Lancaster London, London

I just got back from a cruise and Carnival booked The Royal Lancaster Hotel for us,so I can't comment on the price, at all. The room wasn't what I'd expect from this hotel. It was so small and had twin beds. It was very clean, though and the service was excellent, after we checked in. I was very upset that we had to wait until four o'clock to check in. I sat in the lobby from about ten o'clock until after four, before we could get into our room. I didn't like that at all. They had flat screen televisions which was very nice. I just think the rooms were much too small for what we paid.

Just got back from our first stay in London. Room was ready for our late check in, must have been very recently updated-new bathroom, carpet and bedding. Very clean, easy to crank up the heat. 11th floor was quieter than NYC and larger than we expected. Food at NIPA in hotel was very good, other restaurants within easy walk included Spice of India (right across street from entrance) and ASK a block away. (Italian chain in London). Hotel is targeted to business travelers and hosts many meetings, so food and service are good and taxi service is always available. Hotel is right at the Lancaster Gate subway stop, and walking in Hyde Park adjacent is wonderful.

Good: Our business group selected this hotel for a large group. The rooms were small but was fine for us because we crashed there after long days of tours and sightseeing. Not as good: Housekeeping and restaurant staff is mostly foreign and not well versed in English but able to communicate well enough. Prompt attention to problem: Our heated towel warmer was not working and once the maid understood me, she requested repair and the maintenance person quickly fixed it. A concern: We did not use the heating or air conditioning system because the weather was mild enough to have a partially open window but our mates said that they immediately started sneezing when they used their heat system. Another concern: Smoking in public areas is not restricted and a bummer. Food report: Breakfast buffet is varied but can be disappointing if you cannot be happy with breads and fruits. The English meat selection and runny eggs were not appetizing to my American palette. Good shower: Quality Hansgrohe showerhead with excellent water pressure. Deal breaker: Shower curtain constantly billows and drapes your body. No weights or magnets at bottom. Really irritating. And gross when you consider that every previous guest peeled the same curtain off their bodies as well. Interesting: No feedback or comment cards provided in room. Good news: 110 electrical service will accommodate your American blowdryer! No need to purchase converter. GREAT access to underground subway (tube) and very central to lots of attractions. MAKE SURE you request a room higher than tree level! Otherwise you will just have an ordinary view. Review your bill carefully.

You will not find the luxury you would expect for such an expensive hotel; even worse, you will be puzzled, and sometimes disappointed, for its weird-to-humiliating rules and procedures! Guests are banned from the typical full English breakfast they would expect when booking a room "with breakfast": you can have full English breakfast at an extra cost, but you are so pissed off when you are informed that you can have only bread, butter, honey, juice and coffee or tea that you actually do not feel like having a breakfast at all! If this "hidden cost" behaviour seems weird, read this: I came to London with my wife (and my mother who stayed at another place). I gave my credit card to my mother to go for shopping before checking in (I had made the reservation through a travel agency and the room had been paid by the agency); after staying there for 2 nights, without having consumed anything from the mini bar, I came back the third day and found the mini bar locked!!! Yes, locked with a huge lock so that I cannot open it! I immediately called the reception and I was informed that they had locked the mini bar because I had not provided them with a credit card or with 200 British Pounds as a deposit! The mini bar, including all its contents (some colas and water, not caviar and champaign), did not worth 200 Pounds... Even if this was their policy, why didn't they do that from the first day? Anyhow, this is a humiliating behaviour: no one staying at such an expensive hotel would refrain from paying the things he consumed from the mini bar, so I think that this obviously "cheap" treatment is not even close to what you would expect from this hotel.

My husband and I recently just returned from a trip to London, England. During our checkout at the Royal Lancaster Hotel and to our surprise, we received an outrageous bill for just over 213 pounds in phone charges. (Approximately $420) At first we thought there had to be a mistake since each call charged was used to call the United States using an international calling card. After speaking with the front desk, we came to find out that an �error� in the way that we dialed out of the hotel caused the enormous phone bill. The first evening we were there, we attempted to make a call from our room. After two failed attempts and multiple numbers to choose from on the back of the card, we called the operator of the hotel for assistance. She further directed us how to make a successful call. Unfortunately, we not only got charged for minutes on our calling card, but we got charged by the hotel. We immediately requested a meeting with the hotel manager. However, we were very disappointed in his lack of desire to even want to resolve our situation. It wasn�t until the last day that we found a �secret code� of ** on the hotel lobby phone which allows a calling card to work. The hotel manager denies such a code. Considering my ignorance to the �calling card scam� even though I am well traveled, I would like the opportunity to at least share our story with all Americans so this does not happen to them!

I like this hotel because the room is comfortable, clean and quiet. Services are good and the location is convenient because it nears the underground station.

The Royal Lancaster Hotel, located adjacent to the majestic Hyde Park, is truly one of London's finest hotels! Their staff is second to none and very accomodating to whatever the request, regardless of the time. My husband and I have stayed there twice - the concierge managed to get us fantastic tickets to long sold-out musicals in the theater district. The hotel service was stupendous and the accomodations were lovely. Having also stayed at the Intercontinental in London, we can safely say that the Royal Lancaster is of equal par when it comes to the staffing!