By Laura Porter
London Travel Expert, about.com
London's May Fair Hotel is known for hosting London Fashion Week and the BFI London Film Festival making it one of the coolest places to be in London. The May Fair Bar is popular with A-listers and the hotel has long had a connection with celebrities.
The May Fair Hotel was opened in 1927 by King George V
and Queen Mary. From the start, it was considered one of the most
elegant hotels in Europe and hosted decadent parties for the rich and
famous. Celebrity association has included Muhammad Ali, Bob Dylan and Marianne Faithfull who all enjoyed staying in the luxurious suites.
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The
area is all about the wealth and old-school glamour. The Queen was born
just around the corner and her childhood home was nearby on Piccadilly.
The hotel has also been the backdrop for photo shoots for top fashion magazines, for music videos including Nobody Knows by Pink, and for movies including Clint Eastwood's Hereafter starring Matt Damon.
In 2004 the hotel started a £75 million complete refurbishment was new wings and floors added.
There are over 400 bedrooms with 11 signature
suites, including 3 duplex suites, and the rooms are considered to be
among the largest per category in London. (I stayed in a King Size
Deluxe Room and must say it felt huge. See my review below.)
The
May Fair Kitchen is the hotel restaurant and it specializes in the
freshest ingredients which is why, on the seafood table, there are live
lobsters and prawns for you to choose.
There is also a Cigar Room,
private cinema, gym, spa and casino. The Palm Beach Casino is in The
May Fair's former Grand Art Deco Ballroom and features one of the
largest gaming rooms in London.
My May Fair Hotel Review
First impressions, even from outside, are good as the hotel has large Union Jack flags above the door and a line of classic black cabs outside. Smart Doormen help guests from their cars and bring luggage and shopping inside.
We
found staff to be really welcoming, check-in was easy, and we were
walked to our room. We stayed in a King Size Deluxe Room and it felt
very large, and not just compared to London hotel sizes which can be
small.
The bathroom had two basins, a bath and a walk-in shower.
There was a large mirror over the basins and a full-length mirror in the
wardrobe area of the bathroom. I would have liked to see an additional
magnifying mirror (for men for shaving and for women for make-up).
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at the in-room freebies, the toiletries were refillable bottles so
there was no environmental waste there, and there was complimentary tea
and coffee but no biscuits. The minibar rates were a bit steep (£3.50
for a can of Coke) so you may prefer to either treat yourself in the
Mayfair Bar or get what you need at the grocery store across the road.
Two bottles of mineral water were provided. It was a shame we couldn't
use the fridge for the water but if you removed anything from the
minibar it would be added to your account. This also meant we couldn't
have fresh milk for tea and coffee but milk cartons were provided.
The
wifi was also complimentary but while it is listed as being "100MB high
speed wireless Internet throughout the hotel" I found it often
painfully slow on my laptop - more like 0.5Mbps - but was fine for my
phone.
The hotel also has a 24 hour business centre for guests to use with computers, printers, and photocopying facilities.
There
was no in-room brochure but, I think, that could be accessed on the
large Samsung TV. But as there were over 400 complimentary TV channels
my daughter took control of the remote control so I didn't investigate. I
did find the TV channels a bit hard to navigate without a print-out but
we just flicked through and stopped when we liked something.
Our
room's decor was simple taupe walls, with a few prints, and vibrant red
upholstery. It was great having a large table with two chairs that was
actually big enough for two to sit together, plus a large armchair too
so you don't have to sit on the bed to watch TV.
I saw "an iPod
station" in each room listed yet we didn't have one, but I also didn't
need one as the TV channels included many radio stations.
By the
table there was a UK and US plug socket but only one side of the bed had
just a UK plug socket. I plugged my phone in to charge overnight and
would have preferred the socket to not have a red light as I could see
it on the dark.
[post_ads]When we went down to The May Fair Kitchen for
dinner, our room had an evening turndown service. The bed linen was
turned down, the bins were emptied and a general tidy took place. There
was no chocolate or mint left on the bed, which I didn't mind, but more
water would have been nice.
The May Fair Kitchen deserves a
special mention as the staff are fantastic. We were taken to see the
seafood table, with live lobster and prawns, and you can see the meat
too to help you decide. Once seated at our table, the steaks were
explained, as well as other dishes, and recommendations were offered.
The
restaurant has relaxing background music, and I enjoyed looking out of
the ground floor window at the front of the hotel at a line of black
cabs outside, and the occasional double decker bus going past. Plus the
food is delicious.
Back in the room, the bed was really
comfortable and we slept well. We didn't hear any sounds from within the
hotel or from the street which is impressive in such a central
location.
We also enjoyed breakfast in the May Fair Kitchen which included a high-quality hot and cold buffet.
There
was no comments form in the room so I forgot to mention the light bulb
that needed replacing in the bathroom, and the shower gel that needed
refilling but I expect Housekeeping would notice these things anyway
when servicing the room.
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While I've pointed out tiny niggles with
the room it was hard to find fault with the hotel and the overall
impression was very good. I'm now trying to think of many more reasons
to return soon.
Address: The May Fair Hotel, Stratton Street, London W1J 8LT
Nearby: Green Park, Bond Street, Royal Academy, Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus
Tel: 020 7769 4041
Website: www.themayfairhotel.co.uk
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