My friend Victoria came to visit so that we could go to the NHM Lates last Friday and had planned on staying at mine but when I realised that one of those cracking £29.99 LastMinue.com secret hotel deals was available the same night I took a gamble and booked it anyway.
The hotel turned out to be the Park Plaza Riverbank, a little further away than I would have liked but still closer than my flat and a cracking chance to explore another four star hotel in London.
Victoria got to London in the morning while I was still at work and went to leave her bag at the hotel. When she enquired about it she was told that the room was in fact already vacant and that she could check in if she liked. Now this didn’t bother me personally but it does seem like a massive security risk. Victoria had none of the details of the booking apart from my name nor was her name listed anywhere in fact she could have been anyone from the street who just happened to know that I was staying there for the evening. So any of my Twitter followers then… makes you think about what information you give out to people doesn’t it?
Obviously when I arrived Victoria had already got herself settled into the room so I couldn’t take any photos but she did take a couple for me when she arrived. The room was very lightly Chinese themed which fits in with the hotel’s restaurant; Chino Latino.
The room was pretty big by London standards and had a huge comfy bed. I loved the little stationary drawer hidden under the desk. The TV was a reasonable size and I liked that the kettle and tea things had their own little hidey hole too.
The best thing about the room though was the bathroom. It was positively huge! Like I walked in and actually said wow out loud. Not only did it have a bath with shower head but it had a separate shower cubicle as well. It was really gorgeous and came with some lovely Elemis toiletries too.
Our view from the window wasn’t the best as there is construction happening next door at the moment (and likely to be for some time) but we could just about see the river. Rooms at the front of the building must have terrific views!
Despite the construction (they are also adding more floors at the top of the hotel) we weren’t bothered with any noise issues during our stay which was great although we did get to see some builders in action which was quite fun.
We didn’t eat at the hotel restaurant or use any of the amenities so I can’t comment on those. As Victoria checked in and checkout was very quick I can’t really comment on the service either but there were certainly no issues. Rooms start from around £150/night on the advance saver rate which is pretty cheap by London standards and it really is a great location if you want to be close to the main sights like Big Ben and the London Eye.
Congrats for the great deal, wow! And this in London.. Is the hotel good located in regard of public transportation?
The room looks quite nice, although I agree that there was a bit of a security risk when checking in!