Grange St. Paul’s Hotel

Stayed here last August when I went to the McQueen exhibition in the V+A. 5 star it certainly ain’t. We arrived at around eleven pm on a Friday night absolutely wrecked after a day at work and a flight, train etc into London. We were met by a large queue at the reception desk which was surprising considering the time. The first thing we could hear was a man complaining loudly about his room which isn’t what you want to hear when you’ve just arrived.
To be honest, I couldn’t get why anyone could complain, it seemed like a big, modern bustling hotel in the perfect surroundings but ten minutes later, I got it. The guy who checked us in typed my name into the computer surprisingly announced that we were eligible for an upgrade to a suite. Swish! So we of course accepted. He told us the suites were located around the corner and the porter would take us and our bags.
We walked with the porter who was full of chat but instead of calling them suites, she called them apartments. Alarm bells were ringing as we circled the corner opposite and noisy pub and were buzzed into an innocuous looking building. The lady showed us to our room which was the size of a shoebox and had NO WINDOWS. NO NATURAL LIGHT WHATSOEVER! My rule of thumb when looking for a hotel is «never stay anywhere worse than your own house» and this room was nowhere near as nice.
I looked at my other half, he looked at me and said let’s go back to the hotel and complain. Now the guy complaining at the check in desk made sense. Him and his family had obviously accepted this very shady upgrade too. We marched back to the reception where the original clerk who checked us in refused to make eye contact with us and busied himself with his paperwork, while his colleague dealt with us. She didn’t seem the least bit surprised that we didn’t want to stay in the apartments and booked us into a room in the hotel.
The room itself was fine, not what you’d expect of a five star at all. There was a huge window (yay) that when the blinds were opened gave you a beautiful view of the courtyard and all the other guest bedrooms! A voyeurs paradise.
The rest of our hotel stay was kind of marred by our first impressions. The staff came across as arrogant and shifty and everyone staying there looked rather grumpy walking around. I won’t be staying there again!

I’m not a fan of my recent stay at the hotel. I’ve stayed here in the past on business and have been very happy. I see a definite decline overall. This time, not so much. First, I’m booked into the hotel for 19 days. That’s a looong time. I requested a room with a walk in shower and was placed in a handicapped room where the shower has no walls, just a curtain. OK — no problem, I can deal with that.
The first night as I went to bed, I rolled into the middle of the king size mattress. I kept trying to roll out but I kept right on rolling back into the middle. Upon further investigation you could definitely see where, overtime, the mattress had been sat upon at the edge, and there was no more support. I notified the front desk the next morning and was asked what could they do? I stated to either change the mattress or move me. So — they chose to add a mattress topper to which, on the second night, did not prevent me from, yet again, rolling into the middle of the mattress. I complain louder the next morning and was moved — to another handicapped room — but with a firm mattress this time.
The continental breakfast selection has been reduced — its still a variety of choices, but now maybe 3 items instead of 5. Coffee has been served luke warm — that awful temperature between hot and on the verge of going cold.
Papers used to be complimentary — no longer.
Some may say, overall, my cribs aren’t that bad, but you know when you are away from home for such a long time, the little daily disappointing things add up. If the hotel wasn’t so convenient for my work, as we have late hours, I would seek other shelter.
For me a very disappointing visit this time.

Good, not great. You can’t deny the location is phenomenal, right in St. Paul’s. My stay started poorly. As my flight landed at 7 am, I requested early check in. Got to the hotel at 9 and was informed by the person behind the counter that this was not possible. No explanation, just a no. The person spoke very poor and very little English. He could not explain why I wasn’t getting the room. I had to get another person to help. She explained it was because they had been so booked the night before. I asked when my room would be ready and she said 3. So, six hours on a Sunday morning with not much open. No offer of breakfast, no alternatives, just directions to go check my bag. When I finally did get my room, it was in the back building, which you need to walk outside to get to. I found the room clean. As mentioned in other reviews the rooms are quite small. No bureau or dresser, so you definitely need to «live out of your suitcase.» Bathroom tiny and no way to turn on the shower without also getting sprayed. The tub in my bathroom required a steep step-​over to get into, which felt pretty treacherous on the way out. Very quiet place, so no issues sleeping. The gym has good equipment but is very small with very low ceilings. Had to go outside to skip rope. Speaking of the athletic facility, when I asked the person behind the desk where it was he stared at me blankly. After a few tries it became apparent that he too did not speak English. In one of the bars one evening, got an earful about poor working environment. Had the breakfast once and would call it «ok.» Overall, the building and room are nice, the staff widely variable. Can’t beat that location, though.

Great location and decent hotel. Check out the rooftop bar/​seating area for a fantastic view of St Paul’s! Friendly staff and relaxing spa.

War zwei Nächte dort. Für ein Fünf Sterne Haus war das Zimmer angemessen und sauber, Bad war super vom neuesten mit allem, was man benötigt — das war die fünf Sterne wert. Leider funktionierten nicht alle Lampen im Zimmer, auch das USB Ladegerät ging nicht, und eine Steckdose funktionierte nicht. Und auf dem Weg zum Lift stand sehr oft der Wäschewagen im Weg. Ich hatte das Gefühl durch die Wäscherei zu gehen. Die Angestellten waren super nett, entschuldigten sich, sie konnten nichts für die Situation, das lag an der baulichen Situation. Auch alle anderen Angestellten waren sehr zuvorkommend und freundlich. Das Frühstück war leider auch nur Durchschnitt, da gibt es Häuser mit weniger Sternen, die viel besseres Frühstück bieten. Da das Erlebnis sehr gemischt war, nur drei Sterne.

Fantastic hotel, fantastic staff. This hotel made our trip to London extra special. Can’t wait to return.

The Grange has always been my go to London stay over. It’s always been very competitively priced for its standard and location.
But it’s starting to show signs of ware. It needs a good spring clean in places — especially the once beautiful spa and pool area which is now getting very tired with mould, cracking paint, and laminated Microsoft Word notices taped all over the walls and doors. Urgh.
On the plus side: the St Paul’s location is superb (ask for a cathedral view), the inclusive breakfast is very generous, the roof bar has stunning views of St Paul’s, the Shard, and other London landmarks.
DO NOT EAT HERE AFTER THE RESTAURANT CLOSES! That’s around 9pm btw. Then the food and service of the food is down to the room service staff. Both menu and service itself are frighteningly bad! Get out on the streets of St Paul’s or cross the Themes to eat. It’s that bad.

A voyeurs dream. Lol. It’s upscale accommodations. From the rooms, to the location, to the bars, to the fitness center and pool. However, when my I phone went missing from my suitcase while I was out all day, the staff was less than helpful. 2 male managers spoke down to me, and insisted I must have lost it. I’m a well traveled woman. I keep everything in its place I had 2 friends observe me place the phone in my suitcase. The managers were highly unprofessional and rude. They said they would help, they did not. They said they would investigate, they did not. Upon check out, they even tried to charge me for long distance calls to stop my Verizon plan, which they had previously said they would comp. I complained to the high end London travel agent I used to book this hotel. Funny, after she spoke to them my phone was mailed back to me in the USA free of charge and in perfect condition. Interesting how quickly they «found» it. Also, their concierges are less than informed. One told me I could not take the tube to Wimbledon. Utter nonsense. I did. It was one change and super cheap. I shouldn’t know more than the concierge regarding how to get around in London.

Do not stay on the top floor of this hotel– we stayed in room 605 and it sounded like they were dragging furniture around on the floor above all night– when I called the front desk to ask what was going on they said there was an event going on and they typically have events every night! They offered to move us to another room but only other rooms on 6. Besides that it’s a above average hotel but really if you can’t get a decent nights sleep, what’s the point?

Stunning hotel!
This hotel is in an amazing location! The food is stunning and the roof terrace even better! I’ve been fortunate to stay in one of their suites overlooking St Paul’s! Absolutely stunning experience!
As it is also close to where I work we regularly use their facilities for offsite meeting. It is always very organised allowing for a stress free event.

Nice looking hotel, but the drinks are expensive, the beds hard as a rock, and the maids or the hotel systems keep resetting the room temperature to 23 degrees. Every day I knock out down a few degrees to sleep, but when I get back the thermostat is set up to 23 again. Not a good temperature for sleeping.

This is a very nice hotel. The interior is modern and very well designed. The rooms are spacious and lavished with amenities. Great location near St. Paul’s Cathedral. The nearby restaurants aren’t the greatest, but they can’t help that one.
Prices are high here, but so is the quality.

Stayed here for the last part of our eurotrip. I’m not sure if it’s the fact that I didn’t like our other hotel rooms or that this was the hotel I picked specifically while planning the trip. But it was wonderful. The room was as big as a junior suite, bathroom had both stand up shower and separate tub, and the water pressure was phenomenal. Bed was a king And comfy. There is a pool, sauna, steam room, jacuzzi, gym, bar, Benihana on site, and turn down service (they skipped my room ²⁄₄ days). Wife loved it as well. It’s centrally located to the tube stations, the cathedral is right outside, and 15 min walk in any direction takes you to some interesting places (leaden hall, borough market, covent gardens). I’m ready to go home after 3 weeks of travel but this was a great last stop.

Quality hotel. I found this place for a recent work trip to London and sated for 6 nights. I got a great deal directly from their site for a summer special (pay upfront, non refundable).
The room rate included the continental breakfast, in my opinion one of the most impressive parts of the stay. I only ate breakfast 2 days (on the weekend, during the week I ate at work) but it was great. Full spread of meats, cheese, fruit and yogurt, pastries, hot dishes, and an omelette bar. They didn’t have it set out but when I asked for porridge (oatmeal) they happily brought me some fresh made from the kitchen. Fresh coffee was regularly brought around.
The room itself was a bit small (I booked a standard room) and was located in the annex building (just out the back door and across a mini ally) but definitely nice enough with all the essentials.
My favorite part of the whole hotel was the gym. Quality. Hands down one of the best hotel gyms I’ve seen. All new state of the art equipment and plenty (it was never overcrowded). One of the most important things to me in a hotel is a fitness center (besides the price the main reason I booked this place) and the Grange definitely delivered. They also had a really nice looking lap pool in the spa area — might check it out next time.
Finally — location was great. Right on the river (nice for morning runs) and very close to the Blackfriars tube (door to door 20 min to the office in Victoria). Close enough to al the site seeing spots as well. And if your into biking, a Barclays cycle hire station right in front.
I’ll definitely stay here again on my next trip to London (if only they had a loyalty program now that I’m already 6 nights in… I was told they will soon but that my recent stay won’t count, a bit lame IMO).

The staff is what really makes this place shine. They were friendly and attentive attentive, they helped me iron out a few snags here and there.
(That and its 24 hour cocktail bar, which was a godsend for us New Yorkers aghast at a cosmopolitan city going to bed at about 11)
The style is very modern. Lots of black and white tile and plate glass. The roomservice was good as well, for those times we found ourselves tired and starving.

Given that this is in London, the hotel is extremely spacious. The lobby is massive and houses an art gallery with a seating area, concierge, bell desk and a trendy bar/​restaurant. Business center and breakfast area are on the second floor.
Complimentary breakfast was impressive, and I would highly recommend. It’s buffet style but the hot and cold options are impressive (my dad went bananas for the omelet station!) Breakfast service was prompt and frequent especially given that the food is complimentary.
Service by the bellboys, concierge, and front desk personnel was always immaculate, professional and more than helpful — especially by English standards. I once was slightly disoriented in the hotel and the manager guided me personally through the kitchens because that was the fastest route and he was genuinely concerned for me.
We were in a Superior Double Room and were seriously impressed by the size of the rooms, largest I have yet experienced in the UK. Everything is clean and new — fluffy fresh bedding, unmarked dark furniture, modern paintings and design. The only drawback was the windows. Both our rooms faced out onto the lobby of the hotel, seriously limiting privacy. Worst of all, there had been no option whilst booking to choose views.
We spent 4 nights here (including New Years Eve), which I would highly recommend. Excellent views of the fireworks from the rooftop lounge and a young fun crowd. Rates were 300GBP NYE but normalized back to 140GBP the rest of the nights. I would highly recommend for the comfort of the rooms, level of service and central location of the hotel.

So I’ve stayed here a bunch of times for work, and have had some mixed experiences, but mostly positive. The good… the place is super modern, sleek, and immaculately clean. The service is great here… I once accidently asked for a wake up call at 6:45 am every day, including a weekend I was there, and when I didn’t answer the wake up call, they showed up at the door and knocked, and when I didn’t answer that, they left a note under the door.
The bad… some of the bathrooms. Allow me to elaborate… half of the bathrooms have showers with doors, and the other half are tub/​shower combos, with a half glass door. Half glass door + shower = a flooded floor, every time. Also, the drain in the sink the probably 75% of the rooms I’ve stayed in have been broken. Also bad… the wireless internet. It is absolutely hit or miss… sometimes it is fine, and depending on the location of your room, sometimes it is just not functional… worse than dial up.
A useful tip… check out is at 11:00, but if you ask, they will give you a courtesy late check out at 12:00.

This über-​corporate hotel is great if you have to do some work in the city, and is also in a lovely part of town. It has all the things you would expect from a large hotel, including a hoarde of suits loitering by the bar downstairs. The rooms are a good size and the bed is nice, but don’t expect your cell phone to work in all the rooms. If that is important, make sure you tell the front desk. Also, service could be improved. Staff were not always very helpful, and occasionally failed to complete requests, such as requests for ice. All in all a great hotel if someone else is paying for it! :)

Really I’d give Grange St. Paul’s 3.5 stars. The hotel and amenities are what you’d expect from a modern, higher-​end business hotels. The bed is a little bit harder than I would’ve liked, and there is some odd whirring sound close by the door that would come one every 10 minutes or so that ended up being very annoying. We booked 3 rooms during our stay and all 3 rooms had the same noise problem.
The fitness center was much better than I expected, complete with CV machines, strength/​resistance training equipment, stretch mats, and studios for spinning/​yoga, etc. One note about the fitness center though — the towels that the staff hands out always smelled like it’s been placed in the wash with the ashes from the burning incense from the spa next door, which is quite awful.
What ultimately made Grange St. Paul’s a «not-​your-​ordinary-​high-​end-​business-​hotel» was the breath-​taking view of St. Paul’s Cathedral the moment you step outside the hotel. Sometimes location is everything.

I am here for 2 weeks and have been staying at the Grange St. Paul for 3 nights now.
The hotel room is has comfortable, white, fluffy bedding with a decent size bathroom with plenty of shelving for storage of toiletries. The closet is a decent size and there is also a large desk/​workspace.
With the executive room also comes amentities of an office area located on the 1^st floor with free coffee, breakfast, and even beer and wine!
I wouldn’t recemmed the room service meals… The pizza = 3 stars, Butter chicken = 3 stars, Salmon = 1 star (yuck!)
Overall I enjoy the hotel, but this being my first time to London I wish I would have stayed somewhere with a more traditional décor.

Beautiful hotel in a great location for business or leisure travel. I have one window overlooking the hotel atrium and another window overlooking St. Paul’s cathedral.
The only downsides are that the air conditioner is really noisy and that housekeeping doesn’t seem to do a very thorough job. The hotel itself has all of the amenities you would expect from a large hotel with fitness facilities, spa, swimming pool, multiple restaurants and multiple bars.
I would absolutely stay here again as it’s only 2 blocks from my office but also close to nice things to do such as reading a book and people watching in nearby Paternoster Square or going for a run along the Thames. Although if you do go for a run, don’t go all the way to Parliament Square. Your run will quickly turn in to a slow walk as you try to make your way through the mobs and will have you mumbling «f*cking tourists» under your breath just like a real local.