The letters spelling out ‘The Cumberland Hotel‘ stood in stark contrast in the deep blue sky with only a few wisps of a cloud to hang over London. Shouldering my backpack in front of the Marble Arch monument and ultimately the Underground Station stop on the Central Line. If you came out of the tube station, you would only need to turn right and voila here you are!
I won a one night free stay in this classy London hotel due to a competition within TraverseMingle and I was excited to use this stay with my best friend to sightsee the Royal Parks of London and also experience the nightlife of Central London. So this review is of my own opinion only and no way influenced by Geoman Hotels who own The Cumberland Hotel.
Let’s find out what I thought.
Reception and Service
Upon arrival, we were checked in efficiently within the grand and spacious lobby featuring specific and quirky art in a purple hued ambience. Unfortunately, my room was still not ready even at 5pm (Two hours after check in time). However, to apologize, they did let us use the Club Business Lounge while we waited and one of the staff would inform us when it was ready. After an hour of waiting, we enquired again and turns out if had been ready for a while! The staff was efficient in their duties but would have appreciated smiles and personalities.
Funky Art in the Foyer
Club Lounge
The exclusive club lounge was indeed a highlight especially when we chuckled over the range of newspapers on display featuring Chinese and Arabic editions. There’s something for everyone!
Chilling in the Club Lounge
Free snacks, coffees, teas were made available to us. They were tasty and pleasant.
Bedroom
Standard Twin Bed Room at The Cumberland Hotel
Opting for a standard twin bed room upon discovering we had an executive double room (my fault), we were happy enough to do so. However, we were very pleased to find the standard twin bed room was even better than the executive double room and also had better views of London.
The room felt light and airy. Actually, it did feel like a home from home in the Cumberland Hotel. The beds were extremely comfy and pretty much dispelled the myths that hotel beds in London are hard as a plank. If you need more convincing, take a look at the picture below.
This bed is SO Soft!
The room came with a TV and had an useful wall gadget cupboard containing a pull out ironing board (with iron) and hair dryer, which we both used.
I slept like a baby in my bed thanks to the air conditioning system that they had in the room. So it was neither cold or stuffy.
I was sorry to check out the room the next day!
Bathroom
A powerful walk in shower dominates the light coloured bathroom. Easy to work out the controls, you could be mistaken to think you were having a spa experience! Bathroom essentials such as shampoo and body lotion are made available.
Bathroom at the Cumberland Hotel
My only criticism was having the towel rail directly above the toilet. Pulling a towel from the rail meant a smaller towel fell in. Whoops!
Brasserie
The Brasserie
As part of my prize stay, I was invited to a three course meal at the Brasserie, a high-class restaurant within the hotel. In mood lighting, they encourage you to use your tastebuds as your main sense to get an appreciation of their fine dining. I opted for the following:
Starter: Warm Goat’s Cheese
Main: 20oz Rib Eye Steak (cooked medium rare)
Dessert: Poached Peaches
Absolute yumminess. We also had a bottle of the House Red, which ran down smoothly (and rather too quickly) down our throats.
Waiter service was fantastic, always checking to see if we were happy with our gastronomic plates.
Rib-eye steak at The Brasserie of the Cumberland Hotel
Breakfast
Breakfast took place in the basement of The Cumberland Hotel that ran from 7.30am-11am. We walked down at 10:30am and was faced with a wide array of buffet food stalls that we could pick from.
It was a complete surprise to me that breakfast was in a buffet style as I was expecting a waiter and menu service in such an exclusive hotel. However, that didn’t stop me trying out the variety of foods available whether cereal, English breakfasts, pancakes, pastries, continental breakfasts, halal food, and plenty more. On the sides were coffees, teas and juices that you can help yourself.
Breakfast at the Cumberland Hotel
However, I have to say I didn’t enjoy the breakfast. The food tasted they were left out too long and came from mass-produced batches that rendered the food almost tasteless. The pancakes were cold, the bacon too fatty, and the cheeses and hams inedible. It was disappointing.
Location
A huge factor why you should choose The Cumberland Hotel as your hotel is simply because of its location. Situated in Marble Arch in Central London, you are a stone’s throw from Hyde Park and Notting Hill. Covent Garden and Leicester Square are both walking distance away. Alternatively, you can catch the London Underground to further places due to its position on the Central Line.
Room Number
Verdict
I would give The Cumberland Hotel three out of five stars.
To get the other stars, I would have wanted more friendlier service and tasty breakfast service.
However, I would return to The Cumberland Hotel should I want to be based in Central London in a hotel that has a great room experience.
The Cumberland Hotel Details
To find out more about the hotel, check out their website: The Cumberland Hotel
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Nice to see a review on this place – it brings back a lot of memories for me, as we stayed here once or twice when I lived in the Middle East as a child and used to come to London on holiday before moving to the UK – I’ve now lived in London for more than a decade and walk past it quite often and have often wondered what it must be like in there these days!
Great to see you have enjoyed this review!
It’s still a wonderful palce. Perhaps you could go back and find out?