Located inside the old London government building, that served the London government from 1922 to 1986 is the London Marriott County Hall. Just steps away from Big Ben and The London Eye, the London Marriott County Hall serves as one of the closest hotels to the top things to see in London, United Kingdom. The London Marriott County Hall is a full service Marriott hotel that offers dining, in-room dining, an M Club Lounge, swimming pool and fitness center. With easy access to the London underground rail network the London Marriott County Hall provides easy access around the city of London. This London Marriott County Hall review will detail the hotels offerings and allow any traveler that is travelling to London decide if this is the hotel for them.
In this review:
➤ History of the Hotel
➤ Check-In
➤ The Rooms
➤ In-Room Dining
➤ Gillray’s Steakhouse & Bar
➤ Afternoon Tea
➤ M Club Review
➤ Fitness Center / Indoor Pool
➤ Final Thoughts
History of the Hotel
A British landmark, the County Hall was opened by King George V and Queen Mary as the headquarters for local government in London. The County Hall is home of numerous important moments inside the wooden chambers. Each suite has an orange armchair, this chair serves as a tribute to the seating that was used in the former London Council debating chamber. This historic landmark, London’s most photographed destination opened as London Marriott County Hall on September 23, 1998. A plaque commemorating the official opening by Bill Marriott sits at the entrance of the hotel.
Check-In
The room was ready by the standard check-in time of 3PM, the hotel offers the option to store luggage at the desk if the room is not ready upon arrival. If a room was purchased with M Club Lounge access or M Club access is a benefit of your Marriott Bonvoy status the front desk will offer you the option to wait for your room in the lounge which offers a wide array of complimentary refreshments, more about the M Club further in this review.
The Rooms
The London Marriott County Hall offers several room types spanning from a standard room to suites. In this review of London Marriott County Hall, the River Thames View Suite provided a room with great comfort. With a successful redemption of a Marriott Suite Night Award the standard room originally booked was a confirmed upgrade to the River Thames View Suite before arrival. Upon entering Room 337 at the London Marriott County Hall, you are greeted with a hallway to the living quarters. This room is a connecting room to Room 336 which can make the suite even larger for a family. Immediately on the left in the entrance hallway of the suite is a half bathroom. Once you clear the entrance hallway you are greeted with a large living area with plenty of seating. A large six-person table with a glass top is noticed upon immediately entering the room. In the living room, sits an oversized love seat and two individual orange lounge chairs, a tribute to the building’s history with a coffee table and drink table in the middle. The living room included a smart tv which allows YouTube streaming or the ability to stream your own devices to use any streaming service. An assortment of teas and Nespresso pods were offered complimentary in the living room alongside two bottles of water. Glasses and glass coffee mugs as well as paper to-go cups are available for guest use. The room included a mini fridge. The River Thames View Suite offered spectacular views of the Thames River as well as Big Ben. The suite also offered a full bathroom, with an oversized shower, that included a tub in the same unit as well as a standard sink. The room offered two bathrobes, one in the bathroom and one in the over-sized walk-in closet. Also inside the closet was a safe built into the drawers, an umbrella, as well as an iron and ironing board. The hotel offers out-going laundry services. A feature that made the London Marriott County Hall stand apart, is numerous plug options throughout the room that allowed for EU, UK and US plug options that did not require a plug converter. The bedroom offered incredible views of Big Ben, as well as another smart-tv.
In-Room Dining
The London Marriott County Hall offers what seems like two different options for in-room dining while they are mainly the same menu with just a few varying options on each. County Hall Delivery, and In-Room dining by Gillray’s serve as the options for in-room dining. Note, if ordering in-room dining by Gillray’s a 15£ delivery fee applies. While both menus offer some of the same items, you may be able to save the delivery fee if your items are also available on the County Hall Delivery menu. There is no option to order room service by phone, you must order from your mobile device or computer. Room Service was delivered in about 39 minutes, and was delivered in to-go boxes, though we ordered two separate options, only one set of wooden cutlery was provided and no plates were provided. The food was average tasting, the loaded chips (French fries) were semi-undercooked and soggy. The wood-fired pizza was too heavy for the dough making for a messy pizza.
Gillray’s Steakhouse & Bar
Inside of the London Marriott County Hall is Gillray’s Steakhouse & Bar, known for offering over 100+ gins, indulge in a true British dining experience. At Gillray’s Steakhouse & Bar they source their ingredients from local English farms. Gillray’s Steakhouse & Bar serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and opens at 7AM daily, offering what some describe as the best views in London while dining.
Afternoon Tea
The Library at County Hall offers a traditional British afternoon tea experience. Located inside the London Marriott County in the former member’s library of city council. You can view the current menu on The Library at County Hall’s website. The afternoon tea experience was 55£.
M Club Review
The M Club Lounge at the London Marriott County Hall is accessible 24 hours a day. Evening Hors D’oeuvre are available from 5:30 to 7:30 each evening while complimentary alcohol service is available from 5:30PM until 9:30PM. The M Club Lounge at the London Marriott County Hall had a unique evening reception where a menu was scanned via QR code and each person could choose two cold small plates as well as one small hot plate. The small hot plates seem to change daily and this evening was turkey meatballs in a Pomodoro sauce or veggie meatballs in a Pomodoro sauce. Throughout the day there are a variety of snacks including chocolate covered nuts, a chewy sweet candy, trail mix and an Asian snack mix. From noon to 5pm, there was a quiche, carrot cake, crisps (chips) and a variety of flapjack bars available. Pepsi soda can options throughout the day are available, Britta filter offering still and sparkling water as well a espresso machine and a wide tea selection. In the morning, The Library at County Hall turns into the M Club breakfast lounge. Offering a complimentary menu to order from, guests with M Club access can choose one cold item and one hot item off the menu as well as an assortment of coffee, juices and teas.
Fitness Center / Indoor Pool
Located on the 5th floor in the London Marriott County Hall offers a state-of-the-art fitness center and an indoor pool. The fitness center offers state of the art equipment and a large workout space. The indoor pool in London Marriott County Hall is a 25-meter lap pool. Offering men and woman changing rooms with Sauna’s in each
Final Thoughts
Overall the London Marriott County Hall offered one of the most unique hotel experiences in London. Not a detailed missed, guests can immerse themselves in history and walk the halls of some of the most important moments in London’s history. The hotel offers a quiet, comfortable and convenient location for getting around London and seeing all of the London landmarks. The hotel was spotlessly clean throughout the stay and the staff were all eager to help. The London Marriott County Hall should be on anyone’s bucket list when visiting London.