Kimpton London Fitzroy

"Our ten-day stay at the Kimpton Fitzroy this October began before we arrived, with Sarah and Tru in reservations, who worked with us to secure exactly the room we wanted. That set the tone for everything that followed. Breakfast was a daily highlight. Chalida, Fedro, Lena, Johnnie and Tolva were warm, friendly and extremely competent. The buffet, both hot and cold, was excellent, and if you have a specific request, they will make it happen. Dinner at Fitz's was a wonderful dining experience. The food was excellent. Marina, our server, was consistently excellent, and Edgar is a great maître d'. The concierges, Joseph and Ben, were incredibly helpful with everything we asked of them. And be sure to ask for Mick from engineering. He is a wonderful guide to the hotel, and his personal tour was one of the highlights of our stay. The building itself is classically beautiful: mosaic floors, wood paneling, working fireplaces and candles, stained glass windows. Behind all of that, the modern amenities are quietly in place, including great WiFi and a very well equipped gym. Our room was very well appointed and quiet, a true home away from home. The location is perfect, with the park at Russell Square directly across the street. But what makes the Kimpton Fitzroy special is the people. We can't wait to return."

"Fabulous customer service, especially Christine at the front desk, Christina R. at Fitz's, and Roksana I. of Guest Relations. I always spend a lot of time working in my room, and Roksana chose the perfect room layout for me. Christina R. remembered my specific coffee order and made it to perfection each time."

"This 19th century hotel has very interesting and historical architectural features. Read to the end for an interesting fact about that. It is richly appointed in marble and dark wood. The location is very good. I was there on a post-cruise visit along with others and the capabilities of the hotel were strained, especially housekeeping. So we were off the boat early in the morning and had one touristic stop. First thing, they failed at the check-in. We were there by 1:00 p.m. and check in was supposed to be by 3:00. The room was not ready for us, nor for others in our group by that time. The housekeeping staff was struggling to keep up. We went out and came back at about 4:30 and it was ready, but the luggage had not been brought up. All they had was more excuses and I had to insist on it. Sure, they had a lot of guests coming in, but that was expected. Understaffing is a management problem. They did have lots of people in Reception so the queue went quickly. The lobby is beautiful, very ornate. It seems a bit close but it has many nice spaces. I heard there was a bigger more open space but never found it. On our last day the room was not serviced by 3:30 so we just ordered up some TP and towels. Hanging the service tag is recommended. Then the room. This is an old place. The room is small. There is one luggage stand and little place for our luggage. It has a bed, a small round table and a chair and a stool, and one luggage stand. The round table has some little room and a Nespresso coffee machine, that is very nice; real milk in the fridge!. The closet is small and there is a safe and some shelves. There are no drawers to put the clothes in, just two small ones in the nightstands. The television is mounted on the wall perpendicular to the bed and there is no good place to watch it. There is nothing worth watching on anyway. You can turn it about 45 degrees toward the bed. Sit on the bed or the stool or the one chair. There is no window in the room, just a couple of small louvres high up, like a medieval cell. There are two nightstands and a rotary dial phone, how quaint. Just dial O for everything. The problem is that for me, they did not pick up more often than they did. Staff was always friendly and very responsive to requests. The WiFi has a strong signal and is fast. Everything seems quite clean. Then the bathroom. It is spacious, about two-thirds the size as the room. The first thing was to use the toilet. They have little cards all around telling how “green” they are, and you can be too. Just hang this one on the door to refuse housekeeping. How environmentally friendly! Then I flush and the jobbie will not go down. This is not a low-flow toilet, it uses what seems like several gallons each flush. I had to flush it six times before it was clean. There is no ventilation except the window, which opens onto a small inaccessible roof, and the view out is a brick wall and some statuary. Glad I brought the Poo-pourri spray. The tub is large and very high and if you have mobility issues, you should request a lower one. You have to climb over, beware of slip and fall. There is a heated towel rack but they only turn it on for one hour twice a day because they are “environmentally conscious.” So, the towels are never really warm. I asked to turn it on longer but that was an engineering challenge that turned into a worse bother. The shower fixtures were nice and the water was hot. Robes and slippers are provided. In the morning I went to see the included breakfast. I found a waiting room full of people waiting for a table, 10-15 minute wait, I was told. I never got in, but they say it looks like the dining room on the Titanic. This hotel seemed incapable of properly handling the guests that Viking has booked here. Maybe I am spoiled by the cruise. On the last day it was full but available, however there was a queue when we left. The room was always full. The food was very good. The building was designed by Charles Fitzroy Doll, who also designed the dining room of the Titanic. Because of his ornate and beautiful designs, he gave us the expression to “get dolled up.” On the balustrade of the second floor there is a gold sculpture of a dragon that had its twin on the Titanic. The surviving one has been dubbed “Lucky George” and rubbing his head is said to bring good luck. Lots of more modern hotels in the area, I would look into them next time for a better room experience."