Royal Lancaster Hotel

Angella

Modern Convenient Hotel 8th December 2008

0 found this helpful

Hotel Location
Convenience for train travellers is the top advantage for me, when you are visiting a restaurant or a huge meeting and coming into central London from outside.
It's right beside Lancaster Gate underground station. Handy since it's in the Congestion charge zone. It's just around the corner from the station but the giant block has no overhang so if it's raining you get wet. The Victorians built shopping arcade in the UK and the covered five foot ways were mandatory in Singapore. Wouldn't you think that London buildings should have overhangs - like you get on every doorstep for a modest dwelling in the UK.

Entrance Hall/Lobby
Wonderful thick carpet - like walking in on sponge. You just want to walk up and down enjoying it.

Lots of sofa seating. Busy and occupied in the evening.

Alert concierge who greets you as you approach and helps you.

No shops, just windows with some rather nice jewellery. Lovely log fire near receptions desks.

No leisure centre either.

The hotel has a couple of huge reception halls for big weddings and large receptions.
I was invited to a marketing 'Oscars' do in one of the huge suites with a separate entrance. I assumed our reception was catered by the hotel as there was no sign advertising another caterer.

Drinks
Our reception drinks were kir royale, champagne or orange juice. Excellent. And some spicy covered peanut nibbles on a table which probably most people missed but I found them. They did run out of champagne just before we were called to enter the hall.

Starter was Buffalo mozzarello with aubergine and chickpeas. Lovely soft cheese, tasty aubergine, a mouthful of flavours and different textures, the smooth almost creamy cheese and some crunch. Colourful too.

Main course was salmon en croute with new potatoes and spinach. That went down okay without leaving you over-full.

Dessert contained mango, my favourite. Very pretty to look at with orange and green ribbons. I think the orange one was candied orange.

Finally, best of all, excellent chocolates. Half a dozen varieties, different shapes and decorations with different centres, smooth chocolate or softer praline or alcoholic. Some tables seemed to have mini biscuits too. The best chocolates were the white chocolates which had soft centres and crispy, crunchy outside. Not over-sugary.

Water jugs contained lemon which looked pretty. The sound system was perfect and every word could be heard everywhere even when people at the back were talking buzzily.

Toilets down a flight of stairs. Pictures of kings, I presume the House of Lancaster, are on the walls. Pleasant but rather bland.

The hotel is on the central line which zooms frequently about every five minutes at busy hours into Oxford Street and out to Ruislip in the west, on two Ruislip areas with trains running until gone midnight.

Easy to remember: Royal Lancaster Hotel, pictures of the House of Lancaster, Lancaster Gate station is nearby.

To sum up, efficient and modern, doesn't look exciting but excellent food.