The Prince Akatoki London Hotel

This was my 6th stay here, and each trip somehow tops the last. The reception staff was impeccable making our trip incredibly memorable, from the best breakfast to the top tier concierge team working to make our wedding week incredible. Adrien especially (the concierge) is a master of his craft handling our wedding night turn down service to even having my wedding dress shipped back to the US (which he personally dropped off for us). This hotel is our home away from home, and I wish we could gatekeep it and keep it to ourselves as our little secret, but alas, it’s too good not to share.

We stayed at the Prince Akatoki last year (June 2024), after which I wrote a glowing, 5-star review of the property on Tripadvisor. In my review I said that I would definitely go back to this hotel. Well, I did. We had not planned to visit the UK/London again so soon, but the appeal of staying at the Prince Akatoki, and the wonderful memories of the level of service we received from Adrian (concierge) and the rest of the Akatoki team, was too strong. So we booked a 10-night stay this time in one of the Executive Junior Suites (an upgrade from the Executive Room we stayed in last year). We were very excited to be going back to the property. When we arrived we were extremely happy to see Adrian again...and if I'm being honest, he is one of the major reasons why we went back to Prince Akatoki. He is helpful, friendly and hard-working...and would do anything to make our stay pleasant and as comfortable as possible. Sadly, however, I did not see any of the fabulous front desk/reception staff that we met last year. I get it: there is always staff turnover and employees move on. The friendly and very capable Natsumi checked us in efficiently. I noticed that we were no longer offered wine and sparkling tea (like we were last year). There was only sparkling tea and cucumber water (I believe). Again, I understand: everyone is trying to cut back on costs. No big deal...although I would have enjoyed some wine while waiting during check-in. Our Executive Junior Suite turned out to be on the lower floor/basement of the hotel. Strangely the room felt smaller than our Executive Room last year. Perhaps it's because of the addition of a sofa/couch and coffee table in the room? Also, I noticed that - being in the basement - there was no view. There are only frosted windows so you cannot even see out. It felt a little "subterranean" after a few days. Another thing we were looking forward to using was the "pillow spray" that was available in our room last year. Sadly, it seems that is another thing that has been cut from the hotel budget. No major issues with the bathroom except the following observations: 1. really hot water seems to only be available in the afternoons. The rest of the time, ie mornings and nights, we could only get lukewarm to medium hot water. 2. probably not the only hotel with this problem, but water seeps out of the shower door easily, so there is always a small pool of water outside the shower. One of the things I mentioned in my review last year was that we regretted not dining at Tokii (we only had one lunch there last year). So we made sure to rectify that this time: we had dinner at Tokii twice! But sadly the experience was once again not as good as last year. The food, while still solid and tasty, was not as delicious as the lunch we had last year. And the service was just...okay: everyone seemed a bit green and inexperienced...but you could tell they were at least trying to provide a good service. And speaking of service, I will leave you with one last little anecdote: during my stay I had asked one of the front desk staff if she could change my £50 note into £5 notes (so I could tip housekeeping). She said she would have to check the back office to see if they had anything. I told her that this was not a rush and she said she would get back to me later. I never received any updates or my £5 notes from her...even though she saw me numerous times in the days after my initial request was made. Overall my wife and I had an enjoyable time but it was no where near as enjoyable as our stay last year. It wasn't just one thing but rather a series of small (but noticeable) things that made us a little disappointed. To the point where we can no longer consider Prince Akatoki our "goto" hotel in London anymore. We did notice the recently-renovated Montcalm next to the Akatoki. Perhaps we will check them out the next time we are in London. Perhaps if we hadn't received such great service last year, we would not have noticed the slight downward trend this year? Perhaps the bar was set so high last year that there was no where to go but down? Again, we are just a little sad and disappointed because there is so much potential here! I will leave you with the good: - housekeeping team - Adrian - Jordan (concierge), Matthew (concierge), Natsumi, Claudia (for responding to my email so quickly re airport transfer - again, it's the little things that matter), Sebastian (mixologist at The Malt Lounge). Thank you!

I loved the Afternoon Tea experience at the Akatoki Restaurant. My friend who I invited never experienced afternoon tea, so experiencing a blend of Japanese and English culture in one place was such an enriching moment for him. We were welcome by Nana at the reception with a beautiful big smile and then served by Maria and Markella who are highly professional but also so much fun. We laughed a lot as they were bringing us 8 types of tea and explaining the history behind them. Also, the cakes were not as sweet as they’re everywhere else, which means we didn’t have stomachache at the end. I would recommend everyone to come to Akatoki restaurant if you want a unique experience of Afternoon Tea. Thank you! 🙏

Just arrived home to NYC, having spent 6 nights in the lovely Prince Akatoki hotel. One's hotel can certainly make or break a vacation, and I am pleased to say this was an exceptional choice. The rooms are modern, well appointed and there are some special treats awaiting. The bed was very comfortable, the bathroom is also modern and the shower is good. Check check on all. I highly suggest always asking for the largest bed (if you are not a single person in the room) as beds in Europe tend to be smaller then the US. We asked for and got a king and we were very pleased by its comfort (my husband is quite tall and I am a bad sleeper, so the bed size may be more important to us than others. But nevertheless, adding my tip.) We loved the location of the hotel. On a quiet and charming street, it's a mere 3 minute walk to the nearest tube station and in all directions, there are streets loaded with charm to wander. Hotel is also situated about 3 minutes from Hyde Park There is a lovely Japanese restaurant which also serves as the breakfast room. We did not spend much time there, but it is very inviting. Now to the highlight: the staff. They bent over backwards to retrieve information when we needed, make great suggestion and be generally very helpful with a delightful manner. Each and every person we encountered. As this is a small hotel, they recognize all of their guests and remember to ask about the things you did that you discussed with them. The housekeeping staff were amazingly on top of things as well. I want to give a specific shout out to the following members of the hotel staff: Adrian, Jorda, Natsumi, Nana and George. Thank you all. We had a wonderful stay at the Prince Akatoki and look forward to a return visit sometime in the future Thank you from Marla and Lance ps. this is a small hotel, so my one remark to keep in mind, is that if you like to have a grand lobby to "hang out in", this is not your spot. We find we never have the time to do that when we are travelling, so it's irrelevant to us.

My husband and I stayed for 2 nights at this elegant and understated hotel. The highlight for us was the Tokii restaurant and the counter dining, where we enjoyed the 11 course menu with Sake flight. The dishes created by chefs Kazuyo and Patrick were just beautiful and it was a pleasure to watch their precision and care as they prepared the most delicious sushi dishes. A wonderful experience.