ST.PANCRAS RENAISSANCE HOTEL, LONDON

The Kings Cross Basin was a really scruffy part of London, and not one I would recommend going to.  I was surprised to see how this area has been built up, with lovely new apartment buildings, and Michelin star restaurants opened up in historic brick warehouses and I was amazed at how modern and posh the Kings Cross Station and St. Pancras Station has become.    Euston Station is a block away.    Kings Cross Station is now famous because of the Harry Potter 9 3/4 platform where children queue up to have their photograph taken with Harry’s luggage trolley disappearing thru the wall. 

The historic St. Pancras hotel has just been added to the Signature Travel Network Hotel Directory of which our agency is a member, and that means that our clients get VIP treatment, such as a room upgrade, a free breakfast and many other extras.  Since I was going home to London, I was delighted to stay there and do an article for the travel industry.

I was very impressed.  It is unique.  Built in 1868, 245 rooms and 38 suites but it only had five toilets which flushed.   In those days, patrons used “chamber pots”.   At one time, it was the most luxurious hotel in the Empire, with 400 fireplaces.  It was closed down, and in 1998 over 200 million was spent on remodeling, keeping the original layout but adding bathrooms and plumbing.   It is considered some of the best Gothic Victorian architecture in London.   It took ten years to complete, and re-opened in 2011.     It has ceilings and windows which are 22 feet high, and are gorgeous, 12 foot wide corridors so that two ladies in crinoline gowns could pass one another.    It has the most magnificent staircase, which is used for many movie shoots, and the Royal Suite seats 20, has 3 bedrooms, and is a great location for a corporate meeting, or a special family gathering.

There are essentially two wings.   The Chambers Wing sits back from the street, with high security access.  Surprising to me, was the fact that you couldn’t hear traffic because the walls are so thick.  Of course, you heard the occasional sing song of an ambulance siren.  The East Wing has large rooms at a lower price, twin beds and triples.  

If you are in the Chambers Wing, (king size beds only) you can dine in the Chambers Club, which gives you breakfast, lunch,  snacks and drinks in the evening at no extra charge.   I ate in every restaurant, just to experience it. The Booking Office restaurant was actually where you booked your tickets.   Celebrity Chef Marcus Wareing, a Michelin star winner, did a Chef’s Kitchen dinner which is in the basement.    Nine people sat in the kitchen watching 14 chefs work in a team, just music watching them.  They served over 120 meals for the Gilbert Scott Restaurant upstairs, while I sat in the kitchen enjoying myself.  Each of the six courses was presented by a young chef who introduced himself –all British – who had prepared it and told us about the course.  The sommelier told us about the wine paring.     I watched the team scrub down the stainless steel kitchen at 11:30 p.m. and I applauded them as I left from a delightful evening.    Recommend you book this ahead of time. 

Afternoon tea in the lobby was outstanding under the amazing glass domed roof of the station and there are breathtaking floral arrangements throughout the hotel

A fantastic concierge staff headed up by Salvatore Bartolone who was thrilled to tell me that his assistant, James Elliott has just won Best Concierge in the World title at the Society of Golden Keys convention in Kuala Lumpur.  

A wonderful reason to stay at this five star hotel is that it is next to St. Pancras Station and apart from several British train routes leaving from there, it is the home of the Eurostar train to Paris.   Two hours and ten minutes from city center to city center, London to Paris, whereas you would still be in the security line at London’s Heathrow airport if you tried to fly to Paris.   Many people just go for the day, or perhaps stay overnight just to experience the French connection.

This hotel was jumping with young people.   Music in the restaurant at night is an excitement which you don’t often experience in a hotel.    Wonderful spa, pool and gym in the basement – I recommend it highly.   It is a great location, well run, and a pleasure to stay there.

For those on business, I stayed in the Chambers Wing in Room 172.  In an alcove, it had a 7 ft. table, lots of electrical outlets, with a very large comfortable chair.   You could work on a computer and spread out your papers in comfort.   My nephew, a Director of a large British company, told me that they use the hotel for their corporate meetings - a great place to do so.

As I was leaving, the limo driver told me, you have just stayed at the only six star hotel in London.

I was impressed with the hotel and its management team.

Maureen Jones, British native and specialist, is president of All Horizons Travel  at 160 Main Street. Members of her staff are experts in business travel, cruises, and all types of leisure.