Trying to find a reasonably priced 4-star hotel in London can feel like a search for the Holy Grail. If you do find one it is usually miles from the city centre or a bizarre shaped Georgian house conversion with sloping corridors and cupboards for bedrooms.
So it was a nice surprise to find a 4-star hotel within 10 minutes walk of Westminster and it didn’t require a second mortgage to stay there. The hotel was the Crowne Plaza Albert Embankment which is on the South Bank of the River Thames between the Vauxhall and Lambeth Bridges. It is a relatively new hotel, it opened in November 2018.
Just to clarify, this was a personal trip and we paid all costs ourselves, it wasn’t sponsored in any way.
Arrival & Check-In
The hotel is set back from the main road next to the old White Hart Dock, a bit of the old Thames which dates back to the 14th-century. As it is set back from the main road, you avoid the ‘Red Route’ and are able to stop and unload your bags directly outside the hotel.
There is no onsite parking but we reserved a space through ‘Just Park’ at an underground secure carpark a couple of minutes walk away (£45 for 3 days).
The check-in itself was quick and easy and we were immediately helped with our bags. When we asked about the club lounge facilities instead of the usual stock reply we were actually taken there and shown around, a nice touch which is often lacking, even in more expensive 5-star hotels.
The King Club Room
We stayed in a club room which had great views over the River Thames towards the Houses of Parliament. Although the room was not big, it was well designed with plenty of USB’s, a 40″ TV, kingsize bed and the usual selection of snacks and minibar at the expected ‘minibar‘ prices.
The room also had a couple of US and European style electric sockets which is useful for anyone who had forgotten their travel adapters. There were also robes and slippers, a turndown service and complimentary bottled water replaced daily.
What was a novelty and according to Mrs W, definitely worth the room rate in itself, was the Japanese style Toto toilet. Just be careful with that pressure control!
Food And Drink
If you stay in a club room you get complimentary breakfast in the club lounge. The lounge also has tea, coffee and snacks throughout the day and more importantly, wine and beer for a couple of hours in the evening.
There are two restaurants in the hotel, POTUS, an American style bar/restaurant on the ground floor and Mezemiso on the 15th floor. We ate in POTUS where they were still offering an American ‘Thanksgiving’ menu. The food was surprisingly good for a hotel and the service was also excellent.
The restaurant features some interesting photographs of visiting US presidents, hence the name POTUS (President of the United States). The new American embassy is only a couple of minutes away but going on Donald Trump’s comments about the embassy, we doubt he’ll be popping in for a burger anytime soon.
The rooftop restaurant, Mezemiso has great views over the Thames from the terrace. The food is Lebanese and Japanese (there’s a clue in the name). We didn’t get the chance to eat there but did take the glass elevator to have a look, it isn’t a large restaurant so would definitely recommend booking to guarantee a table.
Overall, we would definitely recommend staying at the Crowne Plaza Albert Embankment, we intend to stay there again in the very near future. The price compared to other London hotels was very reasonable and the location was excellent too. You could walk to most of the famous sights without having to take the tube. Make sure you request a river view although we think all the clubrooms have a river view.
So that was our first experience of the Crowne Plaza Albert Embankment London. We stayed there in early December 2019 and just to recap, it was a personal trip and not sponsored in any way.
