pattyshearts

Would like to use my rewards miles with Marriott but don't know which one to stay at in London. This is our first trip to London and will be here for five days. Doing all the touristy things. Which Marriott is best located and most pleasant and clean?

TonyMnLA

dumps - stay at the Hilton!

pattyshearts

tonymnla: Can you tell me why the Marriotts are dumps? Did you stay at several of them?

Dukey

I suggest you consider the Renaissance Chancery Court (look at the reviews on Tripadvisor.com if you would like further information from a vast number of folks).

This past April I stayed at the County Hall (I got a great discounted rate for a balcony room) and found it to be very nice and certainly not a "dump" by any stretch of the imagination. The indoor pool was a nice extra, too.

The one drawback, for some, would be the fact that the nearest Tube stop is across the river, i.e., a few minutes' walk. The Chancery Court OTOH is within 1/2 block of the Holborn Tube stop.

poutine

I've only stayed at the Marriott County Hall (on points), which is located on the Thames across from the Parliament buildings. The London Eye is visible out the windows. Certainly not a dump.

We were looking for a Marriott that could accomodate two adults and two kids in a room, so that eliminated many possibilities. I believe the Renaissance Chancery Court is the highest rated Marriott on Tripadvisor.

celticdreams

Maida Vale is not centrally located. Unless you get a tremendous deal (and can therefore overlook the extra time it takes to get into town....) I would not recommend. Other than location - I would still only give it a 5 out of 10.

janisj

&quot;<i>dumps - stay at the Hilton!</i>&quot; I think you can safely Ignore TonymnLA - He apparently doesn't know how many Hiltons there are in London (15 if you include the airport properties, 12 in central London). Some are far worse than any Marriott, and some are very nice.

Absolutely the Marriott County Hall would be my number one choice of a Marriott for a leisure trip. Lovely rooms, and the most amazing views over the river/Big Ben/Parliament.

Chancery Court would be my second choice.

mileaday

I stayed at the Renaissance Chancery Court last Jan. and was quite happy with the room and the location. Plus, they have a very nice spa. It's close to a tube stop and an easy walk to the theater district. It was certainly not a dump.

estravel

A couple of years ago we stayed at the Marriott Grosvenor Sq. near Oxford st. and loved it. Right near the American Embassy. Close to the tube, good restaurants, shopping, etc. The hotel is comparable to any **** hotel. If you can use points to upgrade, do it.

luvtotravel

My vote is for Renaissance Chancery Court. I stayed there last year on points. We had a large room with two queen size beds, a bathtub and separate shower stall, terrycloth robes, and it was very quiet. We found the location by the Holborn Tube convenient.

Many years ago I stayed at the Marriott at Grovsner Square. The location is great.

I walked by the Marble Arch Marriott and did not care for the area or lack of a convenient tube station.

obxgirl

I'd definitely go for the Renaissance Chancery Court, no question.

Marriott County Hall is a super property and you won't be disappointed there. But as you might expect, not every room offers &quot;the most amazing views over the river/Big Ben/Parliament.&quot;

jody

The Grosvenor House or the Grosvenor Square would be my choices..if I had a choice! But they are both in the 6 or 7 point range. If not those then chancery court

Cicerone

I have stayed at almost all the Marriott's in London one or more times. In order of preference, I would list:

I am a big fan of the Renaissance Chancery Court for its beautiful renovation of a very lovely old neo-classical building, large rooms and nice d&eacute;cor. The neighbourhood is a little dull at night as it is an office area and there are few restaurants, but the hotel makes up for the lack of interesting neighbourhood, IMO. It is about a 10 minute walk to the Holdborn tube stop. They have a great spa and a very good restaurant (QC). The staff is very helpful, IMO.

I like the Park Lane Marriott a lot. Great location, esp for shopping, the British Museum and Oxford Street, there is a tube stop right at the front door, and the rooms are nicely decorated. There is a small indoor pool, which is a nice plus and they have a steam room. I would ask for a room on the highest floor available for views of the Park and noise abatement, or barring that, a room facing North Row street. The rooms facing Park Lane and Oxford Street on lower floors can be a little noisy, certainly liveable but if you have a choice take a high floor or a North Row street floor.

The Grand Residence Club at 47 Park Street, which is a Marriott time share, is around the corner from the Park Lane Marriott is very nice, great for families as there is a kitchen, separate bedrooms, etc. You may be able to use the pool at the Park Lane Marriott as well. It is on a quiet street.

County Hall is a great location if you want to be on the river and walkable to Houses of Parliament, London Eye, etc. Great views if you can get a river view room. Location is not so great for the Oxford Street or Kensington areas, so think about what you want to do on this vacation.

The Kensington Marriott is a great location if you want to shop in this area (Harrods is a short bus ride away) and for the V&amp;A museum. The rooms are quite small however, and walls are a bit thin. If you choose this hotel, make sure your friend gets the largest room available on a high floor, maybe a corner room to cut down on noise.

Although it is a bit out to the way, the Marriott West India Quay is the newest Marriott (opened last year) and is supposed to be gorgeous, although no pool. You can get to it by boat which would be fun, and maybe you could hook up with the ferry going to the Tate Modern/Tate Britain and the London Eye.

IMO Grovsnor House and the London Marriott Grovsnor Square are a little out of the way as far as sight-seeing or shopping, esp for first time visitors. (FYI, Marriott took over the management of Grovsnor House last year (it was a franchise previously) and is in the process of renovating the entire hotel, another reason to maybe avoid it at this time).

I would avoid Marble Arch. Very old and not nice.

Agree that Maida Vale is out of the way. Have not stayed there myself.

Have not stayed in nor really seen the Regent's Park Marriott.

W9London

Marriott Maida Vale is actually near Kilburn, which is not a nice neighbourhood.
Mairriott Regents Park is not near the park at all (which is at least 20-25 min walk). The closest tube is Swiss Cottage, along a rather busy road.

Dukey

Cicerone: did it <b>really</b> take you <b>ten minutes</b> to walk to the Holborn Tube stop from the Chancery Court...it is only about a block away!

HELP!!!!

DOCK

Stayed at Ren. Chancery 10-14 August 2006. Hotel is very nice. Got a good rate with breakfast included, but as it was summer and busy, it was a long wait in mornings for brakfast. Tube is not 10 minutes away, more like a 3-4 min if that at most. Personally I liked the hotel, but not the location. It was walkable to Covent garden, (10 mins)Leicester Square and Piccadilly (15-20 mins)and we did this on 3 occasions, once even at night. The area is safe, but rather quiet at night. I would much rather stay in the Mayfair/ Piccadilly/Trafalgar/ Kensington areas. For me I think Le Meridien Piccadilly is in a nicer, centrally located area.The Sofitel St. James is also in a nice location. Holburn is kinda on the periphery of the major sites. If you look at Tripadvisor the reviews of the hotel are great and i would have to agree, surprisingly noone on TA mentioned its location in any detail.

If you must use Marriott points, then the Marble Arch location is well situated ,but reviews on TA are not as flattering, County Hall next to the Eye, is also a bit off the beaten path except for the Eye and Thames etc, but the hotel looked great from the outside.

We got an excellent rate including b/fast and really I think its becos its not as well located as other hotels. I personally would not stay there unless I was using points or had no other options. It was just a drag trekking back and forth , even tho my kids are 12 and 16.

Dukey

As I mentioned above..the County Hall is fine (and certainly NOT cheap whether it is &quot;out of the way&quot; or not) UNLESS you don't relish that walk back and forth across the Thames to get to the nearest Tube or anywhere else you'd probably be interested in for that matter.

Amy

I stayed in the Marriott Regents' Park (Swiss Cottage, of course, actually) and was not favorably impressed. It was okay, and worked fine for my needs as far as getting the bus into Luton, but my room was mediocre for a supposed &quot;four star&quot; and rather grimy and smelly; I was only there one night and had requested non-smoking, but only a smoking room was available, so I didn't bother trying to get it changed.

It sounds as if other Marriott properties may be a better bet.

Birdie

I just returned from the Chancery Court and recommend it highly. I loved the location. Everything is within a quick tube trip or walk. There were lots of options for dining within a quick walk. Restaurants, quick pick up spots, pubs all around the hotel. All of our best meals were within walking distance. I preferred being in a business area rather than a tourist spot. It was not dead at night. High Holborn, Kingsway, and Aldwych Sts remained bustling in the evening.

kdcwood

We stayed at the Renaissance Chancery Court using Marriott Points a couple of years ago. Great hotel and a very easy walk to the tube station. I highly recommend it!

See my review http://www.slowtrav.com/uk/hotels/re...&amp;s=holborn for more information.

Kathy