More about Radisson Edwardian Leicester Square Hotel
Raddsion Pastoria, Covent Garden - Raddison's theatre-land black sheep
by TripAdvisor Member Mysteryshopper
How on Earth has this hotel attained a four star rating?
Good points first, just to be fair to the staff - they are very friendly and charming, so no flies on them!
Bad points, the flies rest on the shoulders of Raddison Management, obviously rubbing shoulders with the Daily Telegraph as this is the only paper you'll get as complemetary. Is it necessary to be a Conservative with a big C to stay in a Raddison hotel? Is creative, raffish, unbusiness-like Theatreland not worthy of the same budget as the other Raddison hotels? The others in London are superb, but this hotel is nowhere near in the same league, and yet charge the same rates. The lobby and dining area ( the areas most visible to the passing public ) look fine but we found the rooms dated and small. They look like chintzy guest house rooms frozen in a time warp.
The first room we were offered was just appalling. Cracked fittings, very faded furniture and no window...a dark, airless pokey little box! We asked for another room and were offered something better, but still not worthy of the four star grading. We found cracked bathroom tiles and cold water that ended up coming out of the tap as warm as the hot. The bed was hard enough for a penitant monk and the heating system was unworkable, so we were boiling for most of the night.
Raddison run some great hotels and, in our experience, employ wonderful staff. The Pastoria is the negelected Cinderella of the family and seriously needs looking into. It cannot capitalise on its Covent Garden location forever. In future we'll stay further out and take the tube, and suggest other visitors do the same.
Very pleasant stay
by A TripAdvisor Member
One night stay, friendly staff, excellent location, very reasonably priced hotel for central London, clean and comfortable. Definitely consider this as an option for central London again.
Skip this hotel
by A TripAdvisor Member
Like other people wrote the one big thing going for this hotel is the ideal location in Leicester Square. It's near every convenience and if you're going to the theater it's perfect. HOWEVER, the rooms are shabby, the bathroom is depressing and there is no air conditioning. This particular weekend is quite warm and the room was stuffy and uncomfortable. There is no one to help with bags, no restaurant, no bar, no mini bar. And true, the one and only elevator is SLOW and miniscule. I barely fit in with my suitcases.
Brilliant Location - Shame About The Rooms
by TripAdvisor Member Jim Liddane
Having previously stayed at the Hampshire, a sister Radisson Hotel just a stone's throw away, I often went by the Pastoria admiring it's foyer and dining room, clearly visible from the street, and so on a return to London in June 2006, decided to try it out.
The staff are superb - friendly and knowledgable, and every bit as nice as those in the Hampshire, and the two public rooms are as inviting from the inside as they look from the street.
There is no bar - or at least there is one, but it is totally stripped. However you can use the bar in the Hampshire and anything consumed there can be added to your Pastoria bill.
The bedroom I ended up in however, was sonmewhat gloomy. It did look out onto the street, and was fully equipped, but I do feel that when a room is already gloomy, utilising dark furniture is not always the best solution! However, it was spotlessly clean at all times.
The bathroom was large and airy, but like the room, somewhat tired and dated.
The public rooms have air-conditioning, but the bedroom I was given, had none. (I am not sure if any of the bedrooms have the facility, but the hotel did give us a large and reasonably quiet fan!)
The room itself however was very quiet. Leicester Square being pedestrianised, is mainly traffic free, and although a few football fans were vocal enough early in the evenings, by the time we went to bed each night, the area was very quiet and remained so throughout the night.
Breakfast was excellent - I actually got the impression that it is cooked in the Hampshire, and brought over on trays from that hotel, but perhaps I was mistaken. In any event, it is the highlight of each day.
It seems you can have any newspaper you like as long as it is The Telegraph. (Is the Telegraph a compulsory feature of all Radisson hotels?)
Check-in was quick and friendly. Checkout equally so although the hotel was unable to raise a taxi for me on a Sunday afternoon, even though I had given them a half-hour's notice. (Admittedly England were playing Equador at the same moment, so perhaps London's taxi drivers had more important things on their minds than my need to get to Heathrow!).
The elevator as others have mentioned, is unusually small - certainly, taking our luggage up with us is a bit of a squeeze (and a timely reminder that I really must do something about my weight).
Overall, a very enjoyable stay. The staff and the breakfasts more than make up for the rooms, but it is not an inexpensive hotel, and if you can push the boat out just a little further, the pricier Hampshire is far better value.
But what a location, and what a staff!
We checked in and checked straight out!
by TripAdvisor Member Tockers
This hotel may be well situated in the West End but that is all that is going for the hotel. The decor and rooms are dated - no aircon, very small and my colleagues room didn't even have a window in the bedroom!!
No hotel bar, no mini-bar. Hotel hot and humid, no atmosphere.
We checked in and checked straight out. There are better hotels in central London for the same money.
Great Staff
by TripAdvisor Member Valletta054
This hotel is right on Leicester square - - thus everything within easy reach.
I appreciated the hotel service. The staff were professional and friendly - - the best service, I recieved in a Radisson hotel.
Another plus is that notwithstanding the hotel is in Leicester Square,it is still quiet & one can have a good night rest.
On the down side, one has to not that the rooms are quite small, and I think that in the summer, the rooms will be extremely hot. The windows in the rooms are very small.
Pass On By
by TripAdvisor Member BIGGEORGECambridge
Stayed for 1 night in July. Room very small, bed even smaller forget it if you are over 6 feet tall. Decor poor needs a refurb.
Main complaint was noise. Doors banging all night and staff drilling in the afternoon. Not a 5 star hotel by any stretch of the imagination oh apart from the bar prices!
Give it a miss.
Last Minute Deal
by TripAdvisor Member ChampagneBackpacker
The location of the hotel is great - being on one of the corners of Leicester Square. The room we had (standard double) was a very good size, clean and tidy with a good view over Leicester Square.
We expected it to be noisy in our room, but it was very quiet. The staff were excellent on reception and very helpful. They were especially helpful today in giving us directions to get across London whilst the tube strike was on.
The only negative point was the room got very hot in the night as the air conditioning did not seem to be working very well. Other than that we had a very pleasant stay.
Under construction...
by TripAdvisor Member frjohnsen
I stayed at the newer of the two Radissons at Leicester Square for three nights on business. First, the positive: Location! Right smack in the middle of Theatreland, it can't be beat. But that was about it. I had the pleasure of visiting London for three warm days and nights, and the airconditioning was not working. Opening the window was out of the question, as Leicester Square is bustling with activity 24/7. I assume this is because the hotel has recently been refurbished, but a business hotel at 250 pounds a night really need cool rooms. The staff seemed a bit rusty as well. I asked for a fan to be put in my room, which I was told would be fixed. I never saw a fan. On my second day, my room was not cleaned. I asked for it before I went out for a quick shopping, and it was still not fixed when I came back an hour later. Granted, the room had been cleaned when I came back to my room after dinner. The cleaning itself was not good either. I left the ironing board in my room out the first morning, and it was never put back in the closet. And the breakfast, at 16 pounds, really should have been better. Dry croissants and a very slim selections of fruit would suggest a lot better value at the Ben & Jerry's around the corner. So until the rebuilding and retraining of this hotel is verified, I would definitely suggest staying elsewhere.
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