Hi all -

DH and I will be heading to London at the end of September. He'll be attending a conference at the Hilton Metropole, which is also where we'll be staying.

I just wanted to get some opinions of the hotel and surrounding area. I will be on my own quite a bit so I'm hoping that the area is close to transport and restaurants. We were in London a few years back so I'm pretty comfortable with the tube and train system, but I didn't get over to the area where this hotel is located.

I did a search and the latest hotel info I saw was back in 2005 so I'm hoping for updated info.

Thanks!

Go here for the TripAdvisor reviews. read between the lines before you get upset:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...n_England.html

Hilton Metropole is a huge grey concrete box, really a convention centre. The view from the window is most likely a busy flyover.
The location is not bad--close to Edgeware Rd tube station.
If this is an option, I would probably rather stay at a newer Hilton Paddington, which is about 10-15 minutes away and right next to Paddington. Slightly further, but Landmark Hotel in Marylebone is quite nice.

There's practically nothing to update you on about the area since 2005.

Except that you can now get to its station, Paddington, slightly more cheaply from Heathrow now the Heathrow Connect's train's been launched to complement the Heathrow Express.

Oh, and Paddington Basin - the new office complex next door to the Metropole - has come on a bit more, so there are a few more bars and the like along the canal.

The rest of the surrounding area's still its same, predominantly Middle Eastern, cosmopolitan self. But lots of other ethnicities.

The Mandalay (444 Edgware Rd) is the only Burnese joint I know of in London, and it's great caff food. Get Mr Ally (who's not Buddha moonlighting, though he looks like him and isn't a great deal younger) to tell you his life story.

He doesn't take much prompting, but it'd be worth the trip to listen even if the food weren't as good as it is.

Thanks for all of your replies. I don't have super-high expectations for the hotel, and the trip-advisor reviews are about what I expected. I will just be prepared for long check-in delays and such.

Good to know about the Heathrow Connect since I'm sure that's how we'll be getting to the hotel.

I will also check out "The Mandalay." I've never had Burmese food and Mr. Ally sounds like a hoot!

Thanks again!

i have never stayed at the hotel but the general location is not bad. although, the actual position of the hotel is not ideal..busy intersection, flyover, etc. there are many lebanese and iranian cafes as you walk up edgware road. kandoo and patogh are two good iranian places. edgware road is a vibrant ethnic area (although not visually attractive) with good transport links (bus especially).

PS: I don't know how good the search function is, but there's been a long-simmering transatlantic mini-squabblette about this hotel on this board.

A couple of Americans who've actually stayed there (notably AAFrequentFlyer) really rather rate the place, especially if you've got whatever their posh status thingy is.

The rest of us know it only as the kind of concrete box we'd pay good money to avoid. The place we shudder at as we drive past it on the city's fastest escape motorway to rural bliss.

But, since we never stay in London hotels, we've absolutely no idea whether it's any good or not.

My husband's firm has had their annual meeting twice at this hotel. The rooms are quite small although the one we had in the tower was much nicer than the tiny box we had in the other part of the hotel. Leave plenty of time for the elevators because they often stop at floors where the people have already gotten on one of the other elevators. As a positive, the breakfast buffet, which came with our room, was very extensive and very good. Since I was on my own just like you, I was very happy with the hotel's location since the underground was about two blocks away. I found it very simple to get anywhere. Even when there was a problem on one of the tube lines, I was able to take an alternative line which left me an additional block or two away from the hotel. There are also many buses in the area. The concierge was pretty helpful with recommendations of places to eat in the area. Since my husband's firm was picking up the hotel tab, I was able to put up with the negatives of the hotel (the main one being the size of the room and bathroom) without too much trouble.

I stayed there two years ago (also in a group situation) and it was fine. It's not a beautiful neighborhood, but it is very close to two different tube lines, which was convenient. Our room was a nice size and the breakfast buffet was good.

WOW!! Congratulations a "free" return trip to London! I keep hoping my husband's company will send him somewhere..no such luck yet.

I almost booked the Metropole because they're one of the few that have a room for a family of five...I spoke with the hotel on several occasions and found them just GREAT! It's no charming boutique but who spends their time in London in a hotel? It's a place to rest your head and leave in the morning not to return until late...perfect.

You're close enough to a tube station to get around and why not just hop a double decker and view the city from there while he's in meetings? I think you'll have good weather that time (we'll be there the 12-22) so I'm hoping so!

Enjoy yourself and have a great stay...please come back and give your own review of the Metropole....have a great trip..
Tara