Second Class Hotel
by Djinn76 about The Clarendon
Considering the story, my feelings about this hotel are probably slightly biased!
Indeed, it looks like the Grange hotel chain owns several hotel in Bedford Place, the Clarendon is one of them.
I'm now under the impression that the politic of this chain is to lure customers with their flagship hotels and then drop them in these second-class hotels!
I should have been suspicious when booking the Grange Holborn, the rate was much lower (90£ instead of 150+£) than it used to be! At my arrival, the receptionist asked me to take a seat, his manager was willing to talk to me! That never smell very good... and indeed this guy told me some crazy story about a computer crash to explain an overbooking! However he had relocated me in another hotel nearby and was offering an English breakfast, was it ok with me? My feelings about the Grange hotel were already not very high so why not, it couldn't be much worse... How wrong was I!!
The Clarendon is indeed pretty well located, in a street nearby the Grange Hotel, not for from the tube station...
This is pretty much its only quality! I've later found out from some website this was considered a 4 stars hotel, this is quite puzzling or I've got the worse room in the place!
This is quite possible, my conversation with the receptionist when checking in:
- your room is at the ground floor, lift is over there
- why would I need a lift if my room is at the ground floor
- well, you misunderstood me, your room is indeed *under* the ground floor
They dropped me in a small dark tiny room in the basement!! I had reserved a non smoking room but the smell of cold smoke was quite strong! The two huge double beds from the Grange Holborn were now replaced by a single small bed...
This hotel could qualify as a good budget hotel for personal travel but looking at the price on the web, normal prices don't even seem to be so cheap! The English breakfast was indeed complimentary following that story!! Good thing it was, the regular breakfast buffet looked quite poor and was less than appetizing...
English breakfast is not from the buffet, if not included, you'd have to pay extra for it! After placing the order, you still have 5-10 minutes to wait before they bring you the breakfast in a plate! It was not too bad!
Great hotel, lovely staff
by TripAdvisor Member Locotravel
I stayed at The Grange Holborn Hotel for a romantic weekend with my boyfriend. I went to the hotel the day before we checked in and asked to view the rooms to see whether I wanted a standard or king room. They did this without hassle and a reservations person showed me through the rooms. I mentioned that it was for a special occasion and he was nice enough to make a note on my booking to reflect that - which in turn got us a free upgrade to a king room We checked in with no hassle and found the staff helpful. We made use of the swimming pool (which isn't very heated!) and the steam room. The room was great and we had no problems whatsoever. The buffet breakfast was a good too, especially since we only paid £85pn. I would highly recommend staying at this hotel.
Very Satisfying
by TripAdvisor Member MAG10
Our family of three searched far and wide before committing to 11 nights in one hotel during the holiday season. We landed on the Grange Holborn and, after a lengthy stay, were very pleased with our choice. Especially given all the insecurities attached to making a choice with great potential impact on an overseas vacation, we can say that there were no disappointments. The Grange was clean, quiet and staffed by courteous people who seemed to recognize the value of service. The facilities were impressive, from exercise gym to sauna and pool. The buffet breakfast was excellent. The Grange is a two to three minute walk to the tube with easy access to the most vital tube routes. There are decent neighborhood restaurants within easy walking distance. Attractions such as the British Museum and St. Paul's Cathedral also are easily accessed on foot. We'd stay there again without hesitation.
excellent stay
by TripAdvisor Member personLosAngeles
Having never been to London, my wife and I were nervous about even booking a hotel there because of horror stories we had heard from friends staying at other hotels in this city (including some hotels that don't disclose the fact that their very expensive room doesn't include a private bathroom). Also, the exchange rate with the British Pound Sterling is incredibly bad for Americans, with most everything costing almost twice as much as it does in the U.S. Knowing that, I spent about two hours online researching over fifty properties, and ended on the Grange Holborn because of the location, price and the good reviews on this site.
The Grange met or exceeded our expectations on nearly all levels. First off, we got a very good rate due to a Bank Holiday promotion. After I booked, I emailed the hotel asking about transportation options from Heathrow Airport. Within a day I got a very courteous response with detailed information. The hotel is conveniently located near the West End, about two blocks from a Tube station, close to theatres, shops and restaurants; and less than 2 blocks from the British Museum. The building is modern with a nice lobby that includes a lounge/bar area that was pleasant.
The room was very nice and clean, and nicely if stylistically decorated. The bathroom had a fairly large tub and had marble floor and wall tile. The room rate we got included a free breakfast at the hotel restaurant, which we took advantage of for every day of our stay. The food there was fine and the service, while not spectacular, was no worse than at any other restaurant in London. The hotel was quiet as well...I know there were complaints about the noise from other reviewers here, but we didn't experience any noise problems.
One of the coolest amenities of the hotel was the gym in the basement with the large indoor pool. I used the pool every day I was there (it was nice after walking around humid London all day), and was quite impressed with the decor of the pool - lots of marble and glass.
Overall, we were very impressed and will definitely return. London was a great city and this was a reasonably priced and exceptional hotel.
Traveller
by TripAdvisor Member arsenieva
I have a possibility to compare accommodation in London.
I think Holborn Hotel has a rear combination for London : new modern building , clean and big size rooms, good location and good breakfast with good variety.Also I like room's decor - affected a little but very cosy. Infrequent hotel in London could offer a swimming pool !
Nice hotel
by TripAdvisor Member j0nnybarfly
We had an enjoyable stay here - good size rooms, friendly staff, good facilities and a nice restaurant. Hotel is well placed near underground. I would highly recommend this hotel. However, I return from our trip with a nasty stomach infection - cryposporidium - which apparantly is found in swimming pools. This may be a coincidence but we did use the hotel pool.
