Park Lane Hotel

My partner and I stayed at the hotel on 31st October for one night and I will try to give a really honest and balanced review. We booked through Lastminute.com 'Top Secret' and paid £119 RO.

On arrival at the hotel we walked through the front door which leads into an impressive and traditional hallway. We then walked through the Palm Court which is used for Afternoon Tea and it was gorgeous but again very traditional with big sofas and lots of high ceilings and gilt. The reception is through to the back however we were dealt with quickly and efficiently and because of the reviews on Trip Advisor I had emailed the hotel prior to arrival, so upon checking in we were given an upgrade to an Executive Room.

We arrived in our room and granted it was not 5* - more like 4* - I certainly wouldn't say 2* like some of the other reviews. It was a bit shabby on the paint work and furniture however we had a huge bed with a feather quilt and pillows. The bathroom was clean and the shower enclosure was huge. We were at the front of the hotel over looking Green Park, right on Piccadilly - the view was lovely into the park with all the Autumn leaves and we could see over the tops of the trees to the Eye and Big Ben and Westminster - which with a full moon as well looked positively beautiful in the evening all lit up. We didn't eat in the hotel at all so I can't comment on that but when coming through the Palm Court the afternoon tea looked lovely!

The location is fantastic and if you turn left out of the back of the hotel and walk up the street there was a few nice resturants and pubs near by - away from the hustle and bustle of Piccaddilly.

If you want a contemporary, pure luxury, first class hotel on Piccadilly then you need to pay the massive price tag at somewhere like The Wolsley or The Ritz - if you are more relaxed about your accomodation and choose the see the positives of a place and it's surroundings then I think it would be fine for a short stay.

I can't really fault the hotel - yes it's very traditional and would benefit from a bit of a refurb however the location is fantastic, the staff were friendly and the place was clean - l have used Lastminute.com 'top secret' many times and mainly had really good experiences even in London - but I think it's just the luck of the draw - I think if you are booking top secret then you need to sometimes be prepared for it not to be as great as you hoped it would - I still think in London and this area it was good value for money.

I booked a room at this hotel for my father and his partner. Although I did not stay there myself I felt the service I received prior to their arrival was worth reviewing.

I contacted the hotel to let them know the booking was for a special occasion and the service I had was outstanding. The manager was very approachable and was more than happy to assist me with my requests. In fact he went out of his way to make sure their stay was an incredibly memorable one.

For the level of service I received I would happily stay at this hotel and recommend it to others.

If something looks too good to be true it normally is. I was called unexpectedly to London and made the mistake of going onto lastminute for a late room. There was a 5* hotel in Park Lane advertised under 'Top Secret' - the hotel was soooo good they didn't want the name or details released as the offer was just to good to be true. Originally the price was £119 but when I came to book it was down to £99. I should say at this point that my PA was away so I took on booking responsibilities myself. Oh dear.

My initial joy at snapping up such a bargain turned to concern when I checked it out on tripadvisor. Clearly quite a lot of disgruntled people.

Now I am here. In this hell. My room is a converted cupboard. It smells terribly, terribly of paint. The bathroom is full of fumes. The walls are covered in scuffs, the carpet is threadbare, the wood is all chipped. The cupboards are cheap, wonky and would not be out of place in a Butlins c. 1950. The shower is a hold up over the bath job. I haven;t tried the pressure but needless to say my expectations of anything more than a dribble are incredibly low.

The entire place looks jaded, tired, desolate. It really should be clsoed immediately. You should see the faces on the people walking by - nothing but glum looks. I have been in my room for an hour and have a terrible headache from the fumes. But the reception have told me they cannot move me as the hotel is full. It is awful.

I feel that lastminute have a lot to answer for. How on earth can they advertise this as a top secret 'luxury' 5* hotel. It is squalid and awful.

It's funny, I hadn't used them for many years but thought I would give them a try. Never again.

This hotel should be clsoed immediately or advertised as a 2 star at best. it isn;t good enough for the manager to come on here and tell people he is sorry for their experience. That is too late. People need to be told before that this hotel is a 2* hotel and not a 5*. Please, please, please - if you haven;t been conned by lastminute never book this hotel!!