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Hotel Class: 
4 Stars - 10 Reviews and 987 Opinions
97 Cromwell Road, London, SW7 4DN, United Kingdom
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of people enjoy staying here
997 Opinions
BaersMom
User Rating
I've lost count of how many times we've stayed here. We first picked it because it is very close to the Tube station (Gloucester Road).... where there are THREE lines running... District, Circle and Piccadilly..... so the hotel is a quick trip 'home' from nearly all parts of London and its many rail stations. It is about 23 stories high... so you usually get a good view from your window. The rooms can be rather SMALL.... but if you just come back to sleep, like we do, who cares? It's on the same road as the Natural History Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and Harrods. There are pubs, restaurants, chippies, and a Waitrose for snacks. We kept our fridge stocked with meats, cheese, fruit and water.... for suppers in our room after exhausting days out. (And we ALWAYS buy tea bags and sugar...hotels never give you enough of either one.) I understand the internet charge is rather high... but when I'm on vacation... I use the hotel to sleep. I watch the telly for the news... and my emails can wait until I get home... if you didn't want to 'get away' then you should have stayed home with your emails.
Unique Quality: The Forum has a bar... that I've never been in. It has a restaurant.... that I've never been in. It has a really busy breakfast room and I always make sure that I get the 'Full English Breakfast', not Continental. A lot of air crews stay there, so it is always busy.
If you're looking for quaint, home-away-from-home..... this isn't it.
Holiday Inn London Kensington Forum Photo: Holiday Inn Kensington Forum Hotel
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lgstraveler
User Rating
I would recomend hotel. Hotel clean, cordial and helpful personnel. Great food at Lobby level restaurant,recommend baked halibut and ask olive oil and vinigarette for dipping bread. Hotel bar pub seemed a bit stuffy, appetizers okay. Many restaurants nearby and train station walking distance ask concierge for info. Small fitness room,need to fill out form for use and issue seperate key.
Unique Quality: Rooms are clean and beds have nice fresh linens and soft to firm pillows...variety. Great location.
Holiday Inn London Kensington Forum Photo: Kennsington palace walking distance
crodri1
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I would recommend this hotel to someone else, but there's really nothing spectacular about staying here... especially considering the price.
Its a really large hotel with lots of facilities for meetings and conferences, so it always seems to be packed full of people. Its nicer that most Holiday Inns in the US, but its still just a Holiday Inn.
One good thing it does have is the breakfast buffet.
scubarandy
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The hotel staff was friendly and helpful. We stayed here in October 2005. The weather was mild, but our heat was on full blast in our room; we had to contact the desk to get cool air turned on in our room, which they did promptly. The room was small (as expected)but clean, and provided everything we needed. There is an underground station just a short walk from the hotel that made it easy getting around London, and a stop on the Big Red Bus tour line not far either. There was a Burger King, Starbucks, a Pub (don't recall the name), a small diner where we had fish and chips (good), all within a short walking distance. The price was around $180 a night, which we thought average for this type of hotel. Overall a great stay.
goodfish
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This hotel was booked for us by our tour company. The room was on the small side (as are most london guest rooms) but efficient, clean and comfortable. Rooms come with hairdryers, phone, TV, A/C. electric kettle, and good bathrooms. Comfortable bed. I would say that the room would be very cramped with more than 2 persons in it - adding a rollaway would take up all remaining floor space!
They didn't have safe deposit boxes in the rooms but have a bank of them behind the main desk. Just ask and they'll sign you up - it's free. You will have to check in with them each time you want to access your box. This was nice for keeping our return plane tickets, extra cash and passports secured.
Cold breakfast was included in our package but if it hadn't have been we likely would have eaten takeaway from a grocery or cafe. There were small cafes near the Tube offering hot breakfast for quite a lot less than what the hotel asks for their cold buffet. Still, we're not big eaters so toast, yogurt, cereal and tea were plenty to keep us going until dinner.
A restaurant off the lobby offers simple lunches and dinners. Snacks and takeaway items are also available at the counter. We didn't eat here so can't comment.
The location is excellent - very close to the Gloucester Road tube, Hyde Park, pubs, museums and restaurants. Pleasant neighborhood. I understand South Ken is very popular with tourists for this reason.
I'd recommend this hotel unless you are needing plush and roomy accomodations.
Unique Quality: Terrific location.
Area was attractive, active and felt very safe as much of it is residential. Tube station just a short walk from the hotel.
yellowzena
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I stayed at the Holiday Inn Kensington Forum 11/27/04 - 12/1/04. My first time in London so I opted to stay at a chain hotel. Bid price accepted on priceline.com was $80 USD. Four nights $320.00 plus $66.49 Tax & SVC fee = $386.49; approx $97 a night.
Breakfast not included in the bid price however you could enjoy the buffet for $15 BPS.
The hotel can be described as "smart". Located near the Gloucester tube and Waitrose (grocery) kept things convenient. The room had two single beds, closet, hair dryer, pants press, clothes drawers, coffee/tea tray setup, and windows that opened. Exercise Room, Restaurant, and Pub onsite. Bathroom was average size. No need to bring a converter.
For the price of the room and amenities, I would definitely recommend the hotel.
Unique Quality: Most unique feature is the way the lights turned on by inserting the door card in a slot right was you walk into the room.
Holiday Inn London Kensington Forum Photo: London Hotel Room
scaevolatn
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Location, location, location!
I chose this hotel upon the recommendation of a previous guest, and was not disappointed. I booked the room online through Holiday Inn's website, encountered a surprisingly brief check-in, and proceded to a non-smoking 25th-floor room with a spectacular view of South Kensington, Knightsbridge, St. James and beyond.
The bed was very comfortable. The air conditioning worked well, when I needed it. The bathroom included a great tub that Americans don't often get to experience, and a scale on which you either needed to know stones or kilos. The desk included a North American-style electrical outlet, so I didn't need to bring my converter after all.
Room service was prompt and fine, though of course not the best value for money. The bar in the lobby was convenient for a morning coffee. The maid service was impeccable.
The hotel charges for local calls from your room, so even if you've bought a phone card for long distance calls, don't make those calls from your room.
The hotel is just a couple of minutes walk from the Gloucester Road Underground station, which is served by the Circle, District and Piccadilly lines. Adjacent to the station is the Gloucester Arcade, which contains a great grocery selection at Waitrose, a Boots pharmacy, a coffee bar and several restaurants. For those not wanting to rush into London culture, there's even a Starbucks across the street from the station, as there is across the street from most things in London nowadays.
I would definitely stay at this hotel again.
Unique Quality: This hotel is advertised as the tallest in the UK, and its views are unrivaled.
Holiday Inn London Kensington Forum
Dabs
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This was my fourth time using Priceline in London, this time I bid for Kensington/Earl's Court and got the Holiday Inn Kensington Forum for $70 per night + taxes, a block from the Gloucester tube station which is very convenient from Heathrow on the Piccadilly line, no transfers(40 minutes), and is also a District and Circle line stop.
For the price I was satisfied with the hotel but it didn't measure up to other Priceline hotels we've stayed at in the 4* category.
It's a big tour group hotel and also seemed to be popular with airline personnel.
There is another Holiday Inn on Cromwell Road, the Forum is a very tall dark building, the other is a shorter light building. I'm sure they get each other's guests all the time.
Unique Quality: Room-pretty good size room even by US standards, reasonably comfortable double bed with a down comforter, clothes presser, mini bar, hair dryer, TV (not a good selection of stations) and AC.
Bathroom-shower had plenty of hot water, toiletries included soap and shampoo, good sized towels and two things that Americans seem to get hung up-washclothes and a sink with hot and cold water from the same faucet.
Check in staff wasn't as professional as other hotels in this star level and even made reference to the fact that we were Priceline customers and not guaranteed a good room. At first we were put in a twin room but they did offer to relocate us the next day. Good thing as there was a loud noise coming from the pipes in the room all night long.
This hotel claims to be the tallest in London, from our 11th floor room we could see over to the Earl's Court Exhibition center, on the other side you probably had views of Kensington Palace.
Holiday Inn London Kensington Forum Photo: Holiday Inn Kensington Forum 2004
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reh2os
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The hotel staff is quite helpful and friendly. For someone visiting London for the first time, this Holiday Inn is very comfortable and is in a great, quiet neighborhood.
I would recommend this hotel anytime. I myself would stay in this hotel again on future visits to London.
Unique Quality: The upper floor rooms provide an unobstructed view of the city. The cafe also offers quick breakfast service.
Krystynn
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The HOLIDAY INN LONDON KENSINGTON SOUTH HOTEL (formerly known as the FORUM HOTEL) here in Knightsbridge.
Unlike most other London hotels, this is a nice first-class hotel which didn't burn a hole in my pocket. :-) Knightsbridge is a lovely area... quite unlike Oxford Street and Victoria Station areas. This hotel has a busy lounge, a Carvery, an English pub, interesting gift shops and a FANTASTIC coffee house which serves DELICIOUS English and Japanese (yes!) buffet breakfast daily....(costing about GBP15, if my memory didn't fail me...).
Unique Quality: The Gloucester (pronounced as 'Gloister' and NOT Glow-chester, as I've heard some folks pronouncing!) tube station is just next door. How convenient can it get?
Holiday Inn London Kensington Forum
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Spent four nites at Forum with family of four. We had two rooms at the Forum. People are friendly, neighborhood is very nice, and terrific Tube access (go back route when you get off with luggage - not Cromwell road). We had terrific price per room and seems hard to beat. We sopent two nites at Ruben at the Palace in one Executive Room. very nice and friendly as well, but Forum makes it easy
Since we're only staying one day in London, any suggestion about tours? Thanks.
Check out my London page. We found lots to do without a tour.
You don't need an organised tour at all. You can simply get a good streetmap and walk/use the Tube to see many sights.
You could consider using the hop-on, hop-off bus services. For example:
http://www.theoriginaltour.com/tour_information/page_35.html
http://www.bigbustours.com/eng/london/default.aspx
What about one of these walks? They're great!
http://www.walks.com/
Great spot to stay. The Gloucester Road Tube Station is just across the road. I found the Underground fast and efficient and as long as you plan where you need to get on-getoff you can get through a lot of sightseeing in one day without doing any tours. i found it quicker than the Big Bus.I have found most tours have their own agenda and some of them are dragged out time wise just to make it seem like you get your money's worth.
The Gloucester (pronounced as 'Gloister' and NOT Glow-chester, as I've heard some folks pronouncing!) tube station is just next door. How convenient can it get?
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Address: 97 Cromwell Road, London, SW7 4DN, United Kingdom
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