Good evening everyone, I am writing to you from the Radisson Blu Edwardian Mercer Street in London. I spent the last 2 days at the hotel, wandering around London, and getting pretty accustomed to the Underground. First thing’s first, getting from London Heathrow Airport (LHR) to the hotel is a simple Underground train ride to Leicester Square in the heart of the city. A one way train ticket from LHR is 6 Pounds and takes about an hour from end to end.
The hotel is at the end of a 6 road roundabout and has 2 giant British flags near the entrance. Check-in was quick and easy. I booked 2 nights using the Club Carlson Last night Free promo for a total of 50,000 Club Carlson Points. At check-in, I was offered to upgrade to a larger room for 50 Pounds per night, but I would also get a 15 Pound restaurant credit for food and drinks. I asked if breakfast was included, but like all other Radisson Blu properties I have stayed at, I was told that breakfast was not included. Oh well, I went to the nice cafe across the roundabout for a delicious pastry and English Breakfast tea.
I am traveling with my friend/roommate Rhianna (she writes a fashion/travel blog at confessionsaboutnothing.com) and she is demoing some of the interesting furniture of the hotel lobby.
The hotel is 7 stories tall and my room was on the 6th floor. I was expecting a regular-sized room, but I was surprised that the room was quite small cozy/quaint. The full bed is very comfortable, the side closet has a safe and lots of storage, and the window opens a few inches to let in fresh air. The bathroom has the usual European half-shower door and the stationary bottles of hand soap, shampoo, and conditioner. I personally like small, individual bottles and bar soap, but the bottles were fine to use.
In the last image above, I wanted to share a quick tip for anyone traveling to London or anywhere else with electricity. If there is a little black switch next to an outlet, you must turn the switch on, otherwise power will not go through the plug and your iPhone will not charge #confusedbyelectricity
One last piece of advice, if you are traveling international, remember to bring along a few universal travel adapters. I take this generic universal travel adapter with me on all my international trips. Read my full review of the adapter here.
If you have any questions about the Radisson Blu hotel, please leave a comment below. I am off to Paris tomorrow night and staying at the Hotel Indigo Paris (IHG property). Have a great day everyone!
The amenities are all well and good, but the location is PRICELESS! It’s on a small roundabout called The Seven Dials (mentioned in an Anthony Trollope novel). You can WALK to the National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, and Covent Gardens. The streets around the hotel have unique coffee shops, pubs and cafes that are not part of a chain. We liked it so much that we plan to stay there when we return in June.
The location is definitely the key selling point. Within a mile, you can walk to the London Eye, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, etc. The restaurants and cafes nearby are great as well.
Thanks for the review! Do you have any status with Club Carlson? In addition, any issues negotiating steps at the Leicester Square tube station?
I have the US Bank Club Carlson Credit Card which comes with Club Carlson Gold Elite Status. The saying “mind the gap” is true at almost all Underground stations. No problem for me :)
Enjoy the Hotel Indigo, and Paris! We went the first time last year and are returning in March when we’ll also visit London! Enjoy!
Thanks Melissa! Last time I stayed at the Park Hyatt Vendome in Paris. I’m curious if there will be a big difference between the 2 hotels. I will report back soon.
Great review Grant! Can’t wait to see what the rest of your trip is like
Thanks Tim, I should also share some pics of the stadium where Arsenal plays, Tower Bridge, and the London Eye (temporarily closed due to annual maintenance).
Gotta see your pics of The Emirates!
I didn’t go inside the stadium, I only did a self guided tour around the stadium :/
Zone 6 to Zone 1 would have only been £5.10 if you had used an Oyster card.
No Oyster card for me. Can you get one if you are only visiting for 2-3 days?
Grant, what data plan do you user when traveling in Europe?
No data plan. I turn off my data (in Settings on iPhone) then put my iPhone into Airplane Mode. I then enable Wifi and Bluetooth. If I turn off Airplane Mode, I can receive/make calls and text but those cost extra.
I see. If you want to use Uber, do you need to have a data plan? Maybe the Wifi is widely available?
Wifi is not as common as in the US. I usually find it at restaurants/cafes and some hotel lobbies. If you request an Uber in Wifi, you don’t need Wifi along the way. Your credit card will be charge automatically when the ride ends, regardless if you are connect to Wifi or not.
The room itself (while typically small as it is the norm for London) looks quite nice, but I’m somewhat surprised that there were no individual bottles for shampoo etc. in a Radisson Blu…
I stayed at One Aldwych (here’s my review: http://traveluxblog.com/2015/11/16/hotel-review-one-aldwych-london/) not long ago, but was somewhat shocked how small the room was taking into account the nightly rates of the property. London is a tough spot in this regard…
Thanks for the hotel review. I was definitely surprised by the size of the room. I wonder how big the upgraded rooms were at this hotel.
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