St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel London

I have stayed at the St Pancras many times whilst it was a Renaissance branded property, but this was my first time back after the rebranding as a more independent member of the Marriott Autograph collection. As others have said, the building is an utterly stunning example of mid / late Victorian gothic. It is one of the best refurbishments I have ever seen of what was (in the 80s!) a pretty derelict relic of the industrial age. I won't, however, be coming back as there are far better options in London for a business traveller (I'm currently Titanium while trying hard not to go back to Ambassador as I want to spend more time at home!) First, as others have noted, the Chambers Lounge has now closed, so there is no business lounge. There is a lobby bar and the separate, beautiful "Booking Hall" which has been refurbished as a bar and restaurant. However, they have a bizarre rule that you cannot use a laptop after 5pm, presumably so as not to disturb the "ambience" and luxury. The Booking Hall was actually closed for two days during my stay for movie filming, which added to inconvenience and reduced the value of the stay overall. Which gets to the heart of the problem. This is a higher end hotel with higher end pricing per night - although we are obviously a long way from Claridges, the Savoy etc. Then we have a mix of people across those staying one night to catch the Eurostar, families and couples there as tourists, as well as business travelers. This leaves the overall feel of the property completely mixed - there is no real profile or target demographic for this hotel. Check in as others have stated is at best not great, not terrible with a relatively small complement of staff. The gym is tiny with barely functioning air conditioning. Yet the hotel wants to position the bar as an uber high end haunt for the jet (or at least Eurostar) set and, Lord forbid, you are absolutely forbidden to do some work after 5pm? But at the same time you've closed the business lounge, making this one of the few Marriotts in the world, anywhere near this price level, without business facilities? My advice is stay once and enjoy the architecture but this is now firmly off my London rotation for business.

I don’t think I’d recommend this if you’re looking for an overnight stay as a treat/for a celebration. We spent a wedding anniversary here (and first child free night for some time) and booked a suite. Greeted at reception by someone quite underwhelming and given a room next to the Royal suite that looked pretty much like a standard bedroom in any chain hotel. We went to reception to ask to change, and things were eventually sorted after lots of ups and downs with packing/unpacking suitcases up and down floors, so not a relaxing start to our weekend. Spa also underwhelming with strong chlorine smell that made my eyes sting like our local council pool, no where to lounge/lay or mixed sex sauna. Things just looked a little tatty about the place - finger smudges on glass and tables, dirty windows, staff not very happy/attentive. The building however, is undoubtedly stunning, elegant and grand, and it did feel special staying inside it for the night. The last time we celebrated we had a night at the Ned (similar prices) and although we’re pleased to have seen inside this landmark hotel, we did talk about how we wished we were back at the Ned instead.

Posting this on multiple review sites. When the staff are rude to you it just ruins your stay. I've stayed here a couple of times recently with family and on business. Mostly very pleasant, the rooms are clean and tidy, you can get some good food at the restaurant and there's plenty of comfortable bars/seating areas to lounge in and relax. There's a spa / gym in the basement which is a little bit hidden away but well worth a visit. I think the problem is they don't have enough staff working the reception desks. Two examples. First example. When I check-in yesterday evening there's only one member of staff checking people in. There's a lovely lady who stands near the door and says hello to you, which is great but she can't help me check in to my room. So I wait there with my bags while the check-in lady serves the family in front of me. At one point she goes to the bar to pour them all drinks, which I'm sure they appreciate, but what about all the other people waiting to be checked in behind them! Is there not some more efficient way of both checking someone in and offering them a drink? When I get checked in I am thanked for my patience, which is great but where's MY drink?! Second example. I want to checkout this morning and get a (preferably hardcopy) invoice for work, so I wait in the queue. There's only one person serving and the lady in front is complaining this is 'the worst trip I've ever had in Europe'. Clearly she has an axe to grind, although I can't help wondering in which continent her overall worst experience was in. The lady serving her is unfortunately talking over her and raising her voice to try and make herself heard, which is only inflaming the situation. Meanwhile the queue is building so I catch the eye of Mr. helpful man in blue vest. Helpful man in blue vest tries his best to get someone else to help. Eventually I am escorted over to another desk where someone, who was behind me in the original queue, is already being served. I point this out to tall blonde lady who is serving her, and get a very dismissive response back: 'We are busy you will just need to wait'. Well firstly, I WAS waiting, very patiently in fact. So patiently that you felt the need to serve someone else before me. Secondly, I am being extremely polite to you and I don't deserve to be dismissed in this way. I don't want a confrontation so I walk out the building, but in hindsight I regret doing so. Unfortunately I have just booked another two night stay there which is non-refundable otherwise I would give this place a swerve. They just need more than one person serving people who want to checkout on a weekday morning/evening, this is pretty standard in other hotels I go to in Europe - and in fact most continents, I would say. That would reduce the level of stress of customers and staff (I'm putting their curtness down to stress/being busy, although really there is no excuse).

What a beautiful building with most original features carefully retained. It’s the perfect location for Eurostar and I wouldn’t hesitate to stay again. Room prices vary but this is fully reflective on the space and standard. If you just want to put your head for the night there are cheaper room options. Great location and fabulous building.

A truly beautifully restored building that has been transformed into a 5 star hotel. Our room was very well appointed, and the bed was very comfortable. My companion said it was one of the best bathrooms she's experienced. Food is served in a delightful, over the top, space. The English breakfast was large enough for a family of four! All associates we met were totally professional and friendly.