The May Fair London
10 Days – England, Scotland, and Iceland – Introduction
For the remaining two nights in London, I also redeemed 70k Club Carlson points total (and got the second night free). I think that the most luxurious hotel (or apparently as some people put it) that you can redeem Club Carlson points for in London is the May Fair Hotel. It is described as a luxurious five star hotel in a ‘unique’ location.
We took an uber from the Plaza on the River to the May Fair for about ~£8 and the journey took about fifteen minutes. When we arrived at the hotel, we were welcomed by some rather *exclusive* cars parked in front of it.
I don’t know how to put it.. but we sort of didn’t fit in with the other people staying at the hotel… A five star luxurious hotel and people are walking around in fancy outfits and here show up two world travellers in their regular clothing… the doorman didn’t even open the door for us and we stood right in front of him and the door.
We were however welcome by a friendly front desk agent who quickly processed our check-in and informed me that our room had been upgraded to a deluxe room (which I think was a total lie, since the room was nothing special at all – just a bit bigger). He welcomed us to the hotel and showed us the way to our room. What pissed me off the most is the looks we got for wearing normal clothing from the other guests.. I mean I could still be a billionaire and wear jeans and a t-shirt, no?! The joke was on them since I paid using points and not any money (well, besides the annual fee of the credit card)!
The lobby didn’t have that ‘grand’ feeling to it as most luxurious hotels have, and truth be told, I didn’t see this hotel as fancy at all. The exterior was nothing special (except the cars parked in front) and the inside of the hotel didn’t make me want to believe it was luxurious, I’ve seen four star hotels that have a grand entrance… and I mean.. this.. in London? And five stars.. I don’t know how…
I don’t know if the purpose of the dark lighting everywhere was to set the mood or what, but we had a hard time reading signs as we passed through the hallway.
First impressions of the room: very red and nothing special. I mean, what is so special about the room? Nothing. Although I’m not complaining since we spent the majority of the day exploring London, so I don’t really care that much about the hotel… but seeing how it was supposed to be super fancy and luxurious is what made me book it in the first place.
The room was alright and had the basic amenities such as a tea kettle, however it lacked a coffee maker. The room also lacked storage areas, there was literally a single table (combined with a minibar) and no other area where we could put our clothes or other items.
The bathroom was nice and in a very modern design, although it did have the shower/bathtub combo which I didn’t like.
The wardrobe was located in the bathroom.. which I found a bit odd and I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before, but it does make sense since you can get ready right in the bathroom.
I can’t even compare the view at all… since it was horrible compared to the Plaza on the River.
We did receive one free drink in the hotel’s bar since I’m Club Carlson Gold and decided to have a single glass of champagne. We ended up drinking it rather quickly since we got some strange looks from people.
All in all, this hotel definitely fell short of my expectations. I read some reviews online and people were generally satisfied with the service, rooms, etc. Most of the staff we came in contact with were nice, although some weren’t. I did hate the fact that we got looks from *higher class* people for not dressing super fancy.. but I mean honestly, I’m not going to walk around London in a blazer just to look nice when I’m entering the hotel.
Looking back, I think it would’ve been a wiser choice to spend two more nights at a hotel which had some sort of location by the River Thames since we might have gotten a better view. The location of the May Fair is excellent since it is super close to the major tourist areas in London and therefore we were able to gain quicker access to some areas we wanted to see. Overall, if you are looking to redeem your points and want *luxury*, then maybe the May Fair is for you. I definitely wouldn’t rate the hotel as five stars.
I think you may have received and upgrade just based on the size of the room. It is simply HUGE compared to some other London Hotels. And although not a fan of the shower/tub combo, it looks pretty large as well.
It is possible, but I don’t think that a bigger room (without any additional amenities) should count as an upgrade.
Spent 2 nights here and 2 at the Radisson Blu Mercer St., using points on my last trip to London and I would have to say I preferred Mercer St.
Trust me, you got an upgrade. The room you show in the pictures is much larger than the one I had, which I loved. The bed was super comfortable and the hotel is lovely. I’ve been to London about 8 or 10 times and this was my favorite stay. Not sure what you were expecting, but it is surprising you didn’t really understand what a nice place it is!
I’ve stayed at hotels that were four stars in major cities and were much better than this one. I was expecting more from the hotel than what was shown since it is five stars and in London. The room was not the best and the hotel wasn’t luxurious at all, there isn’t anything to ‘understand’ about it, I simply didn’t like it.
Just stayed at the May Fair. Your room was a bit nicer than mine, which I also booked on points. You got an upgrade. Quit bitching.
I don’t think the size of the room should count as an ‘upgrade’. Upgrade = raise to a higher standard. A bigger room does not mean a higher standard. I don’t think that sharing my opinion and view on the hotel is ‘bitching’.
How odd to be peered at like that! I feel sort of embarrassed on London’s behalf. I hope you had a better experience for the rest of your visit – we are quite a democratic and very diverse city really.
Yes! I enjoyed the city and all other aspects, I love London!
There’s a few things I don’t get from your review – and these aren’t criticisms, they’re just observations.
1) You stayed at the Plaza On The River ( a 4* hotel ) and yet you really can’t see how the May Far is a 5*? That puzzles me because the hotels are like night and day.
2) The definition of an upgrade is that you get moved to a better room than you would have otherwise had. Period. You definitely got an upgrade.
3) You’ve done a lot of European travel so you must know what the majority of European hotels are like, so I’m surprised that the size of the room you were given didn’t tip you off to the fact that you were upgraded. European hotel rooms (especially in cities like London, Paris, Rome etc…) are almost all small – and it doesn’t matter what * rating the hotel has.
Regular rooms at hotels on Park Lane (most of which are unquestionably 5*) are smaller than the room you got.
Is there a chance that the miles & points game is making you a bit jaded? Yes, the May Fair is no Park Hyatt Tokyo or Four Seasons Koh Samui but there are grades within the star categories and the May Fair is definitely a 5* city hotel – I’m not sure what you were expecting.
As for some other points: It’s unconscionable for a hotel employee to be anything other than nice to guests so I hope you fed that back to the hotel.
It’s also pretty terrible that you felt that you were being profiled for the way you dress and I’m genuinely sorry you had that experience – it can’t have been nice.
1. The Plaza on the River was a much better hotel, maybe it was just the room we got, but it was 100% better than our experience at the May Fair. Staff were nicer, service was better, room was amazing.
2. Every hotel I’ve stayed at in Europe had normal sized rooms, I’m sure there are some hotels that have smaller rooms but I avoid those.
3. All I am sharing is my view on the hotel, it is normal for me to dislike the hotel based on several factors during my stay. I disliked it and that’s that and in my opinion the hotel didn’t live up to the number of stars it has.
Having stayed at the May Fair three times last month, I’d say the room was a minimal upgrade. The sitting room looks nice with a table and separate sitting chair.
My basic upgrade was a Deluxe room with a separate shower and tub. Three of the four times I have stayed at The May Fair, the bathroom had a separate shower and tub.
Mayfair London, is one of best city or to travel in London i think, lots of places for Shopping, Food, Enjoyment, Clubs, Bars etc.