The Piccadilly London West End – Review of the 5-star hotel in Shaftesbury Avenue

Photo: Craig Cross

Craig’s review… One of the downsides of staying in 5-star hotels is that you can’t just relax and have a walk around because you feel like you’re on show all the time. You have to shine your shoes and press your shirt and straighten your tie for breakfast, and I hate all of that nonsense. I don’t like people striking up a “how are you today, sir” conversation every time I get in the lift either. It’s all right if you’re trying to impress your partner but I’m not – it’s just me. (It’s always just me.) And that’s why I like this place – because it feels a bit more normal and homely and there’s no pressure to be posh. It’s a posh hotel for non-posh people.

Inside a room at the Piccadilly West End

Photo: Craig Cross

Photo: Craig Cross

The rooms are rather small but I don’t care because everything else is very nice. You get a big TV about the same size as a snooker table, a big bed that sinks in deeper than a swimming pool, and a Nespresso coffee machine with a tray full of capsules.

You also get a minibar full of drink so let’s have a look at the prices: £2.50 for a fun-size can of Coke, £5 for a tiny bottle of red or white wine, £5 for a tiny bottle of vodka, whiskey or rum, £6 quid for a tub of peanuts and another £3.50 for Pringles. So… yeah. There you go. It’s cheaper going down the pub.

Ensuite bathroom with a shower

Photo: Craig Cross

The bathroom is small but it’s got a toilet and a sink to brush my teeth – that’s all you need. And some soap. And some scales. And some towels and a flannel. What else can I find in here… a shower hat and a vanity pack. Would you like to know what you get inside a vanity pack? Me too! You get some eye patches, toothpicks, cotton buds and nail files.

Do you want to know how much I weigh? I may as well stand on the scales seeing as they’re here. This isn’t the usual kind of information that you get in a hotel review, is it? But what the hell… eleven stone and a little bit. That’s not too bad – I might go and have that tub of Pringles in the minibar now.

Breakfast in the hotel restaurant

Their restaurant is really just a breakfast room because it only has seven tables in it, but you get all the usual kind of stuff: sausage and beans, scrambled eggs and hash browns, a bowl full of cheeses and plates of sliced hams. Plus a load of cereal and toast.

Location halfway up Shaftesbury Avenue

The best thing about this hotel is definitely its location: halfway up Shaftesbury Avenue and about two minutes from Piccadilly Circus. You can walk to Leicester Square in five minutes, Trafalgar Square in ten minutes, and Big Ben in fifteen.

Worth a stay? ★★★Value for money? ★★☆Nice rooms? ★★★Good location? ★★★

The author Craig Cross owns city-guide.london and has spent the last decade reviewing the capital’s landmarks, attractions and hotels. His guidebook London Squire is available from Amazon. This review was updated on 2nd September 2023