Review: Hilton London Paddington
Contents
Access
London Paddington Station
Room
Breakfast and Executive Lounge
Gym
Legacy of GWR
Useful Information
Access
If you arrive at Heathrow Airport late at night, the Hilton London Paddington is the Hilton hotel you can get to the quickest and easiest. Previously, only the Heathrow Express was available to get into the city centre, but since the opening of the Elizabeth Line, both lines reach Paddington Station, making Paddington even more convenient.
London Paddington Station
This hotel is also very convenient for those leaving from Paddington Station early in the morning. This hotel is worth using if you need to use the Great Western Railway (GWR) too, which starts at Paddington Station, to go sightseeing or to work along the line.
Paddington Station is a terminus-style station, typical of Europe. After getting off the train and walking towards the front of the station ticket gate, you will see the Hilton sign. Go upstairs and enter the hotel. When it’s late at night, the quiet station feels like a different world. The Paddington Bear that greets you in the lobby is already taking a nap late at night! I exchanged a quick greeting so as not to wake him up, and finished checking in.
Room
As you can see from the outside, the room I was assigned has a high ceiling on the first floor (second floor in the Japanese system), and the windows are also high, so it felt very spacious. Although it is a hotel in the city centre, the layout is spacious, so you can relax even if you are carrying large luggage for overseas trips. The bathroom has a bathtub, so it is perfect for those who want to relax in a bath after a long journey.
Breakfast and Executive Lounge
After having breakfast in the restaurant as usual, I moved to the executive lounge to take a break while eating fruits. From the lounge, you can see the adjacent Paddington Station through the glass wall, and, in contrast to the quietness of last night, watching so many busy people passing by makes me wonder if this is the same place.
Gym
There is a small gym in the hotel that is open 24 hours a day. Exercise is said to be good for jet lag, so you can exercise here to correct your body clock.
Legacy of GWR
Some of you may notice the GWR plaques that can still be seen all over the hotel. The hotel was sold to the private sector in 1983 as part of the privatisation of British railways, but this is probably evidence that it was owned by GWR before that. If you are a train enthusiast, why not stay here for a night and immerse yourself in the atmosphere of travel while looking out at Paddington Station. Furthermore, if you have the opportunity to travel by the GWR Hitachi train, it will definitely become a memorable experience.
Useful information
When it comes to station hotels run by Hilton, there is also the Hilton Paris Opera. Strictly speaking, the station passageway directly connected to the hotel has been closed, so you have to go around from the outside, but if you are looking for a place to stay in Paris, it is definitely worth considering.
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