghurts, pastries and fruit were all high quality, with the beautiful looking croissants a highlight. 

I would have liked to see smoked salmon included, given the high-end nature of the hotel, but that was my only minor comment. I decided to try the shakshuka from the menu to see what it was like. Most shakshuka dishes come with poached eggs, whereas this was scrambled. However, it was absolutely delicious with just the right amount of spicing and well worth the extra supplement. 

Other facilities

There is also a 24-hour fitness facility with weights and cardio machines as well as a sauna and steam room. There is also parking available although it is pricey at £50 per day. 

Pricing

Prices start at 80,000 Hilton points for a standard room but on New Year’s Eve go up to around 225,000 for an Executive Room if you leave it until nearer the time. Your best bet is to book as soon as the rooms are released. Currently, they have not been released yet. If you want to pay cash prices, start at £223 in the sale. You can check prices and availability here. 

Conclusion

I think the new decor is a huge improvement, and I enjoyed my visit to the new Revery bar which felt elegant and sophisticated. This is definitely not a standard Hilton, which the price tag reflects, however, I do think that the price is fair given the location and standard of accommodation. The views from the higher-level rooms are definitely something special. It made for a very memorable New Year’s Eve and was something that had been on the bucket list to do for a while. I would definitely go back for New Year’s Eve again if I wanted to celebrate in style but in a low-key way. 

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