Shangri-La The Shard, London

We enjoyed a one night stay booked via Amex FHR. I would definitely recommend staying here and any criticism below is minor and intended to be constructive. We were warmly greeted at the hotel reception on the 35th floor. We were absolutely delighted with the room upgrade and will always want to stay in an ‘iconic view’ for future stays. I don’t know if binoculars are in every room but there was a pair inside a box in our room but we had no idea they were there and only found them on the day we were leaving. A little label would have been a good idea. The view was obviously terrific and the room clean with pretty much everything you could need but there was space for a dressing table which I think would be beneficial for many guests. There had been a repair carried out on a tile in the bathroom and it wasn’t very well done. I don’t think things like that should be overlooked. We went to the pool on the 52 floor which is pretty special but there’s not a single lounger set up around the pool, it’s all seating. It was also a touch in the chilly side in there so we didn’t stay very long. The pool does have to be booked and reception took care of that for us when we checked in. We also went to the bar on the 52 floor which we had high hopes for but felt a little underwhelming. The service was friendly but not very attentive. We started with champagne (her) and beer (him) and decided we ought to try a cocktail so went for a ‘Mango’ but it wasn’t great. Should have been much stronger. Part of the problem was probably because we had such an amazing view from our room, it was actually a more limited view from the bar even though it was higher up. I think having such a cool spot for a bar everything up there should be turned up to 11. Service, cocktails, decor etc Breakfast was excellent. Super attentive service and a huge selection. Couldn’t ask for more.

What a fabulous treat. Reception staff lovely. Room with incredible views was so comfortable. Birthday cake delivered to the room was thoughtful. Cocktails in The Dong with a window seat followed by dinner in The Ting. Everything was so tasty. Staff so polite and knowledgeable. A wonderful experience I’ll always remember.

Hotel was beautiful. Unfortunately my diamond earrings were taken from the room. Upon reporting, hotel staff deemed their investigation was complete and inconclusive with no further action. This hotel is far too high end to have to worry about theft.

We received what can only be described as the rudest and most arrogant welcome and service that we have ever received at any hotel from the two members of staff operating the ground floor entrance space at the Shangri-La Hotel at the Shard. Walking in from the street, I was approached by a member of staff who without even saying a ‘good afternoon’ or ‘hello’ demanded to know if I had a reservation; I realise that security has to be tight, however, there is no need to be rude. I was directed to the downstairs reception desk where I was confronted by a member of staff that looked as though he had just been ‘pulled through a hedge backwards’ he looked terrible and did not give a great first impression of a five star hotel; wearing a dirty ill-fitting suit, stained shirt, I could go on but it was also his attitude, another team member who did not know how to say hello or how to welcome a guest, just not what you should expect from a five-star hotel. These first impressions of the hotel were disgraceful to say the least, so much so I have cancelled my upcoming reservation.

With a very high price point I expected more especially as a Shangri La. Overall the staff appear flustered and most of the common areas are chaos with a mix between guest and tourists. I spend around 150 nights in hotels around the world and this is not in my top 10 hotel stays. Room The room was good with black out blinds and a very comfy bed. The view over London Bridge is amazing. The bathroom and amenities are nice but a few observations of the room. No turn down service, there is no seated dressing area with a plug. There is no main light switch as you enter the room as so have to use the bathroom lights to navigate to the main switch at the side of the bed. In addition not mamas trouser hangers in the wardrobe. On my last morning I was just finishing getting dressed and house keeping rang the bell and simultaneously walked into my room. Then c40 mins later it happened again. Words fail me on this. Both housekeeping staff they had got the wrong room when they looked at their work app but very concerning on safety for travellers (with the below on lift access aging to this) in this hotel. The fact they both rang the bell and simultaneously opened the door is unbelievable!! Gym The gym is very small and when there are 3 + people in the space it is a challenge. Also the floor is tiled meaning floor work (lunges/burpees) are near impossible (if knee hits the floor) and because so small there is only a very small soft mat area where such activities are impossible. Also if tall and do overheating presses you do hit the ceiling in places and so a challenge to have a smooth and fulsome workout. Restaurant (Ting) A massive disappointment for breakfast. I booked for a table at 10am and was not seated till c10:20. All the staff were running around and could not keep pace with the numbers at breakfast. I along with a lot of other people were stood up just waiting as they could not an accommodate people. Then no one came over for drinks when seated and had to go for my own coffee. The breakfast wasn’t anything special and to be honest was on par with premier inn. Also the items kept running out and was waiting an age again…. overall I was at a simple breakfast for over an hour due to waiting . For £50+ I expected better quality food and service and something a little more than just the view. Common areas/other As anyone can access the hotel it can get busy. Reception always seemed to have people waiting around. At peak check out time it is a challenge to get to the lifts as so many people are waiting around. Reception/check in/out staff always looked flustered. I once went to enquire about a spa booking but was confusing and he told me to go to the room and reviews option and book from my room….My largest concern is that to get to the guest room floors you don’t need a key card as it appears that the lift mechanism for key cards doesn’t work. It does however operate for gym and pool access. This was a worrying security issue especially as the hotel is busy with tourists. Also the lifts are very slow and you have to move between two differing lifts when coming in and out adding time onto any journey. Also to not be able to say if late check is available till the morning of check out is highly disappointing. This means you are accelerate your packing when you may not need to and makes it difficult to schedule meetings if you aren’t sure if you will have a desk.