THE HOTEL
The 339-room Holiday Inn Regent’s Park hotel stands in central London’s Fitzrovia district. It’s a comfortable place to stay and within easy reach of public transport.
The property, in Carburton Street, was purpose-built as a hotel. It opened in 1972 and, typical of that era, is Brutalist in design.
Since then, the hotel has rebranded as a Holiday Inn and has a sizable business centre on its ground floor. It also features a reasonably priced first-floor bar and restaurant.
Soho and Leicester Square are a flat, straightforward 25-minute walk from the Holiday Inn Regent’s Park. That means a multitude of dining and entertainment options are accessible on foot.
Nearby pubs include the Lore of the Land, Greene Man and The Lucky Saint. Meanwhile, travellers with time for sightseeing can stroll to attractions such as the Sherlock Holmes Museum, Madame Tussauds, the British Museum and the British Library.
Both the Great Portland Street and Regent’s Park Underground stations are a couple of minutes’ walk from this hotel, which is a popular overnight option for business travellers from Monday to Thursday and attracts leisure travellers over weekends.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
The hotel’s concrete exterior looks dated and austere. Thankfully, entering the lobby immediately dismisses any notion that this might also be true of the hotel’s interior.
The lobby features contemporary décor and lighting. It provides comfortable space to sit and tables suited to social interactions or undertaking basic admin on electronic devices.
The check-in desks are to the lobby’s left. I was greeted warmly and checked in within a couple of minutes of my arrival.
Arriving at 3.30pm meant that my room was ready and I was handed the key to room 301. The keycard activated the lifts to the third floor.
THE ROOM
I was pleased to see my bedroom was at the end of the corridor, well away from the lifts. Opening the door revealed a compact, pleasantly furnished bedroom with an ensuite bathroom.
The bathroom had both a rainfall and a power shower over a bathtub. Wall-mounted Dove shower gel, shampoo and conditioner were available. Vanity kits, Gilchrist and Soames shower caps and an additional tube of Essential Elements Bathe conditioner were available by the wash basin, which had also had wall-mounted Dove handwash and moisturiser.
Features of the bedroom included a flat-screen TV next to a desk with a chair and a reading lamp. Above the desk were two three-point sockets plus adaptors for USB-A and USB-C charging cables. Next to the desk was a neat tulip-design standing lamp.
Complimentary Seabroke crisps, Walker’s shortbread biscuits and Milky Way bars were on the desk.
I found the three-point sockets by the bed were ideal for recharging my phone while sleeping.
A round table and armchair were by the king-size bed, above whose headboard was a contemporary sketch of London landmarks. A framed, stylised map on the wall between the bed and the bathroom highlighted Regent’s Park and attractions near the hotel.
Bathrobes with slippers in their pockets hung in the wardrobe, which had an iron and an ironing board. Inside, it had a safe large enough for storing a mid-sized laptop and a hairdryer.
Next the wardrobe was a Nescafe Dolce Gusto coffee machine, a kettle and a selection of Clipper tea bags, drinking chocolate, milk and sweeteners. The fridge contained complimentary Harrogate waters, two cans of orange-flavoured San Pellegrino Aranciata pop plus a can each of Diet Pepsi and Pepsi Max.
The bed was comfortable, the room was quiet and an effective blackout curtain helped ensure that I slept until my alarm sounded.
THE FACILITIES
Accessible via the lobby, the bar and restaurant are on the first floor. Drinks there looked reasonably priced. Burgers, grilled meats and fish dishes feature on the menu.
Breakfast is also served in the first-floor restaurant. Buffet options included meats, cheeses and fruits. Guests can also serve themselves fruit juices, hot drinks, pastries and bread.
Should guests prefer a traditional English breakfast, cooked items including bacon, baked beans and hash browns are plated by a member of staff. Additional dishes are cooked to order, porridge being among the options.
Free high-speed Wi-Fi can be accessed in the lobby, which has a living-room style media lounge with comfy seating, games, magazines and TV. It also has a business centre with power points and a wireless printer.
THE BUSINESS
The meeting rooms at the Holiday Inn Regent’s Park are within an area of the hotel known as The Academy, which is accessed through the lobby and can be closed off when not in use.
The Academy has nine meeting rooms, the largest of which can accommodate up to 350 people.
Flexible room setups are offered. The inclusive delegate day rates include access to tea and coffee-making facilities, fruit and soft drinks.
THE VERDICT
The Holiday Inn Regent’s Park is a London hotel that appeals to both business and leisure travellers.
The bedrooms are compact, carpeted and comfortable. They are ideal as an overnight base before or after meetings or events in central London.
Good access to public transport, business facilities in The Academy, and space to work in the lobby mean that this hotel is a viable option for working while in the British capital.
DETAILS
Nightly room rates at the Holiday Inn Regents Park typically start from £205.
Stuart Forster
