The Berkeley

From start to finish , the 2 night stay was splendid . The upgrade to a suite was fantastic . The room facilities , staff, food , drinks & ambience were all fabulous . There were no short cuts taken at a customers expense . The concierge & drivers were so professional , polite & friendly .

A total let-down! It’s practically a rip-off! I booked several weeks ago for the ‘Capri in the City’ dinner, which takes place on the hotel’s rooftop. I asked for mineral water. A scalding hot bottle arrived! In the middle of a heatwave! I was forced to ask for ice and end up drinking warm water mixed with ice. They gave me the menu: first major negative point! I was astonished to discover that the menu was different from the one published online! I’m Italian, and I’d chosen this restaurant solely to eat the Baby Squid Calamarata… a typical dish from southern Italy… and of course this dish wasn’t on the menu! Why? Why isn’t the website up to date??? Reluctantly, I settle for another dish: Conchiglie with sautéed tiger prawns I ask if the chef is Italian because I have some specific requests to make; the answer: NO!!! On an evening dedicated to Italian food, the chef isn’t Italian! We’re off to a great start! I ask for the conchiglie to be cooked al dente… Ten minutes later, the unbelievable happens! The waiter comes over and tells me he’s made a mistake – instead of ordering the conchiglie, he told the chef to prepare Paccheri with seafood! So what now? I ask… the waiter asks me to use the paccheri that’s already been cooked and prepared and to mix it with the conchiglie sauce! A nightmare! Perhaps the kitchen wanted to save money… or perhaps it was too much trouble to cook the pasta again! Out of politeness and consideration for the waiter, I said ‘that’s fine’… but the end result was dreadful: a poor mix of flavours with pasta that was, of course, overcooked, and absolutely not as I’d ordered it! I ordered a pizza: what arrived was something worthy of a cheap, run-of-the-mill brand… I asked for some oregano to put on the pizza (oregano is the cornerstone of Italian cuisine; it’s in practically every dish!)… the reply: ‘We don’t have any oregano!’ Disappointed, I paid and left. Of course, the only thing nobody got wrong was the bill! Precise… complete… with all taxes and service charges added… as if nothing had happened! I absolutely do not recommend eating here. Everything is slapdash and of poor quality.

Beautiful hotel in the upscale Knightsbridge district of downtown London. Centrally located and a short walking distance from Harrods and Hyde Park. Our suite was large and nicely appointed with two bedrooms, a large sitting area, and a dining area where we had breakfast delivered every morning. The entire staff were very customer service oriented and the cleaning staff were very thorough and provided cleaning service in the morning and turndown service in the evening. The doormen were also really good about flagging down taxis for us when needed. Our suite was not ready when we arrived and the concierge provided us with a resting room in the interim which was a nice touch. The two-bedroom Knightsbridge Suite was located on a busy street but it was very well insulated with cloth panels on the walls and we didn’t hear any traffic noise unless it was a car honking or an ambulance siren. The beds and pillows were very comfortable and the water pressure in the shower was fantastic. We had a lovely stay, however, I did take away one star for a couple of reasons: (1) Hyde Park views noted for the marketing material for the Knightsbridge Suite is a bit of a stretch as the only thing visible from all of the windows in our suite was a busy street and then some trees on the other side of the road. Yes, Hyde Park is just across the street but nothing is visible from the suite itself but a tree-lined street. (2) Be cautious of utilizing the mini bar as it is not complimentary and we ended up spending literally hundreds of pounds without realizing it was not included until checkout. I take full responsibility for not confirming that “mini bar stocked with British treats” in the marketing material wasn’t complimentary as is the norm in most two-bedroom suites in 5-star luxury hotels given the price per night but I do believe it was a little misleading and should have been clearly stated or we likely would not have used it. An expensive lesson learned for me for future hotel stays. The hotel did provide plenty of complimentary bottled drinking water which was much appreciated.

We stayed here for only 2 nights sadly. End of a wonderful trip through Scotland and the Lake District and home through Heathrow. The hotel is beautiful and Adrian and Mohammed were tremendous. Recommending sights and arranging transport whenever necessary. Both lovely chaps as they say. The rooftop bar at their sister property has a killer view of the city. It isn’t cheap but it is worth the price. Also the Grolet cafe is not to be missed. There are other legacy hotels in London to be sure but the Berkeley ranks right up there.

Another visit to our favourite London hotel with our two boys to celebrate a birthday.As usual,the best welcome in town with all the team headed by David and Paul.One room was ready,complete with cakes,presents and balloons,the other wasn’t as the hotel was so busy.No surprise there with the fantastic rooftop pool in the heatwave.Director of guest services,Sergio Utrilla,came to our rescue and gave us the most beautiful suite,the Knightsbridge Pavilion,which is out of this world.So kind of him.Everything else was the usual Berkeley perfection,especially ABC for breakfast.Delicious food in the fabulous dining room watching London drive by!Two nights is never enough,but it makes us look forward to the next visit…!