The Trafalgar Hilton, London

This is not your normal Hilton; in fact it is essentially unbranded. I am a Hilton HHonors Diamond member, and while I did miss the executive lounge, I did get a nice upgrade and a good free breakfast (continental weekdays; full English traditional on weekends). The location is wonderful, whether your objective is to see the sights (a number are very close and several tube stations are nearby (Charing Cross is closest); or the theater (you are in the midst of the theatre district). The rooftop Garden Lounge has spectacular nighttime view of Trafalgar Square, Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey. Best of all, however, is the staff, each of whom will go our of his/her way to help you. No two ways about it; this will be my London home in the future.

OVERPRICED HILTON TRYING TO BE A BOUTIQUE HOTEL - DO NOT STAY HERE...... The staff looked down on us from the minute we arrived, despite the fact we had paid over £300. The standard room we got was the disabled and they had no other rooms available. The average round of drinks was £30 and the restaurant downstairs was sterile and a packed bar and DJ upstairs was your music. The wonderful views you are promised, you basically can't get into the rooftop bar (even as a guest) as it's full of other pretencious people queing to get in all night. Rooms service charge is delivery plus added service charge.

The location was fabulous. It was very close to Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, etc. It was also very close to a subway station. However, finding it was a major problem. There is no sign outside of the hotel. It is not labeled as a Hilton. People on the street did not know where it was. The staff was VERY curtious and polite. They were very eager to answer questions and go out of their way to help us. It is definitly NOT a family oriented place. The main entrance is a bar/club. It felt very awkward walking through the bar late at night to get to our room. Also, there was a picture on the wall of a nude woman as you exited the elevator. The postcards in the room were of a nude couple in bed and of a drunk woman. It does not live up to the expectations of a typical Hilton that we have here in the states and I felt as if the Hilton website was misleading. So depending on your purpose, you may want to think twice about staying there.

The location of the hotel was great. A short walk to many interesting sites. Exit the front door, and you are across the street from Trafalgar Square. Although I did not need to use it, the local underground station is Charing Cross. The staff was very friendly and were very helpful for any questions that I had. As others have said, the main reception is also the bar/lounge area, so as I entered and exited at night, it was quite loud. I found the room size to be reasonable. I was able to spread out with feeling cramped. My room's view was of the office building next door which was not very interesting. But, I was not there to stare out the hotel window. Well, I was not there on vacation either, but there is always time to walk around a see the sites. This time I was lucky enough to see the queen drive by when I was wandering around Buckingham Palace. I would stay there again.

We spent three nights there in July, 2006. We had the best room of the hotel, and it was not what we would call a suite. Small, bad bed, and the fruit at bed time was sour to the taste. But they tried. The location was awsome. The people were very polite. The prices were very inflated. It was hot for London, and the A/C could not keep up, or broke down. We asked for a fan for the room. They said they would, but nothing happened. The room was not that good for the price. Like being in a upgraded Motel 6. Not what we expected for a Hilton property. So much for being diamond.

I recently used 80,000 Hilton Points for two nights at the Trafalgar and couldn't have been happier. The reception staff was lovely, right on target with its directions and recommendations. Since they couldn't upgrade my room (view was OK), they did offer me free continental breakfast. The breakfast was delicious and the room very charming. The bathroom was spectacular, matching robes & slippers provided. We had only two downsides: they very courteously offered us a late check-out of 1:30pm. However, the key automatically stopped working at noon. It took two trips to the front desk to get this resolved, so that we could gather our things. The staff also told us that breakfast was served until 11am. However, it is only until 11am on the weekends. When we went at 10:40 on Monday, they were closed. When I went upstairs to discuss it with the front desk, they were very apologetic and allowed us to eat cold breakfast (pastries, cereals, etc) even though they were closing. All in all a fantastic time. I would recommend it to any of my very well traveled friends.

I took my two teenage sons to the Trafalgar in late summertime. It was their first time in London. The Trafalgar personnel were both helpful and friendly and resolved any issues promptly. They made my sons feel like "grown-ups" and that made my job easier. From that location we were able to explore all of the sights we wanted to see on foot - it's just around the corner from Buckingham Palace. The concierge was most helpful giving us advice on bus and underground routes as well as sights that we "must see." He was also able to tell my sons where they might go to explore the city on their own in a safe manner. The only draw back is that the hotel really is geared to adults as it has a whiskey bar on the main level that pumps out "high octane" music till the wee hours of the morning. (Luckily, that wasn't heard in the rooms so sleep wasn't a problem)

Stayed for 2 nights but used my HHonours points for free stay.the hotel has a fabulous location right on Trafalgar Square and although its a Hilton hotel there are no Hilton logos to be seen.It is a very minimalist style hotel both in rooms and in public areas but is very stylish.The staff(none of which appeared over 25)were excellent and nothing was too much trouble for them.Yes it is very pricey to stay there but rest assured you will be looked after and you will not be dissapointed.