REVIEW: St Ermin’s Hotel London, Autograph Collection by Marriott – a good value luxury hotel

Since switching my allegiance from Hilton to Marriott, one thing I struggle with is finding a luxury hotel in central London that isn’t outrageously priced. With many Marriotts, such as the Park Lane and County Hall, being fantastic hotels, they come at a steep price. If you are looking for a hotel that is centrally located, more luxurious than a standard Marriott, but not cost the earth, then St Ermin’s Hotel could be the answer.

This was my third trip to the hotel, so I will include a few photos from the previous visit to show a different room. Note: I was booked with the Marriott Nightly Upgrade Voucher, so I would not expect an upgrade to a suite from a standard room as the norm.

Location

St Ermins is located close to Westminster, only a couple of minutes’ walk from St James Park tube, which is on the District and Circle lines. This makes it an ideal location for sightseeing or shopping in London, as you are close to most of the major tourist sights and main shopping areas, as well as Waterloo Station.

Check-in

As you draw up to the hotel, you will see that it is set back in a large courtyard with a lot of greenery in the summer.

I visited at the end of November, so the hotel was looking festive for Christmas. We were offered help with our bag and directed to the front desk. The entrance feels quite grand, with a porch and a grand staircase straight in front of you.

The hotel dates back to 1899, and before that, St Ermin’s was originally a mansion block built upon the site of a 15th-century chapel dedicated to St. Ermin. The hotel has a rich history, including a meeting there attended by Sir Winston Churchill.

There is also a Division Bell hanging in the Lobby, rung to signal MPs that they had only eight minutes to reach the House of Commons to vote.

The room

We had been upgraded to a Junior suite on this stay. On the previous visit, we had a family room, which had two beds (in the same room) and two bathrooms.

The hotel is set within a quiet courtyard, and the rooms that don’t face the courtyard are on a very quiet road. Despite being on a relatively low floor, we did not hear any traffic noise at all.

The suite consisted of a living room with a desk, a sofa and a Nespresso machine as well as a kettle. Take-away cups were provided as well as proper china ones. The two bars of high-quality chocolate in the fridge along with two cans of water were a nice touch too. If you want extra water, fountain taps are provided near the lift to refill your own bottle.

The bathroom had The White Company toiletries, which had a delightful scent that was fairly neutral despite being called flowers, and a well-lit mirror as well as a rainfall shower. 

There is a turn-down service at night, which includes these cute little bee-shaped chocolates to celebrate the hotel’s own bee hives.

Food and drink

The hotel has a bar and restaurant, The Caxton Grill & Bar. Although there is no lounge, everybody gets free wine for an hour from Monday to Thursday, which is a great little perk, as it includes a few nibbles too. The lobby is also a lovely area to sit and appreciate the hotel’s architecture.

The Caxton bar has a cosy atmosphere for the winter with two fireplaces and rich decor.

If you don’t want a full meal, there’s plenty to choose from on the bar menu, from small bites to a steak sandwich. We tried the Korean cauliflower, the Bang Bang prawns, the lamb souvlaki, and the steak sandwich. They were all bursting with flavour, very fresh, and felt high-quality.

The bar specialises in gin or rum cocktails. The bar has a partnership with Hawkridge Distillers to produce its own London Dry Gin. The home-grown botanicals from the hotel’s rooftop garden and honey harvested from its own beehives formed the basis of the unique Gin.

In the summer, there is also a lovely terrace above the reception to enjoy a drink.

If you want a full meal, the restaurant has a great upscale menu with tempting dishes such as Homemade linguine with mushroom sauce & black truffle or whole lobster, as well as a selection of steaks. 

As a final option, afternoon tea is available and includes gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan options. If you fancy a few glasses of bubbles, they also have Afternoon Tea with bottomless Crémant for £62 per person.

Breakfast

Breakfast is served buffet-style and offers a good selection. It’s good to see tea and coffee are brought to the table, as I am not a fan of machine coffee, which seems to be taking over in even 4* hotels nowadays. Staff were quick to clear the tables.

As well as a full cooked breakfast with some decent rosti, there was an interesting choice of cold items, including smoked salmon and charcuterie, cheeses, salad, premium yoghurts, and cereal. If you are gluten-free, they have a separate section with cereal, muffins, and bread. The pastry section was particularly good with some delicious pastel de nata (Portuguese custard tarts).

Other facilities

The hotel has a 24-hour gym accessed via room key.

The hotel also welcomes dogs.

Prices and points

The average price of a room is around £300 per night, which is much cheaper than somewhere like Marriott County Hall, which is usually closer to £500. In off-peak times, you can get a room for around £250. Redemptions range from 50,000 points to 95,000 points, with the average around 65,000. 

You can xcheck prices and book here.

Conclusion

There’s a reason I’ve returned to this hotel in London several times, and it’s not just the reasonable prices. It always feels like this is one of the few hotels that genuinely cares about its guests and their experience. It’s actually No 12 on TripAdvisor in London, which reflects the standards here. All the little extras, like the free chocolate in the room and the wine hour, all add up to a consistently great experience. The fact that it has great transport links and it is in a quiet but central location also adds to its appeal. The lovely courtyard, building, and terrace are the icing on the cake. I’m sure I will be back to visit another time in the future.