The Trafalgar St. James London (Hilton Curio Collection): Bottom Line Review

Hilton Honors maintains a massive footprint in London, with 65-70 properties bookable with points. Many of these are exactly what you’d expect from a Hilton or Doubletree: large hotels with comfortable, if unremarkable, rooms; familiar, but without much in the way of personality or character.

One exception is The Trafalgar St. James, a unique Curio Collection property located just one block off of Trafalgar Square and across the street from the National Gallery. I’d heard great things about this property, the location, and the rooftop bar. On a recent trip to spend some time with a friend in Southwest England, my wife and I had a couple of days and Hilton Free Night Certificates to kill, so we gave it a try.

Trafalgar St. James Bottom Line Review

The Trafalgar St. James has a lot going for it. For most London visitors, the Trafalgar Square location is extremely convenient, allowing access to many popular attractions on foot or via a short ride on the Underground. It doesn’t feel like a Hilton at all, both in size and temperament, but rather a mid-sized boutique hotel. The star of the building is the rooftop bar, but everything here is chic, stylish, and well-maintained. That said, it’s now 105,000 points per night, there’s not much in the way of added amenities (understandable given the size), and frequent London visitors may prefer something with a bit more distance from the tourist masses. There’s very little that’s not to like here, but there’s also not much to distinguish it from dozens of other expensive, high-quality London hotels. Thumbs Up

• Price: During our dates, standard room awards were 95,000 pts/night, while cash prices were ~$600/night. We redeemed two free night certificates from our Hilton Aspire cards. Since then, Hilton has increased the award rates on many higher-end properties, and now the rate for a standard room is 105,000 points/night.
• Value: Using points, it’s usually a decent deal, ending up near our reasonable redemption value for Hilton Honors points of 0.41 cents each.
• Location: The St. James is located one block off Trafalgar Square, one of the busier tourist areas of London. It’s easy walking distance to Covent Garden, Buckingham Palace, The National Gallery, St. James Park, and many other famous sites. There’s just enough separation between the hotel and the nearby mêlée to keep things calm, but you’re certainly not in the middle of a quiet, residential neighborhood.
• Room: We booked a standard king guest room and were upgraded pre-arrival to a 320 square foot St. James King Room. These rooms are ~20% bigger than a standard room, and have an elevated “living room” area with a 2-person sitting area, bay windows, and a desk. The furnishings were well-maintained and very comfortable.
• Parking: None. Guests with cars can get a 20% discount when parking at the Q-Park in nearby Leicester Square.
• Resort/Destination Fee: None.
• Internet: Excellent throughout the property.
• Service: The front desk, valets, concierges, and housekeeping were all uniformly excellent. The breakfast servers were not, and consistently seemed to be in the weeds and overwhelmed. Over two mornings, we ordered a total of four a la carte dishes, and received the wrong item three out of four times.
• Turndown service: Nightly.
• Dining:
  • Rockwell: The hotel’s main restaurant, located just off the lobby and open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We only had evening drinks and breakfast, but the space and the food were terrific. As previously mentioned, the breakfast service staff could use some help. Open M-W from 6:30 am to 11:30 pm; Th-Sat until midnight, and Sunday from 7:00 am to 11:30 pm.
  • The Rooftop: The star of the hotel, this rooftop cocktail lounge has a marvelous terrace that overlooks Trafalgar Square with sensational views both during the day and at night. The best tables are reserved in advance, so best to put your name in when you arrive if you fancy a tipple. Open M-W from 3 pm to 11 pm; Th-Sat until midnight (with a £35.00 per person minimum for indoor reservations, and £50.00 per person for all outdoor reservations). Closed Sunday.

• Spa: None.
• Fitness Room: There’s a tiny fitness area with three cardio machines and a smattering of free weights.
• Hilton Diamond Benefits: 
  • Room Upgrade: We booked a standard king guest room and were given a modest upgrade to a 320-square-foot St. James King Room.
  • Free Breakfast: Breakfast buffet served daily at Rockwell. It’s a decent spread, and comes with a choice of one a la carte item, which were all quite good. The only problem was that we consistently got something different than what we ordered.
  • Club Lounge: None.
  • Late Checkout: We were offered a 2 pm checkout.
  • Welcome Amenity: A box of chocolates had been left on the bed for us when we arrived.
• Would I stay again?  We enjoyed the boutique, small-property feel, and the location is great for common sightseeing destinations. The rooftop bar is sweet. That said, I wouldn’t necessarily seek it out on return visits. There are a lot of places to lay your head in London.

Pros

• Marvelous views from the rooftop bar.
• Excellent location for sightseeing, especially if you haven’t spent much time in London. There are many well-known attractions that are within easy walking distance.
• The hotel doesn’t feel like a Hilton, in the best way possible. It’s small, sleek, and feels like an independent boutique hotel.
• Breakfasts are quite good.
• The staff, especially the concierges and bellmen, are terrific.

Cons

• Although it’s somewhat tucked away, the surrounding neighbourhood is anything but quiet.
• Subpar fitness area.
• Breakfast service was lackluster.
• It’s a small hotel, so there’s not much in the way of amenities.

Image Gallery

Trafalgar St. James King Room

Rockwell Restaurant (and elite breakfast)

Rooftop Bar

Trafalgar St. James Gym and Public Spaces

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