During a recent trip to the United Kingdom, my wife and I spent four nights at the Great Scotland Yard Hotel, one night in Cambridge at the University Arms Hotel, and our final night back in London at the Bankside Hotel where I used a Marriott 85K free night certificate to cover our stay. At check-in we were warmly greeted and given a glass of wine each. We we were very pleasantly surprised at how good the wine was! Next we were informed that we had been upgraded to a suite. This was a great start to what turned out to be a very pleasant one night stay.
Bankside Hotel London Bottom Line Review
The Bankside Hotel is a terrific option for anyone looking to stay on London’s south bank (the south side of the River Thames). Nearby you’ll find the Tate Modern museum, Shakespeare’s Glob Theatre, the Millennium Bridge, Borough Market, and great views of St. Paul’s Cathedral. Just a bit farther you’ll find the London Eye and great views of Big Ben across the river. The hotel is also just steps away from Blackfriar’s railway station and an easy walk over the bridge to Blackfriar’s tube station. You won’t get the feel of classic old-style London here, but it’s easy to get around, and rooms are much bigger than you’ll typically find on the north side of the river.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Stunning hotel: both the common areas and our bedroom were gorgeous
- Excellent check-in experience: fast, friendly, and offered welcome drinks (we chose wine which was surprisingly very good)
- Wonderful elite recognition:
- Upgraded to a suite (I tried applying a Nightly Upgrade Award to get into the hotel’s biggest suite, but that didn’t work. Fortunately, we were upgraded to a nice suite anyway).
- Welcome gift in room, in addition to our choice of welcome gift: 8 GBP or 1,000 points.
- Free breakfast buffet
- 4PM late checkout offered
- Mini-bar items are complimentary
- Every floor has water refill stations
- Bottom floor includes a very nice little art gallery
Cons
- Very modern: if you’re looking for old-world charm, this isn’t the hotel (or the neighborhood) for you. Instead, consider either Hyatt’s Great Scotland Yard Hotel or, better yet (for old-world charm), IHG’s Kimpton Fitzroy.
- Expensive: Rooms typically go for over $600 per night for refundable bookings. Point prices usually range from 62,000 to 78,000 points per night (but I’ve seen as low as 56K per night and as high as 92K per night).
Additional details
- Cash price: Rooms typically go for over $600 per night for refundable bookings.
- Point price: Usually range from 62,000 to 78,000 points per night (but I’ve seen as low as 56K per night and as high as 92K per night).
- Point value: Good. I believe that you’ll usually get around 1 cent per point value or better when compared to the hotel’s refundable rate.
- Destination fee: none
- Location: Very good central location, but not great if you’re looking for old-world charm.
- Marriott Titanium Benefits:
- Room Upgrade: We booked a standard room and were proactively upgraded to a suite.
- Free Breakfast: The hotel offers a good full buffet, which is completely free for Platinum elites and higher.
- Club Lounge: None.
- Late Checkout: We were offered 4pm checkout but didn’t need it.
- Welcome Amenity: We were offered our choice of 1,000 points or 8 GBP food & beverage credit (we chose the latter). Additionally, there were some welcome treats in our room.
- Would I stay again? If I had occasion to stay in that part of London again, yes I’d happily stay here again. That said, I much prefer the Bloomsbury area (where the Kimpton Fitzroy is).
Image Gallery
Common Areas
Restaurant: Art Yard Bar & Kitchen
Suite
Gym
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