Introduction: The Grosvenor (A Guoman Hotel) is just a few yards from major mainline train station of Victoria as
well as London's main coach terminus. The station is on both the
tube network and national rail network and so provides transport
links all over the capital and the country. Perhaps most handily
this is where the Gatwick Express train service operated from, a
non-stop route to Gatwick Airport in 30 minutes. This is a central
London location with the upmarket and exclusive residential area of
Belgravia to the north and the popular budget hotel location of
Pimlico to the south. Shopping and amenities are on your doorstep as
the hotel is just about at the end of Victoria Street with a good
range of shops, bars and restaurants. Its also where you'll find the
attraction of Westminster Cathedral. At the far end of Victoria
Street is Parliament Square (0.8 miles) and a cluster of famous
attractions such as Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey
and Whitehall. Not the prettiest of areas in the immediate vicinity
of the hotel and yet less 1/3rd of a miles walk to the north east is
Buckingham Palace and its pleasant grounds that includes to large
parks. These are Green Park and St James's Park. Just over half a
miles walk to the west finds the start of the Kings Road, Chelsea.
popular by day and night. In the daytime for it range of shops,
boutiques and restaurants and its reputation for leading the way in
funky fashion. At night for its trendy bars and clubs. On the whole
this makes an excellent base for exploring central London with good
transport links locally.
Hotel:
The Grosvenor Hotel Victoria is part of the Guoman portfolio of hotels which is
the luxury brand for Thistle Hotels. The hotel offers a traditional atmosphere in a building
dating back to the Victorian era. Hotel grand lobby is spacious and
features a sweeping staircase along with red armchairs, vaulted
ceilings, crown moulding, polished oak banisters, and marble floor.
Bedrooms are en-suite (bath/shower, toiletries) and each one has
air-conditioning. In-room facilities
include Alarm Clock, WiFi internet access, ironing
facilities, flat screen TV with digital channels, Tea
/ Coffee maker, Direct Dial Telephone, fridge, trouser press, Hair Dryer, IPod
docking station, Radio and Work Desk With Lamp. For security each bedroom
has a built in safe which is large enough to fit a laptop computer.
There are 65 executive bedrooms and 3 suites in the upgraded
Grosvenor Wing and these come with air-conditioning and plasma
televisions.
24 hour room service for all bedrooms.
Dining:
Grand Imperial London: 140 seat capacity. A stunning Cantonese
restaurant from Chef Rand Cheung serving exquisite cuisine in intimate
surroundings. The decor includes original pieces of artwork and calligraphy
excerpts. The restaurant has been designed around the ancient practice of
Feng-shui, along with traditional artefacts. Incorporates a stylish bar.
Open noon till 15.00, 18.00 till 23.00.
Brasserie at The Grosvenor: Just the place for breakfast, informal
lunch, dinner with friends or a traditional afternoon tea for two in the
Lounge. Enjoy dishes such as sumptuous steaks, Traditional Fish and Chips,
Sustainable cod fillet, Pan Seared Organic Salmon or the speciality
signature dishes.
With its adjoining bar you can simply enjoy a drink or a light snack.
Open: Noon till 22.30.
Reunion Bar: At the top of the Grosvenor's sweeping marble staircase. Chic, intimate and luxurious serving sublime cocktails, fine
wines, exclusive champagnes and seductive food in a stunning setting.
Open: Noon till 02.00 (Saturday from 15.00, Sunday closed).
The Grosvenor Lounge: An elegant room decorated in
traditional Victorian style and inspired by its railway heritage.
serving traditional English afternoon tea along with sandwiches with
a fireplace. 90 seat capacity.
Opening hours: Daily 08:00 - 19:00.
The Grosvenor Victoria hotel has 9 meeting rooms with varying sizes suitable for up to
200 guests or as little as 2 guests.
As you would expect of a 4 star hotel, the The Grosvenor Hotel
offers concierge services and a 24 hour front desk. WiFi is
accessible in all areas of the hotel. The hotel has a full concierge
service that runs 24/7. Onsite fitness facility. Air-conditioning in public
areas.
Please note: There are two Thistle hotels
within 100 yards of each other. The other hotel is The
Thistle Westminster which is also on the Buckingham Palace Road.
Further do no confuse this hotel with the better known
Grosvenor House Hotel on Park Lane.
Parking: none on-site. Nearby pay car park.
Room Numbers: 346 (3 suites) / 7 floors
Check-in: 14.00 (2 pm)
Check-out: 12.00 noon
History: Became a Guoman hotel after 12 months of refurbishment
which started in
August 2010 and cost £20 million pounds. Bedroom numbers went from 357 to
346. The work also saw the reinstatement of the original gold leaf finish on
the columns in the grand lobby. While the worked was being carried out on
the columns the original white marble was discovered and fully uncovered.
The Grosvenor hotel first opened in 1861, designed by J. T. Knowles
in an Italianate style with a French Renaissance roof. In 1899 it
was purchased by LBSCR (London, Brighton and South Coast Railway).
They in turn leased the hotel to Gordon Hotels and opened again on
10th December 1900. In 1907 an extension was built which provided a
new facade for Victoria station which was below the hotel. In 1977
British Transport Hotels took control of the hotel before selling it
Thistle Hotels in 1983. Eventually the name 'Grosvenor' was removed
totally from the branding until 2008.
The hotel will always have a
place in the history of London hotels as the first hotel to feature
lifts, or 'ascending rooms' as they were called at the time. They
were powered by using the City's water pressure.
Past Names:
Thistle Victoria (2008), Grosvenor Thistle Hotel
0.37 miles