London Hilton on Park Lane in London

My stay from 31 December to 3 January was unfortunately not a very pleasant one. I had hoped to enjoy a nice New Year’s break at the hotel.

The property has a long history and, although it has been renovated, there were several comfort issues. The central air conditioning was extremely noisy, and the windows did not insulate well against the cold or wind. The room felt slightly warmer only when the curtains were fully closed. A portable heater was provided, but the room was still cold unless the noisy air conditioning was left on.
There also appeared to be an air deodorising device in the room, which produced a high-pitched mechanical sound and emitted a strong disinfectant-like smell that was quite unpleasant. In addition, possibly due to ageing plumbing, there was occasionally an unpleasant odour from the bathroom if the toilet lid was left open.
The room was on a low floor. Although described as facing Hyde Park, the actual view was mainly rooftops of nearby buildings. The room was positioned in a narrow gap in this buildings, meaning there was very little privacy — with the curtains open and lights on, it was easy to see into neighbouring rooms and vice versa.
Unfortunately, I also left behind a new limited-edition white Hello Kitty hair band which recently purchased during another trip at check-out. I contacted the hotel within a few hours, but it could not be located despite several follow-ups. As it was white and left on the bed, it may have been overlooked during housekeeping.

None of these issues were the fault of the hotel staff. The hotel was extremely busy over the New Year period, and there were no alternative rooms available.

Hilton, of course, cannot be compared with five-star or ultra-luxury brands, and perhaps my expectations were too high to begin with. That said, you do get what you pay for. The pricing is relatively reasonable for the area, and the location is excellent. From a value-for-money perspective, it is still a workable option if budget and location are the main priorities.

The hotel boasts a good location, right next to Hyde Park, making it convenient to get around (though I felt this was its only strong point). I noticed a significant number of guests were from the Middle East.

On the day of check-in, I arrived at Heathrow on an early morning flight. By the time I took a taxi to the hotel, it was only 9 AM, and I was extremely tired from jet lag. Thankfully, the front desk allowed us to check in early and assigned us a room. However, it was a corner room on the fifth floor, with a noisy rooftop fan from a neighboring building constantly whirring outside the window. Despite staying for three nights, we weren't offered a room upgrade. It felt a bit like discrimination against Chinese guests, but I was too exhausted to bother asking for a room change. Even with a Ctrip booking, any 'diamond' (elite) status seemed to make no difference; we didn't receive any special advantages during check-in.

The room was small; one suitcase fit on the luggage rack, but the other had to be placed on the windowsill. The soundproofing in the room was terrible; any noise outside the door was clearly audible. I was woken up at 1 AM by some noisy Middle Eastern children from the room opposite. They were constantly opening and closing their door and speaking loudly in the hallway, with no intervention from their parents. Eventually, I assume other guests complained, as hotel staff knocked on their door to address the issue. I heard the entire process unfold...

Got to hotel around 12:30 didn’t expect the room to be ready but dropped bag and was told by hotel that they would text as soon as room was ready as it was our wedding anniversary and we needed to get changed. We received no text and did not get into our room until 8pm