The Millennium Gloucester Hotel, South Kensington, London, England
Four star • 610 rooms
Modern luxury in the heart of the fashionable district of South Kensington. Â
In one of the most affluent areas of London, the Millennium Gloucester is a stylish hotel in a great location for both business or leisure travellers visiting the city. When I found the entrance to the hotel I was surprised to see what resembled an underground car park but as I walked towards the doors I was transported to a world of comfort and luxury. What struck me most about my stay was how exceptionally charming and polite all the staff were, from the moment I arrived at reception to the housekeeping staff I passed in the corridor, making my stay a much more intimate experience than you would expect from a hotel with over 600 rooms.
I stayed in a Club room which gave me access to the Club Lounge and the complimentary refreshments it had to offer (see Fact File for more details). The room was spacious and comfortable with a desk and swivel leather chair (not shown in the picture above). In addition to the facilities of the standard room there was also a trouser press, a safe large enough for your laptop, robes, slippers, a bowl of fresh fruit and a large selection of toiletries. So no problem if you forget your toothbrush or your shaving kit, it’s all here.
Although I could have had a complimentary breakfast in the Club Lounge I opted to have the breakfast in the main dining room as this included hot options. It was very busy but once again all the staff were extremely polite and friendly and I was really impressed with the range of choices on offer. First on the menu was the International Breakfast which included best back bacon, Cumberland sausages and all the usual trimmings for a full English Breakfast plus there were croissants, Danish pastries, pancakes, waffles, cereals, yogurts, cold meats and cheeses to choose from. In addition to all this there was a Japanese and a Middle Eastern breakfast menu plus a very tempting À la carte menu which included grilled Loch Fyne kippers and smoked haddock with a poached egg. This has to be the biggest choice I’ve ever seen for breakfast. I opted for a full English breakfast which was cooked perfectly and thoroughly delicious despite being served as a buffet (a great time saver if you’ve an early appointment to keep).
The hotel boasts a number of great restaurants serving Indian, Oriental and international cuisines, as well as 24 hour room service. Further details can be found on their website.
Sustainability policy
The hotel is in the process of implementing numerous sustainability policies. They have an energy committee made up of one person from every department and are looking at every aspect of how they can save energy, which isn’t just good for the environment it makes business sense too.
Tip
If you are travelling with children, especially ones who love cuddly toys, they have their own concierge service available (at an additional cost) which includes a free Hamley’s teddy bear. There is also a good value children’s breakfast package that comes with another lovely Hamley’s teddy.
Explore…
The Millennium Gloucester is just across the road from the Gloucester Road tube station giving easy access to central London, however, you’ll find plenty of great places to visit on your door step including Hyde Park (don’t miss Winter Wonderland at Christmas), the Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Palace, the Natural History Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum, not to mention Notting Hill and it’s carnival held each August. Earls Court and Olympia exhibition centres are also a short walk away. You’ll find a good range of restaurants, cafes and bars plus a great farmers’ market every Saturday morning – the perfect place to select your picnic goodies to enjoy in Hyde Park or something delicious to take home.
South Kensington, London
Fact File
- Location: 4-18 Harrington Gardens, London SW7 4LH
- Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7373 6030
- Reservations: +44 (0) 20 7331 6195
- Email: reservations.gloucester@millenniumhotels.com
- Ideal for: Couples, families, conferences and weddings
- Standard: Very comfortable
- Hotel Facilities:
24 hour Concierge plus children’s Concierge
24 hour room service
Multilingual staff
Theatre and tour reservations
Laundry and dry cleaning services
Foreign exchange
Postal/parcel service
Maid service
Shoeshine and valet services
Car rental
Doctor on call
Car park
WiFi (complimentary for all but standard rooms)
Wedding licence
Disabled Access
- Room facilities include:
Air conditioning
Flatscreen TV
Tea and coffee-making facilities
Mini-bar stocked at your request
Hairdryer, iron and ironing board
En-suite with toiletries
Additional facilities are available for upgraded rooms including complimentary WiFi, bathrobes and slippers and access to the Club Lounge
- Club Lounge: complimentary breakfast, refreshments, international newspapers, lifestyle magazines, local maps and information (not available with standard rooms)
Boutique Travel Blog’s founder and editor, Kathryn, also blogs at TravelWithKat.com where she shares her passion for discovering new countries, cultures and cuisines.
That’s a great area – I’ve stayed near there and it is an excellent location!
It is a really lovely part of London (some very quaint cobbled side streets) and I recently visited the Natural History Museum there – the exhibits are fantastic but it was the building itself that really blew me away.
Cool, I’ve been living around in South Kensington for a year, but never got to know how the interior of this hotel looks like. But I’ve been there before for a meal at Bugis Street Brasserie, which serves the most authentic Singaporean food I’ve had in London. 🙂
That’s great to hear. I’ve heard very good things about the Bombay Brasserie too which is actually just next door to the hotel rather than in it, as is the Bugis Street Brasserie, I believe.
Looks rather lovely! My favourite London hotel is The Corinthia near Charing Cross 🙂
We certainly enjoyed staying at the Millennium and it is in such a lovely part of London.