Grosvenor House, A JW Marriott Hotel

London's Largest Five Star Hotel

Grosvenor House, A JW Marriott Hotel was re-branded in 2008 under the JW Marriott flagship name following a massive four-year, multi-million pound restoration. Grosvenor House, A JW Marriott Hotel became the first JW Marriott* hotel in the UK.

^{* JW Marriott is Marriott International's premier luxury hotel brand.}

London's Largest Five Star Hotel

The hotel has 494 guestrooms and suites, making it London's largest five star hotel. The interior is classic contemporary with mainly green and complimentary red hues. Many original features have been retained, and opulent marble bathrooms acknowledge an Art Deco influence.

Address: Park Lane, London, W1K 7TN

Tel: 020 7499 6363

Compare Rates: Look for Great Rates

Hotel Website: Official Website

Grosvenor House History

Where Grosvenor House, A JW Marriott Hotel stands today was originally occupied by Gloucester House, the London home of King George III's brother, the Duke of Gloucester. In 1806, the mansion was bought by Robert Grosvenor, the second Earl Grosvenor who renamed it after his family. The wealthy Grosvenor family name continues to dominate the London map with many Grosvenor streets, squares and roads.

The Grosvenor House hotel took two years to build and opened its doors to the public in May 1929, quickly establishing itself as the glamorous home of the society set and wealthy Americans, and attracting a fashionable crowd from Edward VIII and Mrs. Simpson to Ella Fitzgerald and Jacqueline Onassis.

Park Street is actually the main entrance and is reminiscent of The Savoy on The Strand, but many guests enter from Park Lane where, as well as the hotel entrance, there is a separate entrance for The Great Room.

When the hotel was first built, it was two buildings with a road running between, off Park Lane. When it was discovered there was no planning permission for this road, the hotel added a Colonnade to fill the space and appointed the architect Edward Lutyens to design the addition. This area still has public right of way and you can actually walk through from Park Lane to Park Street without seeking permission.

South Wing and North Wing

As the hotel is so large the guest accommodation is in the south wing and the conference and business facilities are in the north wing. Apartments on the upper floors of the north wing are being refurbished.

Guest Accommodation

Following the renovations, I visited Grosvenor House A JW Marriott Hotel to see a standard room and a suite at this luxury London hotel.

Standard Guestroom

All rooms have incredibly large beds that I would describe as 'double-double' beds and feature those fine English luxury details such as a Mulberry throw on every bed.

The decor is considered classic contemporary and, although it is clear the hotel is well-maintained, it has a faded elegance which is a wonderful understated English trait and true to the hotel's 1920s history and grandeur. The whole feel harks back to a golden era of ocean liner luxury.

The Art Deco influenced marble bathrooms are outstanding. During the refurbishment the original fixtures were removed and polished before replacing again. Add oversized fluffy white towels and bathrobes, with aromatherapy bath products, and this is pure luxury.

All rooms have the latest technology including 32 inch flat screen televisions in all rooms.

Another feature of a well-designed hotel, all rooms have a lobby so you never have to open your door and display your bed to visitors.

The rate for a standard room starts from £199 but do compare rates as I have seen deals even better than this.

Suite

Oh wow. What can I say? These are amazing. I have a thing about 'wow factors' and these suites certainly have that. They are larger than most one bedroom homes in London and are immaculate.

You enter into a wide lobby, larger than most living rooms(!) with wallpaper depicting English country scenes in a contemporary pink. (It sounds gaudy but it's not.)

Walk through to the living area and you are greeted by views of Park Lane and Hyde Park. Even the positioning of the windows is perfect!

When a guest books a suite the hotel tries to find out more about their interests and plans and the room is 'dressed' accordingly, right down to the choice of magazines on the mirrored coffee table.

If you are traveling with family or close friends there is an option to connect two suites and then two additional bedrooms so you could have four couples staying in a home from home with two living areas.

A Park View suite is priced at £1,500 a night but, again, do compare rates.

The hotel offers five bar and four dining options. BORD'EAUX has a classic French brasserie run by head chef, Ollie Couillaud. The restaurant is reminiscent of Hotel Lutetia in Paris and actually has many original French pieces including the stunning glass ceiling which came from a bakery.

The restaurant has some outdoor dining on Park Lane, which can be a fun choice on the evenings when there is live music in Hyde Park.

BORD'EAUX also has a bar and Le P'Tit Café which is right by the Park Lane hotel entrance and is a great option for a quick coffee (Illy coffee) and a pastry. They also have specialty breads and would be worth remembering for grabbing a simple picnic to take into Hyde Park.

Corrigan's of Mayfair is the signature restaurant of Michelin-starred celebrity chef, Richard Corrigan and serves British cuisine.

Afternoon tea is served in the Park Room overlooking Hyde Park. Read my afternoon tea review.

The Great Room

The Great Room was originally built as an ice rink and is where Queen Elizabeth II learned to skate. It is Europe's largest banqueting space and venue for high profile events including the BAFTAs and the Grosvenor House Art & Antiques Fair, one of the top four events of its type in the world. The Great Room can hold up to 2,000 guests and features sweeping staircases and fairy-tale chandeliers.

New Spa

A Sanrizz hair salon has arrived and a luxurious new spa will open in 2010.