Hilton London Kensington Hotel

, London, United Kingdom
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Hilton London Kensington Hotel

4 star

Rooms: 601

179-199 Holland Park Avenue - London - England - W11 4UL - United Kingdom Hotel Website | | 44 02076033355
1107 Traveller

Reviews - Hilton London Kensington Hotel

8/10
Good and bad.....
Submitted by: JT in 05/10/08
  • Age Group: 51 - 60
  • From: United States
  • Traveller type: Budget Traveller
My room on the 1st floor was very nice, much larger than than I expected. However, the doors were difficult to close and this was very annoying when resting or trying to sleep. The acoustics weren't very good as you could hear people in the hallway talking in normal voices. The lobby desk staff were snooty and not very helpful, but the restaurant staff were very nice and the customer service was excellent. The only hesitation I would have is the noise level from the hallways and doors slamming if you're a light sleeper like I am. Otherwise, great bargain and location to the tubes.
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7/10
Good hotel
Submitted by: Oliver Brasley in 19/03/07
  • Age Group: 26 - 30
  • From: Sweden
  • Traveller type: Young Couple
Hi, I stayed for the New Year's celebrations. Although the hotel is old and I still liked it. Breakfast has a lot to choose from. The area is also quite and green. Although, bathrooms are old and not convenient. Staff are friendly.
9/10
Great Service and Comfortable Room
Submitted by: Richard Marquez in 06/06/06
  • Age Group: 51 - 60
  • From: United States
  • Traveller type: Adventurer
I recently stayed at the Hilton London Kensington and I have to say, it was the most comfortable Hotel. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful. The concierge was extememly helpful in organizing and setting up our tours in and around London along with our trip to Paris. There is a bus stop just in front of you hotel and short walks to the undereground. Not far is a
star bucks to the left and to the right of the hotel with a few places to eat that were reasonably priced. However, attractions are a bit far from the hotel but having the bus and underground so close, made it easy to get to. I would recommend this hotel to everyone who is staying in london and I will stay here again on my next trip to London.

Historical Traveller Reviews of Hilton London Kensington Hotel

t the greatest!

from Frqflier
I have stayed at this hotel 3 times and I keep coming back for several reasons. The rates that I get at the Hilton website, especially the non-refundable rates, are excellent. I recently stayed for 69 GBP a night.

The location is definitely not the greatest and as many people have pointed out it's about a 7 or 8 minute pleasant walk to the Holland Park tube station and probably a 5 minute not-too-pleasant walk under a busy intersection to the Shepard's Bush hotel. It's a perfectly safe and fine neighborhood just dull with nothing really, really nearby although Notting Hill is a short walk away.

Previous postings about this hotel are quite accurate. Check-in can be excruciatingly slow but I've also had times where I'm the only person checking in and it's highly efficient.

The comments about the buffet are accurate although it's a decent buffet. And comments about the rooms may or may not be correct. Let's face it. London hotel rooms don't tend to be as spacious as in other parts of the world. But I've never found the Kensington hotel room size to be an issue. They've always had a double bed and a small but ample bathroom.

It's a busy hotel with a fair number of tour groups and airline staff staying there which may explain the hit or miss aspect to check-in. If you get there when these large groups are arriving it can be slow.

But on balance this is a fine, fine hotel and if you're a leisure tourist with a great rate I think you'll have very few complaints about this hotel. It's thoroughly representative of the Hilton brand and I keep coming back whenever I'm in London based on the very, very attractive rates I seem to get at this property.
I would recommend this place.

Great Location

from A TripAdvisor Member
It took me awhile to find a Hotel to stay in London, since there are tons of hotels there. I must say, I was hesitant to get a low cost accomodation, due to some negative feedbacks I read from this site, so to play it safe, I chose a hotel chain. Hilton Kensington, Location is very good, very accesible to bus stop (just in front of the hotel) and subway (a little 7 minutes walk from the station). If you're planning to take buses and subway, do buy a travel card before going to London, available in 1,3,7 days and it's worth it. You can just jump in any buses and subway even railways without queing to buy tickets and thinking of having an exact fare. Very convenient. Room is good size for 2 person, clean and comfortable. Breakfast buffet which was inclusive in our rate was great, although staying for 1 week in the hotel and eating the same breakfast everyday was not a good idea. Although, my only disappointment was about the staffs, during a busy day, there are only 3 staffs at the front desk, and they seems to have a slow service, having me qued for more than 30mins just to check in. And staffs are not that helpful and friendly.

Small rooms, OK location, could be better

from A TripAdvisor Member
We stayed in this Hilton Kensington in October 2004. London being as pricey as it is, we got a room here via Priceline for US$150 per nite total. The hotel is located near Notting Hill and Hyde Park and is about a 8 minute walk to the Holland Park Tube station. There is a direct airport bus from Heathrow, but we were told that the service would be discountinued by the end of this year. The rooms themselves were very small. Barely enough room to change your mind. The closets had hangers that hang your clothes sideways (to save space). Our room on the 5th floor had an extremely irritating toilet, which you had to flush about 8 or more times before you were able to get rid of the waste. Very annoying for us, as well as for our neighbors, i'm sure. We only stayed two nites so not worth it trying to switch rooms. The dining room had a long line for the breakfast buffet (which we didn't try).

had a great stay staff friendly and helpful

from A TripAdvisor Member
we have just returned from a trip in england and stayed at the hilton kensington hotel for 4 nights [oct 04] We had a double room on the 5th floor and found the room to be clean and quite a good size the bathroom was small but it had a double shower the room had a desk and 2 chairs which most london hotels will not fit in.The staff are very helpful and friendly and will help with luggage taxi,s etc although taxi service is usually right outside the door a bus stop is also outside the hotel and a pick up point for the london bus tour picks up across the rd.The hotel had 3 Eating areas and a bar to sit in at night. each night the staff in the bar bring a complimentary bowl of savoury snacks to the tables expect to pay over the odds for drinks and food but you can eat in several other places just a short walk away.We found the hall ways to be a little tired and in need of refurbishment and brought that to the attention on the customer survey that you get in your room we recieved a lovely letter when we got home telling us they will rectify this matter and to let them know when we stay again. we have recommended the hotel to friends nad will stay at the hotel when we are in london again the price we paid was very reasonable and it surprise me some of the poor comments in this review page maybe these people should pay a lot more and stop at a 5 star hotel not a 4 star

Demand room on first or second floor

from A TripAdvisor Member
We stayed at this hotel for a total of five nights on two different visits. It was recommended by Insight Tours, a company that we thought had better booking connections. Our first room at the hotel had non working room telephones and television (we missed important messages as messages are printed on the television); out dated furniture; worn carpeting, and we could hear the toilets flushing from rooms above us all night long. We requested a different room: it had no bedding on the beds and we tripped going into the room because of torn carpeting. Our third room ( on the renovated second floor) was decent, but small. The management turned off the air conditioning (which was still needed in our mid September visit); if we wanted any air circulation, we had to try to tolerate the noise from Holland Park Road. We insisted on a room on the second or first floor on our second visit....room was fine. If one plans on using this out of the way hotel, insist on a room on the first or second floor (renovated rooms).

recommended

from BillStickers_7
I stayed at the Hilton Kensington for three days in September 2004 and recommend it. The single rooms are more than twice the size of what I’ve had elsewhere in the city (though not as large as an American Hilton). The price was moderate and the room was very clean. The walls and windows were thick enough to block most noise from the street and other rooms. But the plumbing could clearly be heard when my neighbors started showering. More than that, the pipes screeched at times making sleep impossible when my neighbors started their morning bathroom routine.

Other downsides of the hotel: it’s not as conveniently located to a tube station as other properties. But the walk to the Holland Park stop is not unpleasant and has a café, a market, a pub along the way. There is also a bus stop right in front of the hotel. Not only the city busses stop there, so does the shuttle to Heathrow which makes getting to the airport a breeze. There was a gaffe at the front desk, as well. They somehow listed me as a member of a tourist group to which I didn’t belong. This involved a 6:30am wake up call I didn’t request, followed up by a bell hop barging into my room while I was still in bed insisting that he needed to take my luggage and me trying to explain that I didn’t leave until the next morning.

Never Again

from GlenanneTraveller
Having arrived at the hotel after a tiring journey I was quite looking forward to staying at the Hilton. As soon as I opened the door to my room I was met by the strong smell of cigarette smoke - I had specifically asked for a non-smoking room. A quick glance to the left into the bathroom (I didn't venture into it) revealed a toilet bowl plastered, and I mean plastered, with excrement. I managed to find the telephone, in the dark as the main light did not work, and called reception. A few minutes later I was met outside the room by the duty manager .... to say I wasn't pleased is an understatement. After venting my anger the duty manager showed me to another room, having blamed the cleaners for the sorry state of the accommodation. The second room was adequate although the decor had seen better days and I couldn't stand upright in the shower ... I'm quite tall but anyone over 5'8" would have to shower with their knuckles dragging on the floor of the bath (no separate shower). I travel regularly, both with work and on holiday, and I have never had an experience like that provided by the Hilton Kensington. Not to be repeated.

good place to staywhen visiting London

from Emil48
Our first trip to London and I was expecting really small rooms, ours was jsut like a room in the states. From the airport you take a convient bus and the hotel is the first stop on the route. There is a tube entrance just minutes from the hotel, which was really convient, when we came back in the evening if we had not eaten there are several really nice place to chose from between the subway and teh hotel. Convient , Clean, Helpful and friendly what more can I say

Hilton Kensinton OK

from A TripAdvisor Member
Hilton Kensington: Older Hilton with 7 floors. Room small but clean and maid service good. Staff very good to OK. Fancy lobby with 3 places to eat and shop. Taxi cabs usually outside from 4 am onwards and bus stops right outside. Tube stop about 6 block walk. Our room was quiet and slept well. Only problem was a/c was poor and room never got "cold" on a warm night. Problem was addressed well by staff: gave us fan and sent maintance man up to check. Since it cooled off the next night was not a problem for rest of stay, but would be concerned if they have another hot summer in London. Would recommend to friends.

Thought it was great!!

from A TripAdvisor Member
I stayed at the Hilton January 1-4, 2004, and was thoroughtly surprised at how nice my room was, given some of the reviews I had read about this hotel. My room (and bathroom) was very spacious and clean, and it appeared to have been redone fairly recently. Also numerous cable TV channels. I am a Hilton Gold Honors member, so that may have helped me avoid the bad rooms that are described in other reviews. However, I was also paying for my room with Hilton points, so considering that I was getting it for free, it seems likely that I would have been relegated to a lesser room. I really enjoyed the location--it is a little farther out of central London than would be ideal, but the surrounding neighborhood is beautiful--full of old homes and mansions. The walk to the Holland Park Underground stop is about 5 minutes. There are several decent restaurants within a short walk of the hotel--my favorite was one that had one of the few non-smoking sections in any of the restaurants in London so I ate several dinners there. Notting Hill and the Portobello Market are also closeby--both extremely interesting areas to stroll in. Overall, I thought this hotel was great--excellent location, good surroundings, good access.

Top Local Tips for London

Free, quirky museum: Sir John Soane Museum This museum has free admission, and a few quirks. Be prepared to leave any bag larger than a medium-sized purse at the entryway check-in. Sign the guest book! No photos allowed, but there is so much to see you won't need to! Soane collected bits and pieces of EVERYTHING, and crammed his house (and the one next door) full of it! Download the podcast tour (narrated/introduced by Stephen Fry) before visiting for a guided tour. When in the Picture Room, ask the guard on duty to open the "walls" to see the extra paintings and prints!

Great London Hotel Stay at the Novotel Euston. Consistently great hotel with excellent location, next to British Library

Use the Tube I am so glad that we used the tube to get around. It is amazing user friendly and inexpensive. I bought a three day card for zones one and two before we left the U.S. and was glad I did. Almost evey attraction a tourist would want to visit is within zones one and two. The London Underground website is also helpful in planning your route(s) and announces temporary shutdowns of certain lines.

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Other names for Hilton London Kensington Hotel

  • london hilton
  • hilton london kensington
  • hilton london
  • hilton kensington
  • hilton international london
  • Address: 179-199 Holland Park Avenue - London - England - W11 4UL - United Kingdom
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