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W London Leicester Square (W London Leicester Square)
This time, let me take you through W London Leicester Square.
The hotel is in central London, within easy walking distance of the Bakerloo, Piccadilly, and Northern lines. Chinatown is right next to it.
I had already heard that W hotels are very “stylish,” and I was already taken aback before entering by the two gangster-style guards at the entrance.
Check-In
Once inside, I could see this dark, moody elevator lobby.
Go up one floor by elevator and you reach the hotel lobby. I paid for this stay myself, and it was £258.30 a night—my wallet felt the hit.
A young man in a very flashy suit handled my check-in and gave me a regular room. I asked whether a suite was available, and he said there was a Marvellous Suite, but because the floor was relatively low it might be noisy and it wasn’t ready yet, so he first gave me a regular Spectacular Room to stay in, and said he’d switch me later.
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This is a regular room[/caption>
As soon as I entered, I had the feeling I might have walked into a hair salon by accident. Everything was mirrored, and there was a table like a hair salon station, with two magazines on top with hair-style “cut, color, perm” covers.
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Haircut, color, and perm[/caption>
After waiting and daydreaming for a bit, I was then told the Marvellous Suite was ready.
My Room
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W hotel: light switch[/caption>
Unlike in some energy-saving places in the U.S., where you insert your key card into a power controller near the door for the room electricity to come on.
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W London hallway[/caption>
The hallway was also very dark, like a nightclub.
Bathroom
[caption id="attachment_6706" align="aligncenter" width="3264"] W London bathtub[/caption>
When I stepped into the room, the first thing I saw, straight in front of the door, was a huge... tub. The placement of this bathtub is very intentional. So, let's start with the toilet and shower area first.
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W London: bath towels[/caption>
The bath towels and TV remote were neatly stacked on one corner of the tub. Still, I couldn’t find the bathroom right away. In fact, the two large floor-length mirrors beside the bathtub are actually doors—push through and you’ll find a shower room.
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W London: shower[/caption>
The restroom was naturally there too, also behind a mirrored door.
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W London: restroom[/caption>
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W London: bath essentials
There were also some odd, odd little items outside.
Room
There is a large red sofa in the room, with a very irregular shape.
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W London: sofa[/caption>
To me, the only thing in this room that looks like it resembles other hotels is the bed, though even the throw pillows feel somewhat cool.
[caption id="attachment_6708" align="aligncenter" width="3264"] W London: bed[/caption>
The TV in the room is not especially big.
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W London: TV[/caption>
But there is a control panel that can connect to various devices, even Bluetooth, so you can play Bluetooth music through the speakers from your phone.
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W London: control panel[/caption>
And there is a thermostat, plus switches for the different lights.
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W London: room thermostat[/caption>
In the room, there is a small lounge area, with a refrigerator under it.
[caption id="attachment_6717" align="aligncenter" width="3264"] W London: mini lounge[/caption>
Also a coffee maker and so on.
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W London: coffee maker[/caption>
Final Thoughts
As most people say, W hotels are indeed very “stylish,” to the point where it can feel a bit unsettling. Since my floor was fairly low (3rd floor), I could definitely hear noise from outside in the room before midnight. It only subsided after midnight. Overall, aside from the lack of a place to eat breakfast, this W hotel was still quite good in most areas. The location is very convenient. As for whether the style suits you, that’s a matter of personal taste.
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W hotel: lobby[/caption>
What do you think?