157 Waterloo Road, London, United Kingdom | (888) 710-7049
Great
location within walking distance of Waterloo train station
Spacious, quiet,
well-furnished rooms with large, comfortable beds
Stylish
contemporary decor throughout, particularly in the chic lobby
On-site
Indian restaurant run by celebrity chef Cyrus Todiwala
Free cooked
and continental breakfast buffet offers great choice
24/7 snack
bar in lobby, with good drinks selection
Business services and meeting spaces available for up to 80
Modern,
well-maintained gym with cardio and weight-lifting equipment
Reliable free
Wi-Fi throughout
Rooms decor is a bit generic
Gym is on
the small side
The
upper-middle-range Hampton by Hilton London Waterloo maintains this well-known brand’s
reliable standards. It’s located in a relatively peaceful residential
neighborhood, a five-minute walk from Waterloo train station. Its 297
modern rooms are comfortable and well equipped, even if they’re a bit generic. But it’s the chic lobby that really
shines here, with its cozy and elegant retro-style seating. The lobby snack bar
is open 24/7, and the hotel’s Indian restaurant is headed by a celebrity chef. Breakfast
is free and plentiful, and there’s a gym and free Wi-Fi, plus meeting rooms and
business services. Travelers might want to compare rates with the H10 London
Waterloo -- it's a 10-minute walk from the subway, but has comparable rates and
a sauna.
Scene
Sleek contemporary decor, with an inviting lobby and snack bar
This
Hampton by Hilton is a large but quiet chain hotel with sleek contemporary
decor. The highlight is the cozy lobby, with its chic, high-end retro-style
seating, and large floor-to-ceiling windows that give the space
an airy feel. There’s gorgeous hardwood flooring, modern canvases on the walls,
and elegant tripod floor lamps, plus big communal tables and chic computer terminals
framed by tall bookshelves. The long, all-white front desk has sleek under lighting, and doubles up as a snack bar, with cute green-padded
retro stools. The in-house Assado restaurant goes for a modern industrial look,
with exposed ceilings and blond-wood tables and chairs; it’s a light, airy
design that lends itself to the casual dining approach. The bland and rather
dark hallways are the only part of the hotel's interiors that falls down. This property draws a mixed bag of families, couples, and business travelers.
Location
Quiet location but close to Waterloo; walking distance to theaters, London Eye, and Big Ben
Located
close to London’s busy Waterloo area, the hotel is in a quieter and more
residential setting just a five-minute walk south of the mainline railway and tube station. Other tube stations within a 10-minute walk include Lambeth
North, Southwark, and Elephant and Castle, and there are plenty of restaurants
and coffee shops in the vicinity. The Old Vic and Young Vic theaters are within
a five-minute walk, while the BFI IMAX 3D
cinema is an eight-minute walk,
and it’s a 12-minute walk to the National Theatre. It’s under a 15-minute walk to Waterloo Bridge, the London Aquarium, and the London Eye. The Tate Modern, Big Ben, the Strand, and Borough Market are all within a
20-minute walk or 15-minute tube ride. It’s a five-minute drive to Covent Garden, and a nine-minute drive to Piccadilly Circus. Leicester Square is 13
minutes by tube, and Oxford Street is a
17-minute tube ride; Hyde Park is a little farther, 26
minutes away by tube or 18 minutes by cab. London City Airport is the closest
to the hotel, just a 24-minute drive; it
takes 35 minutes by taxi to Heathrow, while
Gatwick is a 56-minute drive.
Rooms
Quiet, contemporary, and spacious rooms with comfy beds and pleasant bathrooms, but no fridges
Spacious
and quiet guest rooms at the Hampton by Hilton are modern, stylish and well appointed, but they’re still
relatively generic and play second fiddle to the more impressive decor in the
hotel’s public spaces. Standard Rooms have large, comfy beds with gray
headstands set against dark-wood accent paneling. Built-in
bedside tables are in a matching shade and come with individual reading lights,
while spotlights around the room’s perimeter add ambience. Each room also has an
elegant tub seat (Family Rooms switch this out for a basic built-in purple
sofa), and an attractive curved built-in desk. The purple-gray patterned carpet
add more color, and large windows have white curtains and pleasant views. Large
bathrooms have cream floor tiling, white wall tiling with black mosaic
detailing, and standalone vanities with gray marble tops. Well-sized walk-in
cubicles have power showerheads, and there’s hand wash, body wash, shampoo,
conditioner and moisturizer in wall-mounted pumps.All rooms
have individual air-conditioning, flat-screen TVs, and phones; power sockets
are plentiful and well placed, too. Other amenities include coffee- and
tea-making facilities, safes, lap desks, hairdryers, irons and ironing boards, but there
are no fridges. There’s free Wi-Fi, and keycard-controlled access to elevators.
Features
Lobby bar, free breakfast with waffle irons, and celebrity-chef-run Indian restaurant, plus decent gym
The Hampton
by Hilton’s facilities start with the gorgeous ground-floor lobby and snack
bar, open 24/7 for simple food like sandwiches, chocolate bars and chips, and a well-stocked bar serving beverages. The hotel’s free cooked and continental buffet
breakfast offers a great variety of dishes, including DIY waffles -- but it can
get busy, particularly on the weekend. The on-site Assado restaurant, headed by
celebrity chef Cyrus Todiwala, serves good Indian food in a modern casual
setting. The modern, well-maintained fitness center has a decent range of free
weights and weight-lifting and cardio machines, though it’s on the small side.
There’s reliable free Wi-Fi access throughout, plus computer terminals and
printer, fax, and photocopy facilities in the lobby, and meeting facilities can
host up to 80 people.