Conrad London St. James Review

If you’re looking for a beautiful well-located, high-end Hilton hotel, the Conrad London St. James is worth considering.

The hotel has 256 rooms and suites, plus the amenities you might expect — including several restaurants, a cocktail bar, a gym and meeting areas. As a Hilton Diamond-level elite status member through my Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, I was drawn to the hotel because it is one of the few Hilton properties with an Executive Lounge, a communal space with complimentary drinks and snacks for Diamond elite members and guests who book an Executive-level room. Terms apply.

I stayed in this hotel for one night in November 2023, and although it was a short visit, I enjoyed it. Here’s a peek at what my stay was like.

The hotel is conveniently located for exploring London. Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and many other iconic London attractions are within walking distance.

The hotel is also right across the street from an Underground station (St. James Park), which offers two Tube lines that can take you all over the city. In addition, Victoria station — a transportation hub with links to three Tube lines, a bus station and various trains — is only a 10-minute walk away.

The lobby of the Conrad London St. James is elegantly designed with a seating area next to the check-in counter. Just opposite the seating area was a refreshment station with lemon-flavored water and Champagne — a nice touch. The hotel’s cocktail bar, Hedgerow, is just off the lobby.

Because of my Diamond status level, I was upgraded to a lovely one-bedroom Deluxe Suite. The room had two floors, with a living room area on the main floor, and the bedroom, bathroom, shower, and bathtub upstairs.

The main floor had a desk, sofa, TV entertainment area and a guest bathroom, which is really convenient if you’re sharing a room or hosting people.

The main floor desk had several electrical outlets, including a USB and an HDMI port, an audio and video outlet, and a U.S.-compliant option (in case you forget your plug adapter.) There was a Nespresso machine and chocolates on the desk, too.

The upstairs featured a large comfy bed, closets and a full-length mirror, a large TV, and the entrance to an ensuite bathroom. There was a nightstand on each side of the bed, along with an alarm clock and outlets.

The upstairs bathroom was luxurious and spacious and included a large bathtub and standing shower. One of my favorite things to do after a long day of travel is to take a nice bubble bath, and this beautiful bathtub was perfect for that.

The bathroom also had a large sink with ample counter space. The flower pot next to the faucet added some greenery and a calming ambiance in an already nicely designed bathroom.

The Executive Lounge is located on the second floor of the hotel, and offers many areas to eat, work, relax and even watch TV. The roomy lounge serves a full breakfast, afternoon snacks, evening canapés and drinks.

Of all the seating areas, the largest was the dining area; it contained many tables and could accommodate a large crowd.

I arrived at the hotel around 2 p.m., and since my room wasn’t ready yet, I went to the lounge for some sustenance. It was fairly empty at that time, with about 10 people in it. I spent an hour snacking on a variety of sweet and savory treats, along with a Diet Coke and Champagne.

Before going out for the evening, I returned to the lounge for the evening canapés. I had Caesar salad, smoked salmon, prosciutto, some crackers, various cheeses and a beef with sweet potato dish.

The Conrad London St. James offers various places to eat and drink:

• The Pem is the main restaurant. It offers traditional British dishes with seasonal ingredients presented by Chef Sally Abe. 

• The Blue Boar Pub is a high-end British pub-style restaurant. 

• The Hedgerow is a cocktail bar.

• The Orchard Room is a restaurant that serves afternoon tea.

I ate breakfast at the Blue Boar Pub and it was one of the best hotel breakfasts that I’ve ever had.

The Conrad London St. James offers two types of breakfasts: a continental breakfast for £25 ($31 at the time of writing) and an English breakfast for £35 ($44 at the time of writing). The continental breakfast mainly features cold items such as pastries, toast, juices, fruit and salad, as well as hot and cold drinks.

The English breakfast, meanwhile, includes all the items from the continental breakfast, plus hot dishes such as eggs, bacon, sausage, roasted tomatoes and hash browns.

Because of my Diamond status, I received a complimentary English breakfast for two, which is a really good value considering the cost out of pocket.

I ordered an omelet with tomatoes and peppers, and took various cheeses and veggies. I also had smoked salmon, bread, pastries and fruit. I drank a tasty homemade orange juice and a skim latte and took a green juice to go.

The best way to book the Conrad London St. James is through the official Hilton website or app. Booking direct allows you to earn elite night credits and Hilton points. If you book through an online travel agency, you’ll forgo your elite earnings and might not get any recognition of your elite status.

To save on your stay, you can also use a Hilton free night certificate or redeem Hilton points. One way to amass a large number of Hilton points is to add a co-branded hotel credit card to your wallet.

NerdWallet values Hilton points at 0.5 cent per point, so do the math to determine if the redemption is a good use of your points.

The Conrad London St. James is also available to book through American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts, a program that gives certain AmEx cardholders access to special rates and perks at participating hotels.

The Conrad London is a solid choice for those looking for a luxury hotel in central London. Hilton Diamond members in particular can access some high-value perks, like suite upgrades, the Executive Lounge and free continental breakfast.

(Top photo courtesy of Hilton)