London Marriott County Hall
BACKGROUND The former London County Hall, which opened in 1922, closed in 1986 and now houses various businesses as well as two hotels – a Premier Inn and this one, which opened back in 1998. It recently completed a multimillion-pound renovation of all guest rooms and many of the public areas.
WHAT’S IT LIKE? The renovation has replaced a lot of the old red and yellow colour scheme and is now much more modern, without this being incongruous. The ground-level parquet floors and wood panelling remain, as do the high ceilings and intricate detailing of some of the plasterwork, but all rooms have been redecorated, the corridors re-carpeted, and modern, locally appropriate art and furnishings introduced, with the serpentine course of the Thames being one of the design themes.
The hotel has quite a strange shape and, depending on where your room is, there are long corridors to walk down, but this is made more interesting by the art and colour, and the wallpaper with bowler hat and umbrella prints. By each lift there’s a modern art display made of Penguin books.
WHERE IS IT? By Westminster Bridge on the South Bank. The closest tube station is Westminster, on the other side of the bridge, so a taxi might be more convenient if you have luggage.
ROOM FACILITIES The 206 rooms, which include 12 suites, are on floors one to six. They all have different layouts and views, principally of the Thames, the nearby Jubilee Gardens or the interior courtyard, with prices varying accordingly. In total, 80 per cent face outward, with the rest facing the courtyard. Entry-level Deluxe rooms (there are 82 of these) measure 30 sqm and have Nespresso machines, safes, work desks, plenty of power points (including European and US), and lovely black and white bathrooms featuring Floris amenities and wallpaper with a 1920s print of a London map. Nice touches are umbrellas in every room, orange chairs (a nod to the chairs that were once in the County Hall building) and the detailing on the art decostyle furniture. Other categories are River Thames View, Big Ben View, Junior suite, Balcony suite, one-bedroom Executive and the Westminster suite.
Wifi is £7.50/`601 per day for standard access and £15/`1,202 for full speed, although the lower speed is free for gold and platinum Marriott Rewards members who book at marriott.com. Gold and platinum members and suite guests can also use the fifth-floor executive lounge, although this was closed for renovation at the time of my stay (it has since opened). It serves a continental breakfast, plus drinks and canapés from 5.30pm-7.30pm.
RESTAURANTS AND BARS The hotel’s main restaurant and bar is Gillray’s Steakhouse and Bar, which has excellent views across the river and a huge choice of gins behind the bar. Just opposite the entrance is the Noes Lobby Champagne bar. The hotel also offers afternoon tea in the Library Lounge. MEETING FACILITIES There are ten event and meeting rooms on the ground floor; the maximum capacity is 100. They have a variety of layouts, natural light and the wood panelling and artworks give a real sense of the building’s history.
LEISURE FACILITIES These include a 25-metre pool and a large fitness centre. The hotel sells private memberships to these, which means there are classes you can join.Visit the reception on the fifth floor to get a code to access the facilities, which are open 5.30am-11pm daily.
VERDICT An excellent renovation of this historic property in a convenient location – try to get a view of the Thames and the Houses of Parliament.
TESTED BY
Tom Otley
HOW MANY ROOMS?
206 rooms and suites.
HIGHLIGHTS
Views of the Thames and the Houses of Parliament.
PRICE
Internet rates for a flexible midweek stay in June started from £412/`32,979 for a Deluxe room.
CONTACT
Westminster Bridge Road; tel +44 (0)20 7928 5200; londonmarriottcountyhall. co.uk FREE WIFI 24hr ROOM SERVICE 2 RESTAURANTS 11 MEETING ROOMS