I’ve stayed in many London luxury historic hotels, boutique hotels and small rooms but my first visit to the Great Northern Hotel London melded all of my past experiences into one luxury hotel award stay. The original London railway hotel first opened in 1853 and has been restored with such luxury and glamour that it has made many a top 10 list and won accolades since debuting in 2013 after a five year (wow!) restoration. The lengthy restoration was due to the strict rules governing the Grade II listing landmark status. The hotel is a stunner and utilizes every inch to impress and provide boutique comfort to guests. With 91 rooms, it is an independent boutique property in the Marriott Tribute Portfolio collection, newly added to the family in September 2015. When I found the Great Northern Hotel London on the SPG app, I was super excited to try it out on my upcoming stay in London as I’ve not spent any time in the King’s Cross neighborhood.
Location – Hotel at King’s Cross St. Pancras
Riding the Piccadilly line from Heathrow for just over an hour, I exited the tube station at Kings Cross. Standing on Euston Street looking at the Kings Cross train station, I knew the hotel was close but couldn’t see it in the rain. I turned around a few times when I saw the lettering “Great Northern Hotel” on the left and laughed because I was staring at it without seeing it for about five minutes (file under “dumb things I do”). The hotel is connected to King’s Cross train station which makes it central to the tube station (Piccadilly, Northern, Victoria, Metropolitan, Circle and Hammersmith and City lines) as well as the National Rail. Across the road is St. Pancras station which provides access to the Eurostar and other train lines.
Arrival at The Great Northern Hotel King’s Cross
I missed the hotel entrance door (across from the taxi stand on the left) and ended up walking around the hotel past the tempting sandwich shop, Kiosk, the GNH hotel bar and to the front door with the GNH initials.
With doors on the right and left, I went left and found the elevators but no check in desk. I opened the door ahead and saw the bar on the left and stairs up and over to the front desk (note, this was the right turn initially that I missed). The front desk was staffed by three people at two terminals. Staff was welcoming and acknowledged my gold status. Luckily, my room was ready for early check-in (1 p.m. vs. the normal 2 p.m. check-in) and I was offered a gold status amenity (points or a drink) and then quickly taken to my room by the bellman and shown all the features of my room.
Great Northern Hotel – Couchette Room 317
The hotel has five floors and my room, a couchette room, was on the third floor. The couchette rooms are the smallest of the three categories and due to the historic renovation the space may differ a bit as seen on the floor map. Once off the elevator, you need to wave your hotel room key to open the main door to the floor (security feature). My room was directly across from the security door and elevator bank (surprisingly quiet). The hallway was decorated in muted cremes and browns with a stocked pantry at the end of the hall open to guests.
Expecting a small standard couchette room, I was surprised that the high ceilings made the room appear much bigger. Walking in, the double doored bathroom was on the right as was the cabinet with safe, coffee maker, minibar and a few hangers with storage space.
Walking the hard wood floors past the bathroom, the bedroom was reminiscent of a cruise cabin, just a bit more swanky and luxurious. The leather headboard and padded seating at the end of the bed was accompanied by a flat screen television and a small desk with leather seat. The bed was firm and yet I slept better than I anticipated. The linens were plush and the bed has a duvet as the main cover – it was warm and comfortable.
I was shown all the buttons of interest including the automatic shade and curtains. The couchette bed, meaning that one side is flush to the wall and only one way in took up 90% of the bedroom. The room is perfect for a single/solo traveler but might be a bit tight for a couple for more than a night.
Wi-Fi is standard but was wonky in my room during the stay. If I wasn’t using my device I was disconnected and had to connect each time. Not the end of the world, just annoying. The front desk tried to help but couldn’t figure out why I was having problems so not sure if room specific or not.
Couchette Room – Bathroom at The Great Northern Hotel
The bathroom was large for the small room. Double doors, a walk in shower and room for toiletries above the sink, it was a surprise. The toiletries are from Malin & Goetz, a brand I’m not familiar with, in interesting fragrances such as rum soap, peppermint shampoo, cilantro conditioner, rum body wash and a vitamin moisturizer. There was a nice option of a bathroom nightlight under the sink to provide just enough light to get around in the middle of the night without affecting the room light for sleeping.
Restaurants/Bars at The Great Northern Hotel
There is a very posh British restaurant Plum & Spilt Milk on the first floor, the GNB ground floor bar and two other snug bars to visit. I didn’t get to visit any of the bars or restaurant options this visit but they were consistently popular throughout the day and night based on my experience. The Kiosk sandwich bar is part of the hotel offering tempting takeaway until late night.
The Gym at The Great Northern Hotel
The hotel doesn’t have a gym onsite but does offer complimentary gym access and classes at the Bloomsbury Fitness Center. You need to have the front desk make class reservations. A nice perk of the hotel.
Another fitness option is Run KX, a free trainer led 5km run around the neighborhood. For a fee, there is a Bootcamp class you can join. Visit the King’s Cross website for more information.
The Pantry at The Great Northern Hotel
The pantry at the end of each guest room hallway offered fruit, cakes, coffee and tea as well as counter space and reading materials if you want to socialize outside of your room. The hallway also contains a couch if you need more space. These are nice touch given that the rooms are a bit small and if traveling with friends or family in another room you can meet up here away from the public spaces.
King’s Cross Neighborhood
Location, location, location! There are so many options steps away – both railway stations, Kings Cross and St. Pancreas, offer a plethora of food options – Pret sandwiches, a pub, champagne bar, markets like M&S and Waitrose as well as tourist attraction Track 9 ¾ of Harry Potter fame. Outside the train station and just a short walk from the hotel are many food options, highlights include the new German Gymnasium, Drake & Morgan and a Vinoteca. On Euston Street, there are many pubs, restaurants and fast food takeaway options as expected near a train station.
Overall – The Great Northern Hotel London
I thoroughly enjoyed my three night stay at the Great Northern Hotel London – it was posh, comfortable and a great base for exploring London. During my award stay, in November, the rates were slightly under 250 GBP ($400+) so using points (Category 6 Marriott) was a great redemption decision. I would definitely stay here again to explore the area more and eat that cake in the pantry!
11 thoughts on “Review: The Great Northern Hotel London King’s Cross #SoloTravel Luxury”
What a fun, historic hotel to stay in! Not your typical Starwood hotel :-). We had to find out more about what a “couchette” room is – basically it evokes a train’s sleeper cabin. Looks very cozy. Just as well though the bathrooms are bigger than what one would have found on a train :-).
Thankfully they’ve updated the train inspiration with the larger bathrooms and luxury appointments. I don’t know any train experience that would provide the same
Wonderful write up! I also read about your stay at the Park Lane Hotel London. I’m trying to figure out which one (Great Northern Hotel v. Park Lane) to book with points for 5 nights? And thoughts, pros and cons? Thanks!
Thanks! I’ve just stayed at the newly renovated Park Lane Hotel (still under construction not all rooms converted) and it was amazing the transformation – I was in a king room.
Tough call actually because you can’t guarantee a new room at the Park Lane yet and could end up in the older rooms which are blah but bigger than GNH. The Park Lane lobby bar/restaurant isn’t open yet and there isn’t much in the area to walk to – I’d give the GNH advantages to the plethora of food/drink options nearby as well as transit but the rooms are cozy and five nights for a couple might be too much.
I booked 10 nights on points in the Cubitt Room this summer. Looking forward to staying there… Seems like a great value being a Category 5 hotel.
It is a great value for summer and Cat5 – awesome that you were able to book on points that a massive savings to spend elsewhere in your trip. Have fun!
Changed my mind and will probably have to go in October, since I think I will save more money for the trip then. Hopefully, the weather is still decent the end of October!
Given your gold status, did they not upgrade you? Or did they not have any upgraded rooms available?
Hi Don – Unfortunately, no rooms were available to upgrade me during my stay – I did ask at check-in. I’ve found most of my London stays as SPG Gold are rarely ever upgraded as the hotels are generally pretty full. It might be different if I was platinum? Not sure
Hi! I’m going to in London for the first time and I want to redeem my SPG points for 4 nights in either Park Lane or The Great Northern Hotel (they require the same amount of SPG points). Which one do you recommend for my first time in London? 🙂
Hi Daniela – Tough question! It does depend on your dates (and how many people) as the Park Lane is still under construction so not all rooms are finished and I’d hate for you to get an old room. I believe they were hoping to be done before summer (you’d need to call to check).
The Park Lane is across from Buckingham Palace, on Piccadilly so 15-20 minutes walking to shopping, Oxford Street, Soho, Piccadilly Circus and such. But the area outside of Shepards Market doesn’t really have a lot of restaurants to choose from and the hotel has one restaurant open. It is a big hotel. The nearest tube stop is Green Park and requires a bit of a walk to/from the hotel. The hotel does offer twin rooms, queen and king and might be better for a couple or family.
The GNH is a boutique hotel and I loved the treats put out in the common coffee room at the end of the hall each day. The rooms are definitely smaller (cozy) but I personally prefer the boutique look and feel. I loved being in the train area next to all the food options (M&S, Pret, etc.) which saved money as well as the various underground lines to get everywhere in the city including the airport. So for me, I’d stay at the GNH because I feel it’s a better value for the points, provides a posh first time stay and has easy access to the city. The GNH is good for solo stays or cozy couples.
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