A 398-room monster of a high-rise hotel, Park Plaza County Hall opened in
February and continues the hotel chain's reputation for decent quality rooms
that cater for business and offer good value for tourists, especially at
weekends.
It's in a great location for access to the city and tourist attractions.
Situated right behind County Hall a few minutes walk from Waterloo, the
hotel is a stone's throw from the London Eye and a stroll across Westminster
Bridge for the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey.
Our room, a junior suite on the 12th floor of 14, impressed with a small
living room complete with the obligatory flat-screen TV, a large bathroom
and a light and spacious bedroom. A corner suite facing northwest, the best
feature was the floor to ceiling windows on two corners of the bedroom,
affording sweeping views over the top of County Hall to Big Ben, Parliament
and east along the Thames. Rooms are typical of Park Plaza hotels -
minimalist decor, nice clean lines and plenty of light.
To the right of the reception area in a central atrium is the Spectrum
Restaurant and Bar. Multi-coloured light bathes the area courtesy of PH
Artichoke lights, designed by Dane Poul Henningsen in 1958. The effect is
not overbearing and mellows the metallic theme of the new building.
Food is decent value, with mains around £10-15, but not spectacular. The quail
starter and sea bass main were good, though I've tried far better steaks and
subtler flavours in better hotel restaurants.
It's a quite spectacular setting for a meal, looking up from the restaurant to
the top of the covered atrium 14 floors up. The lifts run up the side of the
atrium with glass windows to peer down at the restaurant as it disappears
below - not good for verigo sufferers but a good warm-up for the London Eye
for anyone else.
Breakfast is also served in Spectrum, and is standard large hotel hatch
service with full English cooked breakfast staples cooked en masse.
Two pitfalls - the wait for the lifts can be long when it's busy, and you
should ask for a room as high as you can afford with a northerly view.
There's another high-rise hotel being built in the middle of the roundabout
to the east, and while soundproofing is good it's not a pretty sight.
In all a good destination for business travellers and tourists who want good
value in a very central London location.
Online: Tripadvisor
contributors give the hotel an average score of 3.5 with higher marks for
rooms and cleanliness. There are complaints about the air conditioning while
another reviewer advises to ask for a room away from the elevators as "they
make a very irritating doorbell-like noise which you can hear from inside
the room if you are close by."
Bottom line: B&B doubles at weekends start at £133 for a standard
room and £257 for a junior suite
Best thing: the views from our suite
Worst thing: its sheer size can't help but make it lack character
Access all areas: wheelchair access to all levels via the lifts
Need to know: Park Plaza County Hall, 1 Addington St, London, SE1 7RY,
tel. 020 7021 1800; www.parkplazacountyhall.com
Food: 6 out of 10
Service: 8 out of 10
Room: 8 out of 10
Value: 8 out of 10 (at the weekend)
