Hotel review: Hilton London Kensington

If you are looking for a family friendly hotel when visiting London, then it’s well worth taking a look at the Hilton London Kensington.

This is our review of our two night city break at the Hilton London Kensington.

Background

The Hilton London Kensington is a four star and one of the largest hotels in London. The hotel is huge, with over 600 rooms yet the personal service we received during our stay would rival that of a small intimate hotel.

The hotel is geared up for families with a kids area at breakfast, interconnecting family rooms and if you wanted extra space there are also suites available.

Where is it?

The hotel was the perfect base for us to explore London, located on the western end of Holland Park Avenue. The nearest underground station, Shepherds Bush was a 5 minute walk away which easily connected us to all of the attractions we needed to visit in London.

Although there is no swimming pool or spa facilities here, it’s the hotels location to explore London which will make it a popular option for families. One of the largest shopping malls in Europe, Westfield London is also a 5 minute walk away and home to family friendly attractions such as KidZania London, PuttShack adventure golf and All Star Lanes bowling.

If you visit during the festive period like we did, there was also a great ice skating rink here at Westfield and every shop that you could think of to do your Christmas shopping.

Arrival

We’d arrived at the hotel mid-morning after arriving in London by train at London Paddington. The journey from Paddington to the hotel was simple and quick and we chose to take a taxi for the short trip rather than struggling to try and use the tube with large suitcases.

The lobby area was large and welcoming and by the time we had reached the check-in desk, we had been greeted by several of the hotel’s staff, creating a great first impression.

Our check-in was one of the best that we have received at any Hilton across the world, with a really friendly and helpful member of staff checking us in. Our rooms were ready after a short wait, even though we were four hours earlier than the check-in time.

As Hilton Gold members we were also provided with a small box of chocolates as a thank you for our loyalty, which I thought was another really nice personal touch welcoming us to the hotel.

Staff were really friendly and attentive and this high level of customer service continued until we checked out, 2 days later.

Our Room

When we got to our room and opened the door (there were actually 3 doors to choose from) we were taken aback just how large our room was.

Not only that but as we had been upgraded to a two bedroom suite there were three televisions, two bathrooms and a large separate living area so it was perfect for us as a family, providing an apartment size space for our 3 days in London.

Our room had two separate bedrooms, one with a queen sized bed and the children’s bedroom had twin beds interconnected by a large living room space.

The girls in particular were more than happy to relax in their own room of our suite, using the free high speed wifi for their iPads or watching their favourite programmes on their TV.

We never travel light even for short weekend breaks and our room had plenty of storage space and all the facilities required for a comfortable stay including:

Air conditioning
Safe, hairdryer, iron and ironing board,
Tea and coffee making facilities
Complimentary still and sparkling water for Hilton Gold guests
High speed WiFi

The suite at the Hilton London Kensington also offered upgraded facilities over their standard rooms such bathrobes and slippers.

Our room was clean but was starting to show its age and looking a little tired. It needs a refresh to bring it up to the modern standards that you would expect at a 4-star Hilton property. The bathrooms were also needing modernisation, I’m not a fan of a shower curtain and these were present in the two bathrooms in our suite and at the bathroom in my parents room.

I liked the subtle references to London in the artwork in the living room area of our suite.

After settling into the hotel, we headed to London’s “Theatreland” where we had tickets to watch one of the latest stage productions, Back to the Future the Musical. This was so good and I highly recommend it, with an amazing cast, and jaw dropping scenes and special effects that did make you feel you were in the movie.

After a busy day in London, we returned to our room and found a hand written note from the hotel’s management along with macarons, cookies and drinks, welcoming us to the hotel. This was a greatly appreciated gesture and its these this attention to detail that added the personal touch to our stay.

For a hotel of this size it was surprising there was no executive lounge at the Hilton London Kensington. Having this facility would have been a welcome addition to relax and enjoy evening refreshments after busy days in London.

However we did have a separate lounge area in our suite that provided us with the extra space needed to chill out in in the evenings when we returned back to the hotel.

Food and Drink

Served at West Eleven, breakfast at the Hilton London Kensington runs daily from 7am to 11am. As we arrived we were greeted with a smile and shown to our table each morning.

The breakfast buffet here is substantial, filled with hot and cold items from fruit, yoghurts and pastries to a full English breakfast. For children, the hotel offers a breakfast kid’s corner featuring cereals, fruit and a highlight for the girls were the jam doughnuts.

It was one of the best breakfast offerings we have seen from a Hilton hotel post Covid, and was a great way to set us up for a busy days of sightseeing in London.

Overall and is it family friendly?

Definitely, from the moment we arrived the whole family was taken care of. The level of service received during our stay was exceptional and this high level of customer service is a credit to the hotel management because it really does make a difference during your stay.

The hotel provides a great base for families to explore London at a reasonable price. Yes, the rooms need modernisation but they are more than adequate for a short city break to London.

Ready to book?

Prices at the Hilton London Kensington when booking direct at Hilton.com start from £172 per night for a double deluxe room and £243 for a junior suite.