Thinking of visiting London with the kids? Then the Hilton London Bankside is just what you are looking for. Located away from the hustle and bustle of central London yet still within walking distance of major London landmarks such as St Pauls, the Shard and Tower Bridge, this hotel is perfect for a luxury family friendly stay in London.
The Hilton London Bankside is one of our favourite Hilton hotels anywhere in the UK– let me tell you why in this honest review.
What’s it like?
Your Hilton London Bankside experience starts before you step inside the hotel. Tucked away on a side street, at first glance it looks no different to any other Hilton hotel across the country but the closer to the driveway entrance that you realise this is a little different.
We were immediately struck by the gorgeous exterior all decked out for Christmas and the huge letters setting out the hotels name ‘Bankside’. Once we stepped inside you realise that this in no ordinary Hilton, it has a Conrad or Curio feel to it and there is a real sense of luxury and wow factor here.
With stylish yellow and grey seating, complete with brightly coloured cushions, steel clad hanging light bulbs and contemporary art on the walls – this is a modern design-led hotel and we loved it.
We were warmly welcomed to the hotel by the bellman who whisked our cases away and we took in the stunning Christmas décor in the hotel lobby. Apart from the delightful smell and an abundance of impressive festive displays, what I was most surprised at was just how impressive the levels of service were at the hotel.
We had an early morning train into London and had a warm welcome to the hotel who acknowledged our Hilton Gold status. In fact this is one of the best check-in experiences we have had at any hotel in the world – this is what made the Hilton London Bankside such a memorable stay – yes the hotel is gorgeous but it was the level of service from all staff that we encountered that really put our stay into that special category of hotel.
Whilst my husband and I enjoyed the warm mulled wine handed to us at check-in (how very Christmassy is that) the kids had their own treat. The hotel has a complimentary sweet shop trolley next to the check-in desks where they had rows of sweets to choose from for their pick n mix – love that!
For younger kids there is also a fox trail with numerous miniature fox sculptures dotted around the hotel to find, which were to honour a fox who would regularly be seen on the construction site when the hotel was being built.
As we arrived early to check-in our room wasn’t ready, so we stored our luggage at the hotel and started our trip to London with refreshments at the gorgeous executive lounge in the hotel before heading out for a day exploring the city.
Family rooms at the Hilton Bankside
There are 292 rooms here from standard and executive rooms to suites and one of the reasons why we chose this hotel was for its spacious interconnecting family rooms which were perfect with a tween and a teen. With two bedrooms each with their own bathroom it provided us with apartment size space for our festive break in London.
We stayed in an interconnecting family room which was not only really spacious for a London hotel, it had more of a chic boutique hotel feel than a typical Hilton. The contemporary, urban look and feel to our rooms wouldn’t look out of place in an interior design magazine and when we opened the doors to our rooms we were taken aback at just how impressive they were.
Let’s start with the girls room which like the rest of the hotel, exceeding expectations of what I expected from a Hilton hotel. I loved the cute fox bedding and cushions on the girls beds and a highlight in particular for Holly was the small fox toys placed on each of their beds which they were able to take home – what a fabulous keepsake of a stay here.
Our king room at the Hilton Bankside was just as impressive, beautifully decorated with tasteful wooden panelling, gorgeous filament bedside lamps, olive green and orange colour scheme which created a contemporary industrial inspired ambience.
As you would expect in a modern hotel, our room had an abundance of charging points ensuring that all of our gadgets could get charged. Even some of these had a unique design element with concealed plug/USB panels in the desks in our room.
The chaise lounge chairs and floor to ceiling windows create such a relaxing environment we had to really coax ourselves to leave our room to explore London.
With high-speed WiFi and a huge smart TV mounted on the walls of each of our rooms they had everything a child would want to call a hotel room home for the weekend – there was even a mini fridge so they could help themselves to complimentary drinks.
More importantly our rooms were really comfortable and clean with all the amenities we would expect in a 5 star hotel from tea and coffee making facilities and safe to fluffy bathrobes and slippers including ones for the kids.
The bathrooms in our rooms were spacious and so stylish in keeping with the trend of the hotel. One of our rooms had a walk-in rainfall shower so big I think that we all could have easily fitted in there whilst the other room had a deep bath with shower.
From the concrete shower floor to the large illuminated demisting mirror, the bathroom just oozed a contemporary industrial chic I left with so much design inspiration for our own home after our stay here.
It was so welcoming to return to our room after a busy day to find slippers and bottled water by our beds as part of the evening turn down service. The beds in both of our rooms were definitely as comfortable as they looked, with gorgeous soft white snuggly duvets and super soft 250-thread count bed linen we all had a great night’s sleep so we were ready to explore London the next day.
Executive level rooms (or if you have Hilton Diamond status) also have other benefits but the highlight will be access to the hotels amazing private executive lounge.
Facilities
What makes this hotel stand out in London and in particularly for families is the fact that it has a stunning 17m indoor pool.
The swimming pool area was a relaxing place to unwind after busy days in London and quickly became one of our favourite things to do during our stay – and there are no child swim times, if you want to go for a swim at 8am or at 8pm, kids are always welcome and it was great to have the flexibility.
There was also a small but well-equipped gym with Peloton bikes, but after a day racking up thousands of steps in London we had all done our workouts.
Executive Lounge
Whilst the girls prerequisites for a hotel stay typically includes a swimming pool, I always look for a hotel with a family friendly executive lounge and the one at the Bankside was incredible with the staff so attentive and always being on hand to provide the highest levels of service.
The executive lounge here is one of the most impressive and stylish executive lounges that we have visited and continues the same design aesthetic and luxe yet laidback atmosphere of the hotel. Tastefully decorated with Christmas decorations and lots of comfortable seating, my favourite was the focal point open fire in the centre of the room.
We could use the lounge for all day refreshments and in the evening between 6pm and 8pm a selection of canapes and drinks were available, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. This was a great place to start our evening with pre-dinner drinks.
The girls really loved it here as did my husband and after busy days exploring the sights of London, the lounge was a lovely family friendly area to call back, unwind and relax.
Dining at the Distillery
After a busy and long day in London, we didn’t want to venture out again in the evening so decided to eat at The Distillery – one of the hotels two dining venues and continues the same sophisticated yet relaxed feel found throughout the hotel. With a well-stocked bar including an impressive choice of over 100 hand-picked gins, it was a popular area of the hotel for guests to relax in with lots of comfortable seating including stylish chesterfield style sofas.
We had a cosy booth which was a great spot for dinner and a great way to end a busy day in London. The food and service here was impressive, with family friendly menus and extremely attentive service.
We skipped starters and went straight for mains. I chose the Aberdeen angus beef burger served with French fries whilst my husband opted for the grilled sirloin steak and French fries. The girls went for tomato pasta and burger and fries and all of the mains were as good as they looked.
For dessert, the girls chose the chocolate brownie and crème brulee and we went for raspberry cheesecake with chocolate crumble and ice cream which were amazing. In addition to the food, there is a huge drinks menu to choose from including local craft ales, wines and spirits to my personal favourite a mocktail.
Breakfast at OXBO
Breakfast at OXBO the hotel’s main restaurant the next morning was delightful. We were greeted upon arrival and a beautiful buffet selection awaited us in the open plan restaurant, complete with quirky animal heads adorning the walls.
Like the rest of the hotel the restaurant was stylish and modern with lots of decorations up for Christmas – it was so festive.
There is an open kitchen, which brings an element of theatre to the breakfast experience where we could watch the chefs making dishes to order. As you would expect at a hotel of this standard there was an impressive spread of breakfast options was available from cereals, fresh fruit and freshly baked pastries to full English.
As nice as the buffet was, I really liked being able to choose something freshly made to order from the a la carte menu, I highly recommend the pancakes which were delicious. Breakfast time can get a little busy at weekends – so the earlier you can arrive, the better or if you are in an executive room, breakfast is also available in the calmer surroundings of the executive lounge.
Location
The hotel is in a great part of the city, away from the main hustle and bustle of central London, especially at Christmas in December but it’s still close enough to all the major attractions.
The nearest tube station Southwark was just a 10-minute walk away and many sights and attractions such as the Tate Modern, St Pauls, Borough Market, London Eye and Tower Bridge are all within walking distance. There are also lots of restaurants in the area which are family friendly and supermarkets if you need to pick anything up.
Overall and is it family friendly?
Definitely, from the moment we arrived, the whole family was taken care of. The level of service received during our stay was excellent and this high level of customer service is a credit to the hotel management because it really does make a difference to your stay.
We have stayed at a lot of Hilton hotels and the Hilton London Bankside easily ranks in our top 3 in the UK. The Hilton Bankside is truly a hidden gem for families looking for a little luxury in one of the best areas of London, we can’t wait to return.
Ready to book
Prices at the Hilton Bankside start from £400 for a family interconnecting deluxe room when booking direct at hilton.com as part of the Hilton Honours Advance Discount Purchase rate.