By Laura Porter
London Travel Expert, about.com
[post_ads_2]The Royal Horseguards Hotel is a five star luxury hotel close to Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden and London's Theatreland. The Embankment location means some rooms look out towards the River Thames have amazing views directly opposite the London Eye and South Bank.
Heritage Building
The
late Victorian building was designed by Alfred Waterhouse, whose
architectural legacy in London includes the Romanesque style Natural History Museum.
Seen from the other side of The Thames, many think the hotel looks like
a fairytale French château. The neo-Gothic Renaissance Revival style
looks even more stunning in the evening when the hotel is gently
illuminated.
This impressive building was built in 1884 and is
Grade II listed (which means it has special architectural significance
and must be preserved).
The hotel is beautiful both outside and
inside and is often used as a filming location. It has featured in
several films, such as The Constant Gardener, Bond films Octopussy and Skyfall, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part 2), and TV programs Mr Selfridge and Downton Abbey.
History[post_ads_2]
The building began life in 1884 as the National Liberal Club, close to the heart of Westminster politics and the Houses of Parliament.
Indeed the foundation stone in the cellars was laid by Sir William
Gladstone, one of five Club members who went on to serve as Prime
Minister.
From 1909, until his death in 1923, Sir Mansfield
Smith-Cumming was the first Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service,
otherwise known as MI6. The offices were based on the eighth floor and
there is an English Heritage blue plaque on the outside of the building.
He was known as 'C' due to his habit of initialling papers he had read,
and he always used green ink – something MI6 still does today.
During
WWII most of the building was taken over by Government departments; the
fifth floor was used by the Russian Embassy, the sixth floor by the
American Embassy and the seventh floor by the Air Training Corps. It's
said that Winston Churchill and others used secret tunnels within the
building through the cellar in One Whitehall Place (next door), now the hotel's event space.
London's
Metropolitan Police had its headquarters next door until the 1960s and
its telephone number was Whitehall 1212. This historical link is
commemorated in the name of the hotel's British cuisine restaurant: One
Twenty One Two.
The building became a hotel in 1971 and expanded
in 1985. Guoman Hotels acquired the hotel in 2008 and completed a
multi-million pound major refurbishment to make it their flagship hotel
in London. It has been rated as 5 star since 2009.
The Hotel[post_ads_2]
The
hotel is the perfect blend of old and new, celebrating a rich history
yet in tune with today. An immaculate heritage building with up-to-date
technology, all bedrooms have Egyptian cotton bed linen and a 32-inch
satellite plasma TV. There's also complimentary wifi, iPod docking
stations with surround sound, and waterproof LCD TVs in all bathrooms.
The luxurious bathrooms also all have underfloor heating too.
This is a large hotel with 282 bedrooms, including signature suites, many with magnificent views over the Thames.
As
well as the One Twenty One Two Restaurant, there's the Equus late night
bar and afternoon tea in the Lounge. Plus, the secluded outdoor terrace
is a hidden gem – perfect for summer alfresco dining or evening
cocktails. And you could work it all off in the private gym on the
eighth floor.
My Review
The Royal Horseguards is
considered a family-friendly hotel so I wanted to put this to the test. I
went to stay for a night with my nine year old daughter during a school
holiday so we could also try the Royal Horseguards Mini Afternoon Tea.
We stayed in an Executive River View room on the seventh floor which meant our views across The Thames were outstanding.
The
bed was enormous and incredibly comfortable which meant even though you
can hear some traffic noise from the busy Embankment, and trains at
Charing Cross station, we both slept really well. I mention the sounds
so you know how close the hotel is to London background noise but
nothing was obtrusive enough to disturb us.
We stayed at the end
of a busy school holiday week so I needed some rest and this really did
the trick. Our room had two leather armchairs where I sat and read
magazines, and a large desk area where I did a bit of work. There are
electrical outlets by the desk and armchairs but not at the bedside.
The room's lighting is controlled on panels by the door or by the bed to create mood lighting or choose bedside lamps only.
The
hotel knew I was bringing a child so there was a teddy bear waiting on
the bed and child-friendly toiletries too. For younger visitors they can
provide high chairs, cots and more.
I loved the separate shower
area and the deep bath, along with the Elemis toiletries. I had a long
soak in a bubble bath in the evening and watched TV (yes, a TV by the
bath), then had an invigorating shower in the morning under a huge
rainfall showerhead.
We enjoyed the buffet breakfast as there is a
much wider choice than normally found even in nice hotels: three milk
options for cereal and the fresh fruit salad included fruit I'd never
tried before. We'd finished eating before I noticed a whole nother room
with even more buffet options.
Conclusion[post_ads_2]
Whether staying
for business or pleasure the Royal Horseguards is an excellent hotel.
The high standards mean every guest is made to feel like a VIP. I'll be
talking about this wonderful stay for a long time. Definitely
recommended.
Address: The Royal Horseguards, 2 Whitehall Court, Whitehall, London SW1A 2EJ
Tel: 0871 376 9033
Official Website: www.theroyalhorseguards.com
