July 25, 2023
Three Nights, Three Brands in London
Pam
The sweltering London heat brought on one of my favorite points and miles activities—hotel hopping! Luckily, no one was traveling with me since I am probably the only person on earth who loves this activity! I was spending the days at my daughter’s flat but ran to an air-conditioned hotel to sleep well at night. Here is my account of three nights, three brands in London.
Hyatt Regency—The Churchill
I’ve already discussed this hotel in this post, so I’ll keep it brief. For a mere 29K points/night, I stayed at the Hyatt Regency Churchill AND got upgraded to a magnificent balcony suite that would have cost me over $1500. I cannot recommend this hotel enough. It was luxurious, convenient, and completely gorgeous. Sign me up for another stay here in the future! This stay in a standard room would have cost me around $600.
The suite I had at the Churchill was huge!
Hotel Indigo London—Kensington
I switched to quirky and cute the next night with my stay at the Hotel Indigo London—Kensington. I used an IHG free night certificate and an extra 1000 points to book this 41K points/night hotel. I would have paid about $250 per night in cash for this stay.
From the moment I walked in, I got the cute boutique vibe. My room was an explosion of purple, grey, black, and pink. And I loved it! It was my first Hotel Indigo stay, and it reminded me of Kimpton Hotels. (And I love that brand.) Breakfast was not included, but there was a free mini bar of drinks. I have Diamond status and would have received a free breakfast if I had used my points or certificate, but I used my husband’s certificate. I did have him call and gift the stay to me so I could use it.
The explosion of purple and black was so fun in this room!
No upgrade, a smaller room, but still a place and room that I enjoyed. Interestingly, this hotel costs more in points than the Hyatt, which was cheaper. Just another example of Hyatt’s outsized value!
I loved the black and white vibes of this bathroom—clean and edgy!
Hotel Indigo London—Kensington was a small hotel with a quirky feel.
St. Pancras Renaissance
Last but not least, I stayed at the St. Pancras Renaissance with Marriott points. This may be the biggest building I’ve seen housing a hotel, and the swankiest hotel ever. I kept thinking of that old movie “Casablanca,” and that sort of cool vibe. It was originally opened in 1873 and cost me the most in points at 66K points/night. I booked last minute, so I couldn’t use a suite night award that I had.
The lobby was massive and gorgeous!
I loved the lobby of the St. Pancras Renaissance!
The hotel’s exterior, lobby, and restaurants took my breath away, and I thought, “I think I’ve just met my favorite hotel.” The room was disappointing and average, though, unfortunately. It is still a great stay for everything else.
I must say that the room did not match the grandeur of the hotel’s public areas.
Because I have Platinum Elite status, I got access to the Chambers Club (their lounge), which was also spectacular. Opulence is the theme there. You can get some small treats and beverages all day. Breakfast is also served there (buffet-style) for those with status or who are staying in the Chambers Suites.
The entire Chambers Club had this feel of grandeur.
Bottom Line
Three nights, three brands in London was actually a lot of fun for me. While each hotel had its charm, the Hyatt Regency—Churchill is the one I will definitely return to due to the much lower cost in points and the ability to get upgraded to a suite. However, everyone should at least stop by the St. Pancras Renaissance for the “wow factor!” What is your favorite hotel in London? I’m returning in August and deciding which hotel to stay at then!
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We stayed at the Hyatt Regency Blackfriars right after it opened in early June and LOVED it!
Thanks for the review – we love to hear what reader’s think of a hotel that we plan to stay at sometime!
Always love your blogs and question I have is why people do hotel hop because of expiring Fnc or ? Isn’t it hard to unpacj then pack just curious. Thx
I’m one of the few nerds who likes to do this! I love to see what other hotels (especially luxury) look like and offer. I also do it to help readers decide which ONE hotel they want to book when they go.
Great ideas and hotels. I’d love to stay in one of the Firmdale Hotels, just for the sweet decor, but I don’t think they are associated with any points/miles. They are more botiquey and that is fun too.
Hi Vicki! I’m going to have to check out what a Firmdale Hotel is. I love IHG Kimpton’s for the boutiquey feel!
Have you stayed at any of the Leonardo royal hotels? I don’t think they are associated with any points/ miles etc either but 2 people now have recommended that hotel to me.
No, we haven’t. We really only stay at hotels that we can use points/miles at.