The Royal Horseguards

To begin, the people at the front desk, the porters, and bellmen have been nice. We also asked for ice in the evenings from the bar and they were kind and accommodating and prompt. This was the fanciest looking lobby hotel we have ever stayed at. Room was clean. Tanya was attentive enough at breakfast. In a nutshell most of my complaint has to do with the fact that this is the fanciest (read also most expensive) hotel we have ever stayed at in any city and without a doubt the most tired looking, unhappy, worst service industry staff we’ve ever had (and we are almost 50 years old). Most of the other women staff at breakfast seemed both overtired and short. They either were passive or too busy to keep their head straight. No one smiled. No one. I’ve been in service myself and this is a paramount part of good customer service, that and actually acknowledging AND taking care of what people are requesting (basic requests, not silly ones) I was extremely disappointed in the staff and their lack of attentiveness at breakfast (we were just tying to get coffee, not the stars), not even knowing who to address for a coffee/tea vs requesting an omelette. One day my husband ordered a flat white and the women had it half off the machine dripping the coffee down the side and then she never delivered it so we went to the machine and made our own not sure on the protocol or who was supposed to help us. Mind you, we are not high maintenance people and this is the nicest fanciest hotel we have ever stayed at about double the price of anywhere we have ever been and we’ve never been anywhere with a doorman and I would say, other than the look of opulence and extra dressy suit uniforms it was no better than hotels at half their price. I guess the pretty downstairs and not working old elevator is what you “pay” for with historic but the bad service. Just no. Although I appreciated that a hotel this fancy had two gluten free pre packaged options, a white bread slice in a bag or a chocolate muffin in a bag, they were both dry and I think we can do better. However, it was nice to be considered for gluten free, I guess. We went to Copains a French gluten-free bakery (18 minute walk) and brought in our own amazing pastries. Charging the high fee you charge for hotel and breakfast, you really should speak with the guests and perhaps surprise and delight them with something like that. I don’t work for them but they were really worth eating, unlike what was offered for dry bread and dry “pastry” (muffin) at the hotel. At least for London’s heat wave the air conditioning works beautifully and the room is clean each day minus our arrival when an open bottle of empty water greeted us in an otherwise (we think) clean bathroom. The terry towels are clearly over bleached and clean because they felt like sandpaper. The “bonus” stuff you wouldn’t find at a hotel half this price was a free candy cart consisting of lollies and some hard candies along with fresh water cups, and some free magazines for reading, at the front lobby. There were also a small chocolate bar and bag of GF vegan popcorn in the room fridge. They also give you one still and one sparkling water per day in your mini fridge. It took them three of our five night stay and three times asking before they sent up two still since we repeatedly requested no sparking. I get that this is a historic building but one working elevator for nine floors is difficult. Did you not think we would notice when every time you call the elevator only one appears after about 5-10 mins wait depending on check out time and it is always crammed with people and luggage. At least the stair case was beautiful and we were only on the fourth floor. The highlight and my recommendation (whether you stay at the hotel or not), is to have a tour by the amazing porter Stamatios. He was really personable, truly passionate and honestly happy to give us a tour of the history and share stories about the hotel’s history and provenance. He has special keys to show you specials places not accessible to others at the hotel and stories about people like Winston Churchill to match. You could tell the passion and care he had and we very much appreciate his tour and in sharing his story and the hotel’s history, beyond that of “a former Horseguards plot.” We are still here for another day, but I’m not expecting anything to change as they’ve told us for the last two days “we apologize we’ll do better. They haven’t yet. But they did finally have room service bring up two flat waters. So glad we paid $400+ per night (per each room) for two flat waters, blah breakfast service, some blah popcorn in a bag and good air conditioning. At least we got an awesome historical tour from Stamatios.

I’m still staying at Royal Horseguards Hotel as I write this review, which I’ve never done before but the excellent service we have received so far has compelled me to write a review before I leave. I just wanted to say thank you to the wonderful staff who have already made our trip so special. The lady, Janeta, (apologies if I’ve misspelled your name), who checked us in was so friendly and helpful. Our room (612) was ready early so we were able to go straight up, which was a big bonus. We booked a King room with river view and it’s beautiful and spacious. The complimentary minibar items are much appreciated but we would also like to say a huge thank you for the wedding anniversary surprise you left for us. It was unexpected and gave us a big surprise when we returned in the afternoon. There are many hotels in London and it’s often difficult to choose between them but Royal Horseguards definitely stands out for its personal service and attention to detail. Pervez does an amazing job too. I recommend this hotel wholeheartedly and would happily return.

We stayed at this hotel for a long weekend, the location is excellent for getting around London on foot. It is ideally located to be close enough to walk but is quiet in the evenings. The staff were exceptional and I can't praise them high enough.

From walking in to leaving the whole experience was above and beyond expectations. Extremely comfortable room and beds. Fantastic location and fun informative staff!

Yet another amazing experience at the Royal Horseguards Hotel at their restaurant One Twenty One Two... We were looked after by Iryna... She was absolutely amazing... Attentive, polite and intuitive, professional and really went out of her way to make this occasion run seamlessly. A real asset in my opinion. Thank you so much. The ambiance was lovely and the decor gorgeous and the food was wonderful. The staff really made it special too with a birthday card and cake.. which was a lovely touch .... All in all brilliant...