Hotel Reviews (The Mayfair) on “Best of London” Tour

We took this tour this year in May. I liked it. Great location. Had restaurants and pharmacy nearby , tube green park is what we used. I would use them but they are a little on the high side. Only had to paid for the day before tour arrived. I did check into staying there again this next summer for a stay in London after our so England village tour June 2020 but decided it was too much for days. Something like £265 with breakfast per night. So we are staying at a premier inn. I would go. One night is ok with me but if you are coming earlier or staying over multiple days I probably would not. It was pleasant, we had nice room, breakfast was good., good location

Kim

Do you mean the Mayfair?

Yes, I meant “The Mayfair”.
Thank you for catching this.

It’s an older hotel. Some rooms are nicer than others so if you don’t like your room ask what else they have. Frankly, this tour is so active we could have slept on the floor when the day was done! The breakfast was good but we tired of the sausages. Across the street is a very good coffee shop (get the punchcard, you’ll earn a free one if you like coffee). The pastries were good and we’d often just eat some fruit at the hotel, get espresso and a pastry across the street. There is a laundry up the street-don’t use it; expensive and they lose stuff. A few doors down from the hotel is this place https://www.trumpers.com/ For men, just wander in sniff things, ask for samples and you’ll have enough shaving cream, after shave, etc fo the week. Your splurge dinner is 200 feet away https://www.flemings-mayfair.co.uk/fine-dining-london/ormer-mayfair-restaurant.

Thank you so much Alan.
I really appreciate your helpful tips. Hotel doesn’t sound too bad, so I’ll start to think about taking this tour.
London for “Christmas and New Years” can only be a once in a lifetime experience!

If you mean the Washington Mayfair Hotel on 5 Cuzon Street, I stayed there in 2014 on the RS London tour, which was my first RS tour. I thought it was very nice. More upscale than my usual digs. It has a good location close to Buckingham Palace. I arrived at the hotel straight off the plane at around 10:00 am, and after storing my bags, I walked out to the main street and asked a man at a news stand if there was anything close by I could see before meeting with my tour group. He looked at me in disbelief, and said, "Well, have you seen Buckingham Palace?" I felt like such an idiot. He politely directed me to the entrance of Green Park just behind him. I walked across the park, and when I arrived at the gates of the Palace, there were lots of people crowded around the gates, and actually climbing on the gates. I asked someone, "What's going on?" A German woman answered in the same disbelief as the newsman, and said "the change!" It took me a few minutes to realize that she was talking about 'the changing of the guards!' I am such a terrible tourist. We should know these things that everyone clamors for, shouldn't we? Long story short, it's a great location and more importantly, the hotel has a bar where you can get a good glass of wine at the end of a very long day of sightseeing.

I enjoyed staying at Washington Mayfair on my BOL, arriving 2 nights prior and staying one night post. Hotel is well located and surrounding area fantastic. My quibble is being disappointed with my request with hotel desk staff to book a black cab. Assured it could and would be done, it was a private hire car that arrived and driver tried to do a drop off at wrong location for Paddington station. This left a poor last impression of the establishment and their possible disdain for my guest status.

I can't give an opinion on that hotel, but I can relate my experience on getting a good price. I am going on the Best of England tour next September. I checked into staying an extra night at the RS hotel in London at the end of the tour. I contacted the hotel and asked for a price, explaining that I would be at the hotel for 2 nights on a RS tour. I felt the price they gave me was quite high. I checked it on Expedia, and it was about $50 cheaper. I then emailed the hotel again and asked if they would consider matching the Expedia price. They responded immediately, matched the price, and threw in breakfast (it was extra on the first quote). It never hurts to ask respectfully, and it might better fit into your price range for a night or 2.

My quibble is being disappointed with my request with hotel desk staff to book a black cab. Assured it could and would be done, it was a private hire car that arrived and driver tried to do a drop off at wrong location for Paddington station. This left a poor last impression of the establishment and their possible disdain for my guest status.

They were actually probably trying to do you a favour. Booking a Black Cab would have been significantly more expensive than a private taxi so knowing that, the staff were trying to save you money. The fact that the driver got the destination wrong is not the fault of the hotel staff.

I agree that the hotel were helping you out with the taxi.

A minicab isn't a black taxi but a private hire car (minicab) is generally what is meant when discussing a taxi, certainly one in advance. That's across the country, not just London.

I am interested where the "wrong" location for Paddington station was; the official drop off point is at the back of the station (Bishops Bridge Road) but many clutter up Praed Street at the front instead.

Wrong location was referring to the attempt to have us let out not at back of station but in front of a nearby hotel. We stayed put and requested the proper spot, eventually driver got it right. Thanks for input on London minicabs.