The hotels near Paddington station are ideally situated for Heathrow and the City. Mark Caswell takes a look.
With its excellent transport links to Heathrow, central London and further afield, Paddington has always been a popular area for business travellers. The station itself still houses one of London’s iconic railway hotels, formerly the Great Western and now the Hilton London Paddington. In recent times, the borough has attracted large amounts of investment, with projects such as Paddington Waterside (see panel, facing page) bringing new companies, residents and travellers to the area.
What follows is not an exhaustive list of Paddington hotels, as there are nearly 100 in the area. The focus is on new and refurbished hotels, along with a mix of properties from low-cost brands to large hotels with conference facilities. As you’ll see from the map overleaf, Paddington’s boundaries have been defined as south of the A40, east of Edgware Road, north of Bayswater Road, and west of Queensway.
1. Hotel Novotel London Paddington
Opened in September last year and situated in the new Paddington Central development, this 206-room property is effectively the flagship for Novotel’s new-generation brand in London. The hotel is within walking distance of Paddington station, with the best route being via the end of platform eight, from where it’s a five- to ten-minute stroll along a well-lit canal towpath and past the development’s outdoor amphitheatre.
Every aspect of this hotel is bright and modern, from the shining copper, gold and bronze exterior to the lobby area’s Apple Mac corner, where guests get 20 minutes’ free use of the internet. Rooms all have a queen-size bed, flatscreen TV, wifi internet access (£14 for 24 hours), a separate bath and shower (57 Paddington rooms feature larger showers only), tea and coffee-making facilities, a minibar, laptop safe and trouser press. The Executive rooms on floors nine and ten have upgraded amenities including free wifi internet access and local calls, bathrobe and slippers, an espresso machine and a Bose iPod dock.
Other facilities include eight meeting rooms on the mezzanine level, all with natural daylight and several with direct access to an outdoor terrace. There is also a swimming pool, gym, steam room and sauna, as well as a bar and Elements restaurant on the ground floor.
3 Kingdom Street, Sheldon Square; tel +44 (0)20 7266 6000; novotel.com
Rooms from £109 with breakfast
Click here for a full review of this property.
2. Hilton London Metropole
Along with the Royal Lancaster (see page 45), this hotel has the largest conference facilities within ten minutes’ walk of Paddington station – and with 1,054 rooms (starting from 19 sqm), it can also hold the most guests. Located conveniently above Edgware Road underground station, the property has an impressive list of facilities including a swimming pool, sauna, steam room, gym, beauty salon, coffee shop, executive lounge, business centre, five restaurants and bars (including the 23rd-floor Nippon Tuk) and 40 meeting rooms.
The largest of these are the Monarch and King’s suites, both of which can accommodate up to 1,500 delegates for a reception. There are an array of other choices, including 17 Hilton meeting rooms catering for 20 people theatre-style upwards. Several of these can be combined depending on requirements.
225 Edgware Road; tel +44 (0)20 7402 4141; hilton.co.uk
Rooms from £128
3. Hilton London Paddington
The only hotel housed inside Paddington station itself, the building dates back to 1851 and was for many years the Great Western Royal Hotel before being reopened in 2002 as the Hilton London Paddington after a four-year £60 million refurbishment programme.
The listed façade of the station forms the front of the hotel, but you can also gain access directly from the platforms inside, through the Executive lounge. This area has recently been opened up to non-residents (at a charge of £20 for use between 9am and 5pm) as the hotel is such a popular place for business meetings – 90 per cent of those using the lobby area are not staying at the hotel.
Several original features remain, such as the cast-iron staircase, and in 2006 ten new suites were added to the hotel’s portfolio, including two duplex suites in the previously unused towers. This brought the total number of rooms to 364, all of which feature flatscreen TVs. Some 194 of these are Standard rooms and 103 are Deluxe, with an additional 34 Executive rooms with separate baths and showers and access to the lounge. There are also ten Junior suites and 23 Executive suites.
Eating options include the recently refurbished The Brasserie, a 160-seat restaurant serving Asian and continental dishes, and Steam Bar, which offers tempura and bento boxes. A residents-only gym is due to be revamped this year. There are 18 meeting rooms, including a ballroom for up to 400 delegates.
146 Praed Street; tel +44 (0)20 7850 0500; hilton.co.uk
Rooms from £155
4. Quality Crown Hotel Paddington
Owned by London Town Hotels, along with the Indigo London Paddington and the Quality Crown Hotel Hyde Park (see below), this hotel is a stone’s throw from the station. It features 85 rooms, all of which have flatscreen TVs, iPod docking stations and free wifi internet access. Impressively, all include access to the property’s 24-hour Executive lounge, which offers comfortable seating, a large flatscreen TV and free hot and cold drinks. The lounge was recently added to the property, along with a gym and two meeting rooms that hold eight to 12 delegates.
There is a small bar in the lobby area and a larger relaxation area in the basement, where drinks can be ordered. The hotel also leases space to the Garfunkel’s chain, with direct access to the restaurant from the hotel. Breakfast is served here, and guests can charge meals to their rooms. A state-of-the-art fitness facility at the property is also available to use free of charge.
144 Praed Street; +44 (0)20 7706 8888; qualitycrown.com
Rooms from £87
5. Indigo London Paddington
Part of the Intercontinental Hotels Group portfolio, this hotel marks the debut of the Indigo brand outside the US. The concept is one of a branded boutique hotel, giving guests a property that feels unique but offers the support of a large hotel group in terms of loyalty schemes and customer services. At the time of writing, the Indigo London Paddington was in its soft opening stage, with an official launch due for late January. Business Traveller had a sneak preview of the 64-room property, which is located a couple of minutes’ walk from Paddington station on London Street.
The entrance feels more like a trendy eatery, helped by the blue awnings and patisserie offerings on view – Indigo is certainly hoping to attract non-guests to this area of the hotel. Rooms are stylishly designed, with bright colours and murals of local landscapes behind the beds. Facilities include high beds, rain showers with Aveda amenities in the bathrooms (no baths), and free wifi.
The strong emphasis on design can also be seen in the corridors, which sport bright, striped carpets, and ceilings decorated with clouds and rooftops. One of the brand’s hallmarks is that of seasonal renewal, with rotating signs throughout the hotel to reflect the time of year, as well as changing restaurant menus, music, plants and flowers. Facilities in the Indigo also include an outdoor terrace area (seven rooms also have private patios) and a fitness studio.
16 London Street; tel +44 (0)20 7706 4444; hipaddington.com
Rooms from £182
6. Quality Crown Hotel Hyde Park
Behind the Indigo, this hotel is situated in quiet Talbot Square and has 74 rooms in a converted Victorian townhouse. Six of the rooms have four-poster beds, while Executive rooms include a seating area and minibar. Other room facilities include flatscreen TVs, free wifi access, CD player and alarm, iron and ironing board, safe, trouser press, and combined bath and shower.
There is a bar next to the lobby, and breakfast is served on the basement level. The hotel is not as modern as its sister property, the Quality Crown Hotel Paddington, although it is due for a revamp following the opening of the Indigo.
8-14 Talbot Square; tel +44 (0)20 7262 6699; qualitycrown.com
Rooms from £101
7. Easyhotel Paddington
One of half a dozen London properties for this growing low-cost brand, the Easyhotel Paddington opened in October and features 47 rooms ranging from a cosy 6 sqm up to a relatively spacious 15 sqm, all with en suite shower and basin.
In line with the Easyjet model, guests pay extra for amenities such as TV (£5 for 24 hours), supplementary towels (£1 each), housekeeping (£10), wifi (£10 for 24 hours) and luggage storage (£5 for up to three items for 24 hours – there are two hooks for hanging up clothes in the room but no cupboards). The hotel is a couple of minutes’ walk from Paddington station and guests access the property using their room keycard. Oh, and be advised that rooms are painted in Easy’s standard orange hue – so you might want to pack an eye mask…
10 Norfolk Place; tel +44 (0)20 7706 9911; easyhotel.com
Rooms from £24.50
8. Thistle Kensington Gardens
One of two Thistle properties in the area, the exterior of this 175-room hotel may not be much to write home about – a 1960s block perched above a petrol station – but its location means some rooms have views across Bayswater Road to Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park, and guests aren’t far from Oxford Street and the West End.
Wifi internet access is available throughout the hotel with BT Openzone, and there are three meeting spaces, two of which can be combined to accommodate up to 60 delegates theatre-style. The hotel’s restaurant also has views across Hyde Park.
104 Bayswater Road; tel +44 (0)871 376 9024; thistle.com
Rooms from £125
9. Corus hotel Hyde Park
Originally an apartment block dating back to 1881, before becoming a Hilton hotel in the 1980s and subsequently the Corus Hyde Park in the 1990s, this hotel is located on Bayswater Road, about ten minutes’ walk from Paddington station and a couple of minutes from Lancaster Gate underground station. The hotel brand is owned by London Vista Hotel Limited, part of Malaysian company Malayan United Industries, the owner of Laura Ashley – which has been employed to design some of the hotel’s guest rooms.
It’s worth noting that the 390 rooms are in varying stages of refurbishment, with some more modern and others more traditional in style. (Note that some do not yet have air conditioning, so it’s worth checking before booking.) There is also the choice of a “healthy sleep” room, with furnishings said to be 99 per cent allergy free.
Other facilities include two meeting rooms, as well as Hydes, a room holding up to 120 delegates theatre-style (where breakfast is also served), and a business centre. Olio restaurant serves English and Malaysian dishes and has views over Hyde Park.
Bayswater Road; tel +44 (0)844 736 8601; corushotels.co.uk
Rooms from £93
10. Royal Lancaster Hotel
Featured in the opening scenes of the 1969 film The Italian Job, the Royal Lancaster is part of a collection of hotels including the Landmark London, the K West Hotel and Spa London and the Landmark Bangkok. It’s located near Lancaster Gate underground station and has 416 rooms on floors 3-18 (the car park is on the second floor), giving great views of Hyde Park and the city. Rooms start from about 15 sqm and have recently had flatscreen TVs installed. All feature wifi access (£17 for 24 hours).
Like the Hilton London Metropole, this hotel has impressive conference facilities with a total of 16 rooms and the ability to cater for up to 3,000 delegates. The Nine Kings Suite can hold up to 1,700 for a reception, and the Westbourne Suite is not far behind, at 1,500. The business centre is open 24 hours but at present there is no fitness centre, although the hotel says it is looking into adding one.
For those who want to dine
on-site, there is Thai eatery Nipa, and Island Restaurant and Bar, which serves contemporary international cuisine and has floor-to-ceiling windows providing picturesque views of Hyde Park’s Italian Gardens. Drinks, snacks and traditional afternoon tea are also available from the Lounge Bar.
Lancaster Terrace; tel +44 (0)20 7262 6737; royallancaster.com
Rooms from £160
Prices were sourced online for a one-night weekday stay in a standard room in mid-February, and include VAT.
Take a walk on the Waterside
The area designated as Paddington Waterside stretches from Paddington Central north-west of the station, to Edgware Road underground station to the north-east. Much of the redevelopment centres around the Grand Union Canal, with residential, office and retail space either planned or already built on either side of the waterway.
More than £2 billion has already been invested in the development, which will eventually comprise 325,000 sqm of office space, more than 1,500 new homes and a total of 30,000 people working in the area.
Companies including Visa, Marks and Spencer, Prudential and Kingfisher have all opened headquarters here, with Vodafone set to join them this year. There are already numerous shops and restaurants open, particularly within the Paddington Central project, which also houses the Novotel London Paddington.
The development is due to feature the long-awaited Crossrail project, with a new station to be built to the north of Paddington’s existing terminus. Visit paddingtonwaterside.co.uk for more information.
Transport links
London Paddington station is the main hub for transport in the area, with mainline routes to the West Country and South Wales. It is also the termini for the Heathrow Express and Heathrow Connect services, and offers connections to the Bakerloo, District, Circle, and Hammersmith and City underground lines. There are several other tube stations in the Paddington area, including Queensway, Bayswater and Royal Oak to the west, Lancaster Gate to the south, and Edgware Road and Marble Arch to the east.
Visit tfl.gov.uk, heathrowexpress.com and heathrowconnect.com for more information.
Other options
11. Shaftesbury Premier London Hyde Park
78-82 Westbourne Terrace; tel +44 (0)20 7262 4521; shaftesburyhotels.com
12. Days Hotel Hyde Park
148-152 Sussex Gardens; tel +44 (0)20 7723 2939; daysinn.com
13. Central Park Hotel
49-67 Queensborough Terrace; tel +44 (0)20 7229 2424; centralparklondon.co.uk
14. Marriott Marble Arch
134 George Street; tel +44 (0)20 7723 1277; marriott.co.uk
15. Best Western Mornington Hotel
12 Lancaster Gate; tel +44 (0)20 7262 7361; bestwestern.co.uk
16. Thistle Hyde Park
90-92 Lancaster Gate; tel +44 (0)871 376 9022; thistle.com
