Hilton London Paddington

We need to stay in London reasonably often and usually tend to stay west of the city. For once rates at the Paddington Hilton were acceptable (although still £200+), so we thought we would give it a go. We arrived early and knew that a room may not be ready, which it was not. We were offered to upgrade to a suite that was (for a cost), but we declined on the basis that working from the Executive Lounge would be fine for a couple of hours. The Executive Lounge is a decent space and has a good view of Paddington platforms, so you can watch the world go by. Sadly it lacks sunlight (often not a problem in London), but aside from that the lounge was comfortable and well run. Around 1pm a trip back to reception confirmed that our room was ready and that due to status we had been upgrade to one of the Tower rooms. The room was a very good size with a decent area off to the side for luggage, jackets and shoes, plus a stool to sit on for putting on shoes, ideally something all hotel rooms would have! The bed was an excellent size, as was the desk. The television was also large, but in such a big room still seemed quite small. The only thing missing from the room was a fridge, which I thought was odd for a high-tier room. There certainly used to be one in the cupboard as you could see the space where an old one had been, but this had not been replaced. That was my only criticism of this room. Getting to the room was slightly frustrating, as it required two different lifts and a fair amount of walking. With minimal luggage this is fine, but with more it was slightly frustrating. The bathroom was an excellent size with a separate walk-in shower and bath. The toilet also had a door, which is always appreciated when sharing the room, but there was no self in the toilet for personal items, which I appreciate wouldn’t bother everyone. The breakfast selection in the main restaurant was very good and set us up well for day. I had a decent cooked-to order omelette. Due to the location of this hotel it seems to be constantly busy. Certainly if you are arriving by train and the rates are acceptable, it is a good choice. However, due to the number of guests, be prepared to wait at reception while everyone is dealt with. The front desk team seemed to have to work very hard here compared to other hotels I have visited. Credit to them. We would be more than happy to stay here again, if the rate was competitive.