Claridge's

We spent our wedding night at Claridges on 23 December 08. It's always been a dream of mine to stay at Claridges, having visited for tea and dinner at Gordon Ramsey's restaurant on several occasions. In my opinion, it's the most beautiful hotel in London.

We were deferring our honeymoon till Feb 09 due to our kids/Xmas being just after our big day so decided to spend the night in luxury - and it certainly was that. Our room was lovely, particularly the original art deco features, spacious and elegant and a big comfortable bed. It was exactly what we needed after the exhaustion of the day. I sent a piece of lingerie to be pressed before dressing to go out to supper and was frankly surprised to see they'd charged me L12.50 for this service. It was literally a silk camisole which I could have pressed myself had there been an iron in the walk in wardrobe area. Little point but I felt it was excessive considering there was no cleaning involved.

Main gripe was that we didn't get to bed until 0200 having completed our in room breakfast request for an 0900 delivery that morning. At 0700 our phone rang - breakfast was served gaahh ?! They had misread my writing which meant we were robbed of two hours much needed rest which when you have kids under five, you'll appreciate how galling that is ! Seemed strange to wake a couple clearly staying for their wedding night with such an early breakfast, they could have checked if there'd been any doubt over handwriting.

But otherwise a truly lovely experience and much befitting of one's first night as a married couple.

Enjoy

One expects a lot from a hotel with this reputation. Unfortunately, it seems to be trading on that reputation more than it should. I should say from the outset that with the exception of the reception staff, the other staff could not have been more friendly or helpful - the lift operators (yes, still working here) were absolute gems. From there, things aren't so good. I booked a Deluxe King weeks in advance, ordered champagne, chocolates and flowers to be in the room on checking in at the official time, and had dinner booked at Gordon Ramsay's Maze (the Gordon Ramsay in the hotel was booked up months ago). On arrival, at the stated time, I found the porters excellent but the receptionist brusque, and almost rude when she demanded my wife's name - why? No-one has ever asked before, and I could see no reason for the request. We were shown to the room, and I immediately noticed that none of the requested items were in place. I was told they would arrive later, and to help us along they would send up two glasses of champagne. These never arrived. In the end the flowers turned up after two hours, and following a sharp phone call - where reception made excuses - the champagne and chocolates arrived even later. The fruit tray consisted of a small bunch of grapes, a single tangerine, and a solitary, bruised apple. Not a good start., but to give the hotel its due, they removed the charges for the late items. The room itself was large and airy, with a original Art Deco style, well equipped in the main, although the TV picture quality was rather poor. Turndown service was nicely done.

The next morning we went down to breakfast. We had to queue for a table (queue? in a 5 star hotel?), and were given a table overlooked by the aforementioned queue,. This table was also subjected to freezing blasts of cold air from the front door. Although we asked for different teas, only one pot turned up for us to share.

We had room service twice, and it was excellent. - they did this well.

We ran out of toilet paper - there was no spare - I rang housekeeping but none came. Most odd. One day the flannels disappeared from the bathroom, to reappear the next. Although a hair dryer was supplied, there was no power point beside a mirror. In the end we had to improvise with a chair and a wardrobe door (see picture!). I suppose the traditional clientele have a maid to do this stuff, the rest of use have to adopt the Camilla look.

The bed itself, while impressive, was two singles pushed together and it sagged badly n the middle, which we kept rolling into. On our final night, we found that sound insulation between rooms was non-existent. The gentleman next door came in at 0300 and started a party. We heard every detail through the paper thin isolating doors and finally complained to reception at 0400. The music stopped but the conversation still kept us awake for another hour. I complained when checking out but the receptionist had little interest in my problems.

All in all this was a curious experience. The hotel reflects the standards of an earlier age, and for those who are seeking that kind of experience, despite the inconsistent service levels, it may be a good choice. For those wanting value for a lot of money, look elsewhere. Once you've got over telling taxi drivers "Claridge's, please" - there is a certain buzz - you realise that it is offering little beyond its name, and that travellers with an expectation of more modern faciltiies and predictable service would do better elsewhere.

I also find it amazing that guests do not get some priority at the the signature restaurant. Fortunately the Maze is only a few yards away, but that, at least for now, still needs advance booking.