The Rubens at the Palace

I have stayed at several hotels in London over the years and there is one that I keep coming back to. If I have a choice as to which hotel I stay at (sometimes business trips don't have flexibility) I will ALWAYS choose the Rubens. Everything from the way the rooms are appointed to the quality of the dining experience is special. In addition you will not find another hotel in London where the service can be beat. Whatever Red Carnation does when they hire or the work environment they run, the staff seem genuinely happy to see you and really want to make your stay special. Out of the handful of times we have stayed there in the last few years we have always felt like the staff are invested in making sure your needs are met. Location is excellent and walking distance to so many things. I simply cannot praise the experience at this hotel enough. We are planning our honeymoon and are keen to try another of Red Carnations properties. Ashbury Castle in Ireland, the Rubens has set the standard!

We stayed at the hotel as an extended family – grandparents, parents, and two teenagers for eight nights. We chose this hotel because of its excellent reputation for accommodating guests with celiac disease, as our granddaughter has celiac and it was important for us to feel at ease about the food. The beginning of our stay was not ideal: in one standard room the windows couldn’t be opened and it was facing the yard (although we made the reservation four months before our arrival specifically asked that all rooms will have a nice street view) and in another room there was a strong smell of cigarette smoke even though it was supposed to be a non‑smoking room. The hotel was fully booked, so we couldn’t be moved immediately, and only after an additional night were we transferred to three proper, clean rooms. It is important to say that the reception staff and the manager took our complaints very seriously, treated us kindly, and made it clear they truly wanted to help and eventually they moved us to other rooms that met our expectations. The truly outstanding part of our experience was how the hotel handled the celiac issue: Even before our arrival, the staff had been in touch with us. At breakfast, they prepared special gluten‑free dishes cooked in a sterile environment, and beverages that were opened especially for her. Every request was answered immediately, with a smile and remarkable personal care. For our granddaughter this was a true royal breakfast – she felt both safe and happy, which is absolutely invaluable. In conclusion – although the beginning wasn’t smooth, the kind service, professional handling, and above all the exceptional care for our granddaughter’s celiac needs turned our vacation into a very positive experience. This is definitely a hotel that knows how to put its guests at the center.

I went to London with two of my dearest friends. We wanted to have an afternoon tea and after researching the options, we selected The Rubens at the Palace and we were SO glad we did. Two out of the three of us are vegan and I had difficultly arranging it on line, so I contacted Carlota, the Director of Food and Beverage at the Rubens, and she helped. She was so kind and helpful! Our tea was one of the highlights of our trip. The food was delicious along with the tea. It is very traditional and everyone at the Rubens were so helpful. The location is amazing because you are just down the street from Buckingham Palace! There are wonderful shops on the same street of the Rubens. Also, the Rubens faces the employee entrance of the people that work at the palace. We loved everything about our time at the Rubens and I know I will return there the next time I visit London!

The Rubens offer not only a great location, but World Leading Staff, they can’t do enough to make your stay very special.

I really disliked this hotel when we arrived, especially as compared to the incredible hotel we traveled from in Paris, but it sort of grew on me throughout our 4 day/4night stay. Family of 4. We booked two 'Royal Mews View King/Twin' rooms next to each other. Check in was perfunctory, the rooms were TINY, and they looked like they were decorated by a kindergarten arts and crafts class. Very garish, very ugly, very unappealing (see pics), and NOTHING like the pics on the hotel's website. I asked if we could be upgraded (our TA said we'd be upgraded, per availability), and the front desk lady said she could upgrade one of the rooms, but would then downgrade the other, and they'd put us on the back side of the hotel, so we kept the rooms we booked. Definitely no upgrades or VIP service for booking through an elite TA. We were on the first floor, directly above the lobby...like directly above, and right outside the fire doors that went to the elevator. Also directly above the entrance to the hotel, so we had to keep our blinds closed at all times. Probably the worst two rooms in the whole hotel, but I honestly didn't see any others, so who knows. Saving grace was that it was shockingly quiet. I was positive we'd hear lobby noise, but we didn't. They called our rooms 'king' rooms, but our bed was a queen at best (I sleep on a queen at home, and had just come from a king in Paris), and it took up almost the entire tiny room. There was no coffee station, just an old electric tea pot on a tray inside the wardrobe. First two small bottles of unrefrigerated water were complimentary, but there was a note saying that we'd have to pay for any additional bottles.... in a $600/night room... No mini bar or fridge. A tiny fiberglass shower that was barely wider than my shoulders. It honestly felt like an old, $129/night motel room. The VIP welcome amenity was a cookie that tasted like sawdust and was inedible, and a little chocolate mousse cake that was supermarket quality at best. Very disappointing. On the upside, the rooms were clean, breakfast was very good, the restaurant was beautiful, and the service was generally friendly and accommodating. The concierge offered a few decent pub recommendations, but was otherwise kind of worthless. I asked them to send up a bucket of ice and two wine glasses one afternoon, and they brought up the ice, along with two tiny glasses...like the ones you get for free at a vineyard tasting. The front desk staff were professional, but sterile. The doormen were excellent, and super friendly, but didn't make or break our stay. Lowlight was when my daughter (14) unexpectedly got her period at 9pm one night...and when we asked the front desk if they could help us source feminine products, they sort of dismissively said they didn't have anything, and told us to find the nearest pharmacy...at 9pm. I know it's not a 5 star hotel, but they could have at least helped us find some tampons... Location was good if you want to be near Buckingham Palace, and the overall hotel was oddly charming, in a stodgy old British kind of way, but I would never stay there again.