London Hotel - Kensington or Pancras?

The Nadler is nice as is the Earl's Court area . The Pullman ( part of the Accor chain ) is quite upscale and certain to be very good , and the new ( 2014 ) Premier just across Euston Road from the Pullman is also a good ( budget ) choice . The advantage of the Pullman and the Premier is their proximity to St Pancras , right across the street . Either of those hotels would be better choices than the Nadler from the standpoint of convenience . Euston Road is busier than Earl's Court , but those two hotels are built in a manner that makes them very quiet inside .

Ana, my husband and I are also spending a few days in London before heading to Paris. We are arriving on September 4. We looked at staying at the same two places. We wanted an earlier train to Paris and decided that staying in the St Pancras area would be best for us. We looked at several options and decided on the Jesmond Dene. If you book online your breakfast is included and it was less expensive than the Premier. It is 2 blocks from the station. The rooms are small, but most of the hotels we stay in on the RS tours are small, so we're fine with it. What are you doing in Paris? We are headed to Paris, then Bayeux (Normandy tour) then back to Paris for the RS "Best of Paris" tour

The Nadler Kensington is like a second home to me but I have also stayed at the Premier Inn St. Pancras.

If staying near St. Pacras is important then do that. The Premier Inn is like any other Premier Inn I've stayed in. It was fine.

Kensington is completely across town. It's also more residential than commercial. The St. Pancras area is closer to sights.

what time is your Eurostar? Unless crack of dawn, getting there from somewhere in Kensington shouldn't be too onerous. Euston Road is extremely busy 24/7.

It depends on your train time. I like the neighbourhood feel of the area around the Nadler Kensington but taking the tube into central London towards St Pancras is very busy indeed during the morning rush hour. I wouldn't want to do it with luggage between 7.30 and 9.30am, so I guess your train time makes a difference.

I also like St Pancras area - it's very busy but you're near Bloomsbury and there's the nice new Granary Yard area behind Kings Cross. The Pullman is a very nice hotel and the Premier Inn is basic but spotlessly clean & comfortable.

If you have an early train stay near St. Pancras, I recommend Jesmond Dene where my daughter and I stayed in December. Book on the hotel website and you get a free made to order Full English breakfast. It's a short walk to Kings Cross, clean, great bed and very quiet.

Hi everyone -
Thank you for all of your replies so far. We are taking the Eurostar on Saturday midday (3:30 departure) so being near St Pancras early is not as big a consideration. We were thinking of doing something that morning - maybe booking early tickets to Westminster Abbey (9:30), then walking around a bit / get lunch / and then head to the hotel to pick up luggage and take a cab to the station. I would take the tube but my husband is not a fan of taking metro / tube with luggage.

I'm inclined to just keep the nadler reservations we have since they have pretty good reviews. But if anyone thinks Kensington is way out of the way for sightseeing please do chime in. Thanks!