My stay at The Royal Horseguards Hotel was one of the best in all my worldly travels. It was a happy accident on how I ended up deciding to stay there, and a perfect way to start 2024. Here’s my review of the historic hotel and why I chose it:
With so many choices of where to stay in London, it can be hard to decide. I found myself in that dilemma during my first time in London. Do I want a modern boutique hotel in the middle of all the action or do I want a grand, historical hotel on a quiet street? Should I splurge or stick to a budget? It’s really up to you and what you want out of your London trip.
I was lucky enough to have amazing friends that let me couch surf for a couple of nights at their place just outside of London in the lovely town of Swindon, and we all stayed at their hotel of choice, the Oliver Plaza in Earl’s Court while exploring London together. It was a huge relief not having to pick a place for most of my time England, since I am notoriously indecisive. However, there would be one night where I was on my own in this glorious town and had to make a choice and the Oliver Plaza was booked up for that night.
My friend who lived in England gave me the best advice—”Pick any hotel that’s close to an Underground station since you can get pretty much everywhere quickly and affordably.” Narrowing it down to hotels within a 5 minute walk of an Underground station made it easier to decide, but now came the hard part of which neighborhood.
Being my first time in London, I really wanted someplace walkable and recognizable so that I could just wake up and take a stroll if I wanted to and still be able to knock off some of the stuff on my bucket list without having to take public transportation. Covent Garden, Piccadilly Circus, Soho, and Westminster were all great options for what I wanted to accomplish. It would be my last night in London, so I was willing to splurge for convenience and comfort.
I also happen to have $300 in travel credit through my Capital One Venture X card that I could use to treat myself. As I searched Capital One’s travel portal for hotel options, I came across The Royal Horseguards as well as several modern marvel hotels. It was a few hours of going back and forth between the final few, but I decided I can always stay in modern luxury anywhere in the world, but London is one of the few places that offers historical luxury, so I booked a night at the Royal Horseguards Hotel for $230 (*in travel credit, so for free essentially).
The Hotel
This 5-star hotel in a Victorian building has some impressive history including being the ex-Secret-Service headquarters. As their website says, it isn’t just a hotel, but an experience. I couldn’t agree more. The building is pure opulence, resembling a French chateau from the outside with a beautifully decorated lobby and very attentive staff. There are two restaurants on site, including one that offers afternoon tea service.
I walked right up to the check-in desk two hours before check-in time and not only was my room ready for me, but they upgraded me for free. It was a record check-in process time-wise and before I knew it the bell boy hauled my luggage up to my rooms.
The Room
As the bell boy showed me all the features of the room I could barely contain my excitement. He pointed out the secret vanity mirror with full sized blow dryer, the complimentary robe and slippers, the mood lighting, and the mini bar which was, get this… FREE. Yes, though it was small with only a few items he explained and then reassured me that it was free and would be replenished throughout the day. There were a couple of waters, soda, and a few snacks. I put it to the test and checked it when I came back to the room in the evening and a new snack was waiting for me to replace the one I took.
Another cool and surprisingly modern feature was a button in the inside of the room that would light up a sign outside the door either requesting room cleaning or displaying do not disturb. So much better and less clumsy than the little paper signs that you hang from the door knob in most hotels. There were buttons to change the lighting, buttons to heat the bathroom floor, buttons for everything, everywhere. For such a historic hotel, I was surprised how clean and up to date it was, including the fact that there was no shortage of outlets like there sometime is in older hotel rooms.
The room itself was massive with a queen size bed, a desk/vanity, a sitting area, a wardrobe, and a nice large bathroom. There were luxury toiletries in the bathroom and a rainfall shower with better water pressure than I have in my own apartment back home. I knew after exploring the city for one last night that I’d come back and give myself a spa day in this magnificent bathroom, which would aid in the recovery of my new year’s eve hangover.
The only downside was that there was no view from my room, but I didn’t mind so much. Some rooms advertised have views of the London Eye across the river, which would have been amazing though.
Location
Just a 5 minute walk from the Embankment Underground Station, The Royal Horseguards couldn’t have a better location. Right on the Thames River in the neighborhood of Westminster, it’s just a 12 minute walk from Westminster Abbey and Big Ben, a 7 minute walk from Trafalgar Square, and a 10 minute walk to the London Eye. If you were in the mood for a nice walk you could even get to the historic Globe Theatre in just half an hour from the hotel.
Despite being close to many iconic attractions, the area around the hotel is quite peaceful and calm. My other choice for hotel was in Piccadilly Circus and I am now very glad that I didn’t go that route since that station is usually insanely crowded, whereas Embankment, the closet station to The Royal Horseguards Hotel is fairly quiet in comparison. Dealing with luggage on the Underground, I was very thankful for this and is something you should keep in mind too if you plan on taking the Tube to the airport.
If you find yourself in London, I consider treating yourself to the historic luxury of the Royal Horseguards Hotel. Even though it is pricey, it’s actually one of the more affordable hotels in that neighborhood surprisingly enough. And, it’s well worth the comfort of the room and the convenience of its location. I was very pleased with my short stay there and only wish I could have spent a few more days being spoiled at the Royal Horseguards Hotel.
