Radisson Blu Edwardian Vanderbilt

Staying here right now! The staff is amazing, very helpful, and will do what ever it takes to make your stay as comfortable as possible. Stafano truly has his guests’ best interest at heart, he wants you to have the most pleasant of stays. We had a few travel glitches with the airline and he guided me right through it, utilizing the most efficient and cost effective means. Thank you! The English Breakfast is phenomenal, service top notch, food hot and fresh. The fruit was ripe, and flavorful. A variety of juices and tea. The rooms are supplied with wonderful toiletries, robes, slippers and thick soft bath towels. The family room is spacious with our own foyer, allowing us privacy, and the sofa bed is super comfy ! The location is close to many major attractions, and tube stations, Thank you !

I stayed here for one night, for business.
The hotel is easy to find and in a fantastic location, just across the road from Gloucester Road tube station, and a short stroll from South Kensington tube.
The hotel looked fantastic, and the staff were some of the most helpful and professional I’ve encountered in a hotel.
When I stayed, the restaurant was undergoing some refurbishment — none of this work affected my stay in any way.
One thing I wasn’t overly keen on was the fact that the room was a real faff to get to, I stayed in room 229 and finding it was like a maze. The lifts seemed not suited to a building of this size, but as I was only on the second floor, taking the stairs was fine.
The other issue was the fact that the end of the toilet seat was located approx 15 centimetres from a wall, meaning that you could not sit on the toilet seat as it is intended, rather, you have to sit on it sideways — are you guys actually serious? Come ON, totally not fit for purpose!
Aside from this I found the room lovely, comfortable, and well equipped for my stay. Very speedy wifi also.
I would certainly stay here again and would recommend it to any visitor to the city.

Have stayed here multiple times. Room size do vary. My dad has stayed here and seriously got the smallest room in the world when he’s booked a single. Single size rooms are laughable because they are SO small But get a double or anything besides a single and you’ll be pleased. Clean and the décor is posh, but welcoming. Concierge is extremely friendly. I once stayed here for a night and was planning on leaving the next day but ended up getting sick and staying another day. The hotel was extremely helpful and got me an awesome deal allowing be to stay the night at an incredible rate.

GREAT breakfast, but no variety from day to day. Rooms were small and the bathrooms tight. Elevators (2: one at each end of the hotel) are really dinky (like four people would be tight), and are shared with the wait staff (who can’t get their carts and equipment up and down otherwise). Very difficult if you are impatient or disabled.
Convenient to Kensington sites, as well as transportation (tube across street, bus hub around corner).
The bed was comfortable, but I had a refrigerator in a cabinet that left no room for any clothing drawers (closet only).
Bathroom was well appointed, but tight (the door hit the toilet when opened about 45*).
Fabulous air conditioner!!!

This hotel was excellent. Upon arriving I was immediately upgraded to a larger room at no additional charge. When I complained that my air con didn’t seem to be working they fixed it right away. The staff is exceptionally polite and professional. While I was staying here there was a tube strike and they were very accommodating in securing a taxi. Oh and breakfast was delicious and plentiful. I will stay here again.

I would definitely stay here again! The service was absolutely attentive. I caught a red-​eye and arrived at the hotel around 9 am. Because check-​in was at 3 pm, the concierge informed me to check back at 1 pm as all the rooms were booked. However, I circled back around 10 am and sat at the business center looking pathetically tired, and they found me a room at 11!
The complimentary breakfast is outstanding. An assortments of fruits — grapefruits, oranges, pineapples — are offered in addition to freshly squeezed juices — orange and cranberry were the ones I tried out of several others. The hotel offers other pastries, yogurts, and hearty breakfast items. This was the first time a hotel offered the kinds if healthy breakfast foods that I would normally have at home.
There are complimentary water boilers and waters in the guest rooms, as well as a fully-​functioning heater, which I happily utilized as I caught a cold at the beginning of my trip.
The rooms are quite loud. However, it may be because I took several naps (induced by my cold). At one point, I thought someone was in my room although the noise was coming from outside.
However, the close proximity to the Gloucester station (1 block away and accessible from Heathrow airport by a ~40 minute ride) as well as a grocery market and museums make this hotel a standout.
The gym downstairs is well-​kept.

Small, petite, bijoux, tiny… All words that do NOT describe how cramped this hotel is.

Although this hotel is quite charming aesthetically, I was more than a bit disappointed in the sleeping experience which is, after all, why a person needs a hotel room!
Despite the fact our family room sported beautiful tall windows, they were bolted shut. No fresh air for you, my precious! As a result we had to run the air conditioner all night, which was both incredibly loud and terribly inefficient. Despite going to bed utterly exhausted from a day of flying and touring around London with the family, I simply couldn’t sleep for all the noise and an overly warm room. Minus 2 stars!
The hotel does get 3 stars for a spacious room, deep tub and good complementary coffee in the lobby. But it also loses one for obviously «tired» (and a bit dirty) carpet, an out-​of-​order lift, and according to hubby a less than impressive concierge desk.

I would give it zero stars if I could. The elevator broke. We couldn’t take showers in our room because the water stopped working above the first floor. I was directed to take a shower in the gym which was so small I couldn’t lift my arm properly to wash my hair. I had to walk through the hotel lobby in my robe to access the gym shower. We were moved into a room with a broken and extremely loud air conditioner so we opted to go back to our broken shower room and be dirty, but at least be able to sleep. The concierge booked me on the wrong sightseeing tour. The concierge also didn’t inform me of a better rate on city bus tours which would have gotten me a second day at ¹⁄₅ the price. The food was so disgusting it was literally inedible. I was in London for a conference and others who stayed had their door knobs fall off their rooms so their doors wouldn’t close. The blow dryer they offered nearly caught fire before it stopped working on first use. Presenters at our conference flew from overseas and had to present before a large audience unshowered after days of travel. This place is a complete dump. I wouldn’t pay $ 25 to stay here much less the $ 400 per night they charge. I have stayed at roadside dives in the middle of nowhere that were a better experience. Do not stay at this hotel. I won’t ever use another Radisson after this terrible experience.

I ended up spending a lot of time in the Radisson’s lounge as my folks were staying here and they don’t really like walking around London for an extended period of time.
It was also pouring out, so we spent a lot of time sitting in the armchairs drinking beer.
It was a nice place, swanky location, with doormen who greet you warmly. Bar service was a little slow, and the main floor washrooms had a step between the two doors that could kill.
But this place is tiny! We went up to see their room and somehow we fit the four of us in the elevator. I can’t imagine fitting in that elevator with another person and luggage. The rooms were also mini, very nice with good amenities, but so small. I was staying at a Travelodge near Kings Cross for 30 quid a night and my room was bigger.
Ate at the restaurant here too and I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn’t been awake already for 25 hours. They had house baked bread, and I had a vegetarian main that involved mushrooms and a tart.
No, not a hooker.
This place is excellently located to the tube station where you can catch the Picadilly or Circle and District lines.
I think this Raddison is more about location, location, location, then function, function, function.

The room was clean but the bed was as hard as a rock and the bathroom stunk. The toilet didn’t flush well and the sink didn’t drain.
Service was friendly and helpful but the elevator also stunk and there were carts of stuff blocking the halls on the 3^rd floor.

Stayed here for a week with my husband this past February… really great location. You can enjoy the quiet, peaceful neighborhood as opposed to being in the downtown, congested, busy city… it’s also LITERALLY across from the tube station so it’s super close to transportation and easy to get around. You can also walk to museums and to Harrod’s! The hotel itself is very nice… nice room, small but comfortable enough. Had a good time at the lounge/​bar downstairs, room service was AWESOME food, and wifi was free. Enjoyed our stay and would recommend to others.

I write this review from my hotel room, using their free wireless connection.
Objectively and from appearances, this is a nice place. The location is very convenient to the Gloucester Road tube stop, the staff is friendly, the room is pleasantly furnished, there’s free wireless access, and the toiletries are abundant. However, the reality of my stay here was only «okay.»
I only had an overnight layover in London, so I figured that I’d want something pretty well located. The price was right for this hotel, so, after consulting TripAdvisor and seeing its four-​star overall rating, I booked this place.
Upon arriving in London, I had quite an odyssey getting to this hotel due to the tube renovations and the Circle Line not running this weekend. Cool, not their fault or anything. I got here and the receptionist checked me in and informed me that South Kensington was, in fact, not the closest tube stop, but rather it was Gloucester Road. Armed with that knowledge, I headed to my room on the ground floor, navigating a lot of winding hallways and directional signage along the way.
When I got here, I was impressed by the high ceilings, the simple yet pleasant furnishings, and the clean marble bathroom, complete with eco-​friendly soap, lotion, body gel, and conditioning shampoo dispensers of honey-​lemongrass fragranced toiletries (so that we don’t all use millions of individual bottles and bars).
Basically, I was rolling with four stars overall until I turned in for the night.
Then I tried to go to sleep, and oh, how the mighty have fallen.
The cons: the street noise is rather loud. Even bigger con: HOLY SHITE are the walls thin! I can hear my neighboring room’s television as if it were… well, in the next room. I wonder why my tiny little single rooms in Munich and Milan were dead quiet by comparison??? Man alive. Oh, and another con: there’s an exhaust fan in the bathroom. IT NEVER TURNS OFF. Let me repeat: IT NEVER TURNS OFF. And it’s loud. I can hear the exhaust fan as if it were… well, blowing (quite loudly) in the next room. Argh. Basically, I have noises coming from above my head (neighbors and their television at 2AM), to the right of me (street noise), and to the left of me (the never-​ending exhaust fan).
Some miscellaneous cons that I’ll also mention as annoyances: (1) the refrigerator doesn’t feel at all cool, which wouldn’t be a problem except that I bought yogurt to eat for breakfast tomorrow morning (um…maybe that’s a bit iffy now?), (2) the bathroom shower gets a Design FAIL for being impractical to use with a swinging glass door that swings out to block the towel rack… um, I basically got water all over everything, since it also is a half-​door, leaving the back half of the shower completely exposed, and (3) it wasn’t clear (and nobody explained) to me that I needed to put my card key in the slot by the door to activate the electricity in the room. I walked around in the darkening dusk, trying to figure out how to «let there be light!» (Um, did I try to clap on-​clap off? I plead the Fifth.)
While this may be a good enough place to stay for some people (*coughs «heavy sleepers”*), I will not be back because I generally expect to be able to sleep when I book a relatively decent, non-​hostel hotel. I find it rather telling that I can report that my multiple nights at the two little single-​bed rooms in Munich and Milan afforded a better night’s sleep than my stay here.

The last time I was in London, I rented a 2-​bedroom flat so I suppose I got spoiled because for that much more room we paid so much less. The hotel is ok — I agree with the other reviewers that it may be typical for this part of London but the bathroom is really too small. My husband cannot sit on the toilet (I know, TMI) because his legs are too long — he has to sit sideways. Like another reviewer, the speaker for the TV was not working and water from the shower gets everywhere. And our refrigerator does not work. All of these are in the category of stuff happens and we can live with it. It’s only temporary.
What bothers me the most is the stench that comes through the AC vents! It smells lilke the SEWER!!! It is positively awful. And the room is so small it’s hard to escape the smell. And, the one window in the room does not open so we cannot air it out.
As another reviewer said, it gives you good reason to stay out and enjoy London every waking moment. Next time, it’s back to renting a flat!

Not a bad place for the money. The rooms are bigger than average for London, the location (right next to the underground) is great and the rooms are pretty clean. Okay, a few minor carpet stains but much better than what I have seen in London for this price range.

Dear Staff at the Radisson Edwardian,
Thank you so much for not pestering me when — ill, fevered and disoriented — I ducked into your establishment to use your facilities, wash my face and reorient myself. I suppose if I was a snooty patron I would frown upon such laissez-​faire treatment of wayward urchins, but as a wayward urchin, I thank you.
Are all my reviews in London going to involve getting lost?
Kisses,
Misplaced Me

A great location close to the underground (practically a stone’s throw) and with a sort of London townhouse vibe about it, I am a fan. There are a lot of restaurants and shops nearby and we walked one morning to Notting Hill and Kensington Gardens. During the underground strike we could catch a doubledecker bus and ride downtown.
Our room was in the back so it was quiet and got lots of sunshine from the big windows. The bathroom was small but serviceable (we could have used more towels) and our stay was really pleasant. The wifi worked only in the lobby so it was a good excuse to enjoy a pint or scotch down at the bar, and the «lift» was small and slow so we often took the stairs instead.
The rate was competitive but hardly a bargain, and the breakfast buffet was overpriced and not really to my liking so next I’d skip that. But yes, I’d stay here again.

I actually had a pretty good experience at this hotel. I can see if you got a room in the basement or one that looked onto the street that it could be dark or noisy, but the room I had was on the 7^th floor looking over the back. The room was in good condition and appeared to have been recently redecorated. The refrigerator and flat screen tv worked well. It was cooler this October so I never turned on the AC. The heat seemed to work fine though. After paying an exorbitant amount of money for tiny room at a trendy boutique hotel in the Parisian Marais, I found the room to actually be kind of large by European standards especially for this price point in London. I had light from a shaft near the bathroom but I also had a window that opened up over the quiet alleyway that let in lots of light and air in the bedroom area. The hotel is virtually across the street from the metro and is in a great neighborhood near lots of coffee shops and restaurants. The garden and lots of shopping are not far away either.
The restaurant serves a decent all you can eat breakfast. The lounge area bar has a good selection of single malt whiskeys. We had a few one evening in one of the nice wing backed chairs that they have near the fireplace. This place seems to be well kept and well run. I wouldn’t mind staying here again.

My husband & I stayed in the Radisson Edwardian Vanderbilt for four nights during the first week of August. It’s located in South Kensington and within walking distance of the Royal Albert Hall and the Victoria and Albert Museum.
The hotel was OK. The location is several blocks from the underground, so you can take the underground directly from the airport if you don’t have too much luggage to tow (I had a back pack & one suitcase on wheels). It’s within a few blocks of a great many eating establishments – particularly breakfast places and cafes.
As with many hotels in expensive mega-​cities, our room was very tiny and with virtually no natural daylight, since the only window looked in on a light shaft and was papered over. Not good if you’re claustrophobic.
For some bizarre reason, the door nob and key card entry to the building where our room was located was literally a foot off of the ground, which made it extremely difficult to unlock – especially if you had your hands full with luggage.
The rooms are dingy and beginning to show their age. The furniture is worn, marble tile in the bath is stained. The refrigerator in our room was broken.
Inadequate air conditioning & the lack of any window that could be open made the room sweltering hot and steamy after two consecutive showers. Moreover, the shower design is such that water literally gets everywhere, despite any attempts you might make to keep the water inside the tub area.
The towel warmer was broken, the bathroom socket was inoperable, and the bathroom intercom, which allows you to listen to the television was also broken. The bathroom did come with a few amenities such as cotton balls, q-​tips, shower caps, lotion & liquid soap, at both the sinks & the tub, which was convenient but hardly made up for the dismal surroundings.
At least the room had a safe, which did come in handy.
The cleaning crew was surly and would leave their equipment strewn all over the common area just outside our room. Ah – the common area. The common area outside our room was apparently being used as a storage room, since there were stacks of tumblers, dirty dishes, and furniture that was facing backwards & actually blocking doors.
The main lobby of the hotel was extremely small (really only equipped to hold 6 people comfortably) and rather uncomfortable when very large numbers of people were checking in and out, which was often.
All in all, I would say that the best thing about the hotel was the fact that it provided even more incentive to spend a good 12 – 14 hours a day roaming around London.
We’ll be staying at another hotel next time we visit London.

For a single bed this room is tiny but sufficiently adequate. Very impress how they use the tiny space to make up a comfortable ambience.
Free Wi-​Fi. 3min from Gloucester Tube Station.
Getting to your room can be a maize tour.

Das Hotel ist ein umgebautes altes viktorianisches Haus mit sehr viel Charme. Ich habe in einem Einzelzimmer für £ 60 + VAT (bei HRS. DE gebucht) übernachtet. Zimmer sehr klein, aber mit allem, was es braucht.
Ausgezeichnete Lage: 3 Minuten von der Tube-​Station Gloucester Road.