Hilton Euston

“Better than the reviews suggest — a solid, honest base near Euston”

I booked this hotel with some trepidation, having read a number of unenthusiastic reviews here, and I’m glad to report that my worries proved entirely unfounded. Yes, it is a smaller and slightly dated Hilton — a typical example of the chain that probably hasn’t had a refresh in fifteen years or so… more

I booked this hotel with some trepidation, having read a number of unenthusiastic reviews here, and I’m glad to report that my worries proved entirely unfounded. Yes, it is a smaller and slightly dated Hilton — a typical example of the chain that probably hasn’t had a refresh in fifteen years or so, and is no doubt due one before long. But for what it sets out to be — a four-star, centrally located terminus hotel — it does its core job very well. The room matched its photographs on the website exactly, and everything in it was clean and functional. As a Hilton Honors Gold member I was recognised at check-in and automatically upgraded to a Deluxe room a couple of days ahead. I also received a welcome text acknowledging my status and asking whether I needed anything — a nice touch for those who notice such things. The app check-in was painless, and its real advantage was that the room was ready early, just after midday, with a digital key issued straight away; I was grateful the property doesn’t default to releasing rooms only at 3pm, as some do. An extra hour’s late check-out was granted without fuss, and reception handled everything quickly. The service isn’t especially personalised — with the notable exception of breakfast, where the staff were genuinely hospitable and faultless. The breakfast itself was surprisingly good and comprehensive. We were down for a weekend break to see Avenue Q at the Shaftesbury Theatre, an easy and pleasant twenty-minute walk away through the West End past the British Museum (we ate perfectly well at the Byron opposite the theatre). King’s Cross is only about eight minutes on foot through the back streets. After breakfast we walked across to the Wellcome Collection, an excellent free museum a couple of minutes away and a real gem if you have an hour or two to spare. The bed was very comfortable and clean, and I appreciated being able to open the windows for some fresh air. A couple of honest caveats. The traffic can be noisy, as others have noted, though my fourth-floor room facing Endsleigh Gardens was perfectly fine. And the water pressure is on the weak side — short of a new boiler, water-saving shower heads would help make the most of what there is — but it remained entirely acceptable and didn’t spoil a decent shower. On balance, for what it is and for the value, this hotel does its job well, and I’m happy to give it a fair five stars.

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