I am a huge fan of BBC shows that showcase 18th century London scenery. There is something ultra romantic about the ornate mansions and row houses around the city. I can imagine the Victorian ladies with their lace parasols taking a stroll around the block.

For my trip to London, I decided to stay in a converted mansion instead of the usual hotel chains.  Millennium Bailey’s Hotel came up during my search and  I fell in love with the impressive 19th century London mansion that is situated in the affluent Kensington area.  Let’s find out if the interior and hospitality are just as impressive.

Address: 140 Gloucester Road, London, SW7 4QH, United Kingdom

PROS:

• The hotel is perfected located for sightseeing. You can walk to the Natural History Museum, Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens and of course, the Palace.

• It is conveniently located across the London tube Gloucester Road station.
• The rooms are recently renovated and has a highly stylized decor. It conveys a the hip boutique hotel vibe.
• There are plenty of mirrors and good lighting for girls to do their makeup.
• The hair dryer is actually strong!
• The bathroom has rain shower head, a heated towel rack and CO Bigelow products.
• Customer service is prompt and efficient. Management was quick to correct my WiFi connectivity issue.

CONS:

• The room does not come with free water bottles, but it does have a tea kettle with the usual tea variety and instant coffee.
• The bathroom is very small and the sink is half the normal size. This makes it very difficult to wash your face without splashing water everywhere.
• The bed is hard for those who preferred medium to soft mattresses.
• The walls are thin and you can hear incredible amount of foot traffic outside of your door.
• Breakfast is expensive and sub par.

 

FINAL HOTEL ASSESSMENT:

For our hotel’s reviews, we will provide ratings based on the following criteria:

1 (Terrible) to 5 (Excellent)

• Cleanliness: 5

  The Millennium Bailey’s hotel was spotless and lived up to our expectation for a 4 stars hotel.

• Reviews of hotels from various sources (i.e. Trip Advisor) are accurately reflecting the current condition of the accommodation: 5

  The Millennium Bailey’s Hotel received generally positive reviews on various review sites. The comments regarding improvements were in line with La Vie Partagee’s experience during our stay.

• Hotel room description is the same as the booking information website: 3

  My Standard room felt surprising larger due to the expert arrangement of the furniture and decor. I had a recently renovated room that place heavy emphasis on styling to showcase a hip boutique hotel. I appreciated the decor as it made me feel like I am in a more luxurious setting and less of your standard hotel decor. The renovated rooms are not shown on the Millennium Bailey’s hotel website or when I did a google search.

  The official photos:

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  Reality

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• Check In Process: 4

  Customer Service was friendly and speedily. The goal is to get you check in fast and to your room as possible. There are usually only 2 people at the check in desk so the speed depends on when you are checking in and out.

• Food/Beverage Service: 2

  Food was below my expectation. I pre-purchased my breakfast buffet with my hotel booking. The offerings were slim and the quality was questionable.  There seems to be only a choice of toasts, scrambled eggs, dry ham, beans and a fruit platter. It was not worth the price. You are better off going across the street at the various breakfast spots and pubs for food.

• Issue resolution from management: 4

  I had issue with accessing my WiFi and they sent an IT staff right away to trouble shoot. I did not have any issues during my stay.

• Customer Service: 4

  The staff was friendly and accommodating.  They performed their duties, but I did not witness anything extraordinary.

• Spa: N/A – No spa at the hotel

OVERALL RATING: 4.0

Helpful Tips!

• If you are flying in early morning, contact the hotel to see if you can check in early.  I did that and they were accommodating when I showed up at 8 am in the morning.
• There is free public WiFi at the hotel public spaces.

For more articles, visit our TRAVEL page.

Author: Thai-Anh Hoang

Featured photos and hotel photos are courtesy of Millennium Bailey’s Hotel