Charing Cross - a Guoman Hotel

Excellent Location!

Being my first trip to London, I wanted to find a hotel centrally located to various tube stations and attractions… and I got exactly what I was looking for with the Charring Cross Hotel! There were two major tube stations within walking distance, the river thames was nearby as well as Trafalgar square, the national gallery, an adorable park and a superb wine bar (one of the oldest in London I believe). We walked everywhere; you couldn’t ask for a more ideal location, we even saw the London Eye from our hotel room. And if you forget any toiletries or want to take a bottle of wine of beer back to your room, you’re right next door to two stores that can help you out. The only thing I was not happy about was the bathroom. It looks very nice, but the toilet could barely flush toilet paper and the shower ran out of hot water during the shower (so shower at night and not in the morning). Other than that, the hotel was extremely helpful and they even held our bags for us since our room wasn’t ready upon arrival… it gave us lots of time to start exploring all that was around us. I highly recommend this hotel!

Buy a travel card if you’re going to be staying at least a week, its unlimited travel within zones 1 & 2 (which encompass a very large portion of London). You can even use it on the DLR to go see Greenwich (which I highly recommend for its beauty and abundance of free museums). Also, grab breakfast at the little convenience store style shops prior to going to the tube station. A ham & cheese bagel and drink will run you about 2 pounds. Double that price if you’re in the tube station (where there’s an abundance of food and drink vendors). Also the Tesco shops located away from the tube stations are a great place to pick up snacks and drinks to take back to your room. A large water is around 39 pence (50 cents) and a pastry is about 65 pence. We stalked up on pastries, fruit and water for our outtings.

Great location!

The staff was very friendly and helpful when we asked for some advice about where to dine. The location was amazing since it was so close to the underground, which made it very convenient to travel around the city. The breakfast was okay, but nothing too spectacular. I definitely recommend the hotel.

I recommend The Coal Hole, which was about a 10 minute walk from the hotel. Go out the front door, take a right on the main street in front of you and you’ll run into it on your right side. The downstairs area is a great, low-key, London pub. Also, if you take the underground, purchase an Oyster card and just keep reloading as necessary, it makes it so much more affordable.

Excellent Location, Sore Back

While the location on the Strand, merely one block from Trafalgar Square couldn’t be beat, our 4 night stay was no more than simply adequate. The rooms and hotel are updated and modernized, but my wife and I had a very hard time getting a satisfactory night’s sleep. The bed was obnoxiously hard, and our "Queen" bed was actually just two twin mattresses shoved together. We also had a room on the Strand side of the hotel, and light sleepers probably wouldn’t be too happy with the noise (although we were fine). For the price the Charing Cross is normally (we booked when they had an almost 30% discount), I don’t think the end result in our room was worth it. Similarly priced hotels (Kensington Royal Garden) are far superior.

great choice

Very good hotel in a wonderful location. I was very pleased and intend to return whenever I am in London.

good loation, poor quality

We had lowerst level room facing the alley way. There was excessive street noise including people, trash collection, etc. During our one week stay the floor was never vacuumed. The stairway had holes in the wall, holes in the carpet and smelled of mold. The toilet never flushed with a single pull of the lever. Great location with access to the Underground, train stations, theater district, and tourist destinations.

Traveler's tip on saving a few bucks

But a multi-day underground pass rather than buying single use tickets.

Good value

Outstanding in every regard except that I was not able to use their internet service to get an airline boarding pass as I was not a business client (I used an "internet cafe" down the street).

Great Location and Hotel...Just hide your medicine

My mother and I went on vacation for a week and stayed here because of the central location. It was wonderful! The room was very comfortable and we had a great view of the London Eye (we had an end room). There were several restaurants/bars/and Starbucks within a stone’s throw and the tube was right next to the hotel. We only had one incident which left us questioning if the cleaning staff did something or not...we had prescription medication in the bathroom in a bag and when we came back after a day trip my mother decided to look for stationary to write a letter. Thank god she looked in the drawers, we found our medication placed all nice and neat in the drawer in the other room (bedroom). We never moved it from the bathroom so we are sure that they hid it from us in attempts that we would forget that we had it. NO other incidents or anything else moved or stolen though.

Traveler's tip

Great location, Great staff, Check the drawers before you leave!

Good location

The hotel was close to Charing Cross tube station which made it easy to travel around London. The hotel was a nice old hotel and the room was pleasant with a towel warming rack. The only negative thing was that the small table was broken and the top was unuseable. I’d go back again.

Very enjoyable stay!

We stayed 3 nights as the final stop on a 3-week European trip for our 40th anniversary. The Charing Cross is a perfect location - a block from Trafalgar Square, about 4 blocks to Leicester Square for half-price theater tix, several pubs nearby, a food court inside the Charing Cross tube station, and an easy walk on the footbridge across the Thames to the London Eye, great views of Parliament, Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. You can walk to Covent Garden, Buckingham Palace, Picadilly Circus! Could not have asked for more! Bed was a little firmer than I prefer, but we were so tired at night that it certainly did not interfere with my sleep. We did pay extra for an upgrade to a larger room, so I don’t know what a standard room would have been like, but if location is your interest, you can’t beat the Charing Cross! The concierge staff were most helpful and gave me directions to a nearby pub, theatres, reserved sightseeing bus, and always a cheerful greeting. Thanks, Clive and Tony!

Traveler's tip on getting the most out of your stay

Try Chandos for pub grub; the cafe at St. Martins of the Field for cafeteria; The Upper Crust at the Charing Cross tube station next door for breakfast sweetrolls or fresh-baked breads and sandwiches; and The Giraffe across the Thames for an informal dinner; alfresco if you like! Hanley’s Toy Store on Regent Street if you want gifts for kids! And there’s a Swarovski store nearby, also!

Best location in town for the typical tourist

The hotel was very nice and clean.They asked if we wanted to upgrade but we declined as we were only going to sleep there.All of the staff were very courteous and helpful at all times.It’s much nicer inside than it looks on the outside.I would recommend this hotel to anybody and it is where we are going to stay when we go back next year.This has to be the best central location to almost everything and anywhere to may want to go or do.

Traveler's tip on getting the most out of your stay

BUT AN OYSTER CARD FOR THE DURATION OF YOUR STAY

Could not have asked for better

Everything about this hotel was beyond expectations. Staff was wonderful. Location was more than I could have asked for, is central to everything in downtown London.

Avoid the Annex

The hotel is as it was when it was operated by the Thistle chain. I was put into an inferior room in the annex on the first night, neither as clean nor as well maintained as the rest of the hotel. The following day, I insisted on a move to the main building after which the stay was just fine.

I would definitely stay here again...GREAT HOTEL!

The only complaint I had with the hotel is that when I booked the room, I was specific about wanting 2 twin beds instead of one King size bed. When they came up to split the king bed it was not two twins...it could not be split. When we asked for a different room, we were told we would have to wait 2 days before another room would be available. They did offer to bring in another bed, but it would have taken up all of the extra space in the room so we declined and just used the King size bed. It was very comfortable though :-) The room was always very clean when we returned in the afternoon. Also, the location is PERFECT! We were in London for 10 days and stayed at the Charing Cross-Guoman Hotel the entire time. It was really a great place to stay.

Excellent Location

We loved the hotel and its location. The Tube is located within five minutes of the hotel. There is a bus stop right in front of the hotel. Many sights are within a brief walking distance. The Thames is a block away and Trafalger Square is even closer. Anything you need is close and very handy. When we go back to London we will stay at Charing Cross.

Traveler's tip on dining

The Sherlock Holmes Pub is very close and has great fish and chips. We found the breakfast at the hotel to be expensive. We would get a muffin and coffee at the Starbucks across the street. There is also a McDonalds almost next door.

Great concierge service

This is an all-around excellent hotel for the value. Centrally located with a very helpful concierge staff. My wife and I highly recommend it.

Traveler's tip on recreational activities

Be sure to walk across the Millennium Bridge to St. Paul’s Cathedral. It’s an awesome sight

Never Again

The hotel is in a busy section of London but the outside feels dirty upon approach. My daughter had checked in a day earlier than me and upon arrifval she had a sofa bed with the mattress hanging through the frame, it did not feel clean and we checked out as we did not want to stay there any longer than necessary.

Very nice location

This hotel was a very nice hotel! We enjoyed the friendliness of the staff, and the location was terrific for all of our sightseeing. The breakfast was expensive but there was a Starbucks right across the street and a very nice breakfast place in a park like setting minutes away.

Loyalty

This was my 2nd consecutive summer at The Charing Cross Hotel. Last summer I was there for 11 nights & this summer,16 nights. I do not think that many people stay for 16 nights & when I arrived they had me schedueled for the "old" section which has smaller rooms & less effective air-conditioning. Moreover, the rooms are "musty". I don’t think this is the way a person should be treated if they are staying 16 nights! In order for me to stay in the new building, I HAD to upgrade to a junior suite.I argued about the cost of the upgrade,but they brought it down to only 15 pounds more a night rather than 30. I wondered if this was their way to just get more $$$ out of me. The staff & location are unbeatable & because of this, I might return. No matter what, I believe in Expedia & I will continue to use Expedia rather than another source. I will be going to Europe, particularly,London, until my last breath!

Traveler's tip on saving a few bucks

. Coming from Heathrow, take the tube to Leicester Square & save your self $$$. Walk a few minutes toward Trafalgar Square,take a left on the Strand.Have breakfast&drinks on the awesome Villiers St.which borders the side of the hotel.

Great location

The location cannot be beat. Great access to the tube and nice walk over the bridge to several site and also nice walk to covent garden area. Good local places to eat and across from the national gallery.

London Great Location

Perfect location across from the National Gallery walk to Big Ben, Buckingham, St James Park, London Eye, Westminster, etc. Subway stops right there, easy. Wonderful Breakfast good at hotel if included, otherwise a little pricey but can go around corner for inexpensive meal. Room good size, and clean and quiet. Good a/c and blackout drapes if need to sleep in.

Traveler's tip

Varying concierge opinions on how to get to Heathrow early Sunday morning (many things not running yet) so double check the info begore counting on it for airport, unless taking a taxi.

Charin Cross a Guoman Hotel London

Fantastic location, very near of the National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London Eye, Aquarium, and a few steps of a train/subway station, The hotel is clean, rooms also clean, the only but, is there are no sound-protected so, the noise of the street or the meetings in Trafalgar Square don’t let you sleep and the expedia price don’t paid for the breakfast, so they told me.

Traveler's tip on local attractions

Very near ot theaters, and the most of the local atractions in London.

Close to metro and Buckingham Palace

The hotel staff was most helpful with our requests. The dining room was extremely expensive but other dining choices were close by. There was plenty of hot water and the rooms were not noisy. Transportation was close by and shopping was also near the hotel. All in all we were very satisfied with the hotel.

Traveler's tip on nightlife

There is a 24 hour nightclub adjacent to the hotel with lots of activity so if you don’t participate you might want to stay in the older part of the hotel.

Loved our stay in London!

Our stay at the Charing Cross-a Guoman Hotel in June 2009 was great! It is in a very convenient location to see all of the major sites of London. Everything we wanted to see was within walking distance or could be reached by using the Tube, where there are two stations adjacent to the hotel. We thought we were getting a room with two twin beds, but ended up with one queen, which worked out ok. The room was great and very clean. The only problem we had was that the shower in our room was not working quite correctly. We had a problem with our t.v. one afternoon and after reporting the problem at the front desk, our t.v. was fixed within 10 minutes. The service was wonderful. We would definitely stay at Charing Cross again and would recommend a stay here to any friends who were visiting London.

We will return

The hotel is in a perfect location! The room we had was very nice with a comfortable sitting area. It was amazingly quiet considering the central location. The breakfast buffet was great with a wide selection of food & drink.

Traveler's tip on getting the most out of your stay

With the National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, & St. Martin’s in the Fields at your door step, ther’s plenty of culture to get you started on your London adventure. Buy an Oyster card for the Underground and don’t miss out on visiting both the British Museum and the V&A Museum. For a light and healthy lunch, Pret a Manger is wonderful. Afterwards enjoy a Coffee Americano at Cafe Nero & you won’t even miss Peets. Both establishments are nearly everwhere in London and other English cities.

Fantastic location and great hotel!

We could not have picked a better hotel! The location was perfect!! It was centrally located to everything we wanted to do. It is on top of Charing Cross station which runs North/South and Embankment station is around the corner which runs East/West. It doesn’t get much easier. The hotel was beautiful and the room was very nice! Much larger than we expected. We tried to be open about food and try new things but just in case you need something familiar, Starbucks is across the street and McDonald’s is next door. The hotel staff was very friendly and accommodating. We had a mix up with an excursion and the concierge eagerly helped us make other arrangements. If we ever return to London, we will definitely stay at Charing Cross!