St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel London: A Comprehensive Guide to One of London’s Victorian Railway Landmarks
Welcome to my review of The St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel London. Stepping into the grandeur of the St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel in London is like embarking on a journey through time, where Victorian splendour meets modern luxury, and every moment is infused with a sense of opulence and history.
St Pancras Renaissance Hotel Entrance
I decided to revisit The St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel as it’s a building that’s always fascinated me (Victorian Railway heritage) and I think it’s been something like 12 years or so since we were last here as I’m sure we visited soon after it’s reopening in 2011. I have occasionally looked at this as an option when I’ve been staying in London either for work or as a couple on a weekend break, but the TripAdvisor ranking and some really negative reviews always put me off, as much as I love the history and the building. I’d say up front, in my experience of this stay, the poor ranking doesn’t match my overall impression.
In this review of the St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel, I’ll detail my experience of the location, dining options and of course, the accommodation and facilities at the hotel itself. Read below to find out everything you need to know before your next trip to London.
St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel Lobby
Why Book with Classic Travel and The Private Traveller
By booking through my affiliation with Classic Travel, I should have been able to secure a number of additional VIP benefits with their Luminous rate. These could include:
Complimentary Breakfast for Two - Hotel designates full or continental breakfast and venue.
$100 Hotel Credit.
Early Check-in/late Check-out (based on availability upon arrival).
Priority for complimentary room upgrade (based on availability upon arrival).
Guests receive a welcome amenity that reflects the personality of the hotel and the destination.
VIP status granted.
As it turned out, I didn’t need either an early check-in or late check-out and although there clearly were upgrade options available (they were happy for me to pay for these at check-in) I wasn’t awarded one. I had asked for a Queen or King bed option, but I wasn’t able to get anything other than a twin. I did receive the $100 (£65) credit on the bill which went towards dining at the Grand Midland Dining Room (excellent, as below), (standard) Wi-Fi was free, I received a nice welcome in-room of biscuits, cheese and chutney and a bottle of red wine, unfortunately something I can never drink due to the tannins.
St Pancras Renaissance Ceiling Grand Straircase
Fast Facts for The St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel in London
Address - Euston Road, London, United Kingdom, NW1 2AR
Website - https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/lonpr-st-pancras-renaissance-hotel-london/overview/
Group website - https://www.marriott.com/en-gb/
TripAdvisor ranking - #598 of 1,225 hotels in London
Contact - rhi.lonpr.guest.services@renaissancehotels.com
Instagram - @stpancrasren
Nearest airport - London Heathrow (LHR) - 35-40 km or 22-28 miles route dependent (probably minimum 1 hour drive, traffic dependent). Heathrow Express option through Paddington station or Underground options too
Opened - 1873 originally as the Midland Grand Hotel, reopened 2011 after extensive refurbishment
Number of rooms / suites - 207 (Barlow & Chambers Wings)
Number of floors - 8 in the Barlow Wing (ground plus 7 accommodation levels), 5 in the Chambers Wing (ground, basement for the spa, and 3 guestroom, suite and residence levels)
Bars - 4 (Hansom, Gothic, Booking Office and Chambers Club)
Restaurants - 6 (The Hansom, Booking Office 1869, Midland Grand, MI+ME, Roof Garden, and Chambers Club)
Wellbeing - Hamman-inspired Spa (gym, pool, steam, fitness with treatments)
Visited - November 2023
Midland Grand Dining Room
Hotel Accommodation: A Tale of Two (very different) Wings
For such a huge hotel, only 207 rooms and suites actually seems quite low. In actual fact, I guess this is understated as the hotel also houses a number of luxury private residences in the original Gothic front facade. The premium rooms and suites are in the Chambers Wing, the original and now front part of the hotel, the new Barlow Wing houses more standard-issue (way less characterful rooms) which is joined at the back of the hotel.
“Discover London from our luxury historic hotel:
Experience the iconic St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel London. Originally opened in 1873, the historic hotel welcomes guests with five-star amenities, spacious rooms and superb service.”
Facilities & Service at The St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel London
Apart from the wide array of bars and restaurants on site, the St. Pancras basement spa (and gym) or if you have any functions here (there is a whole array of different and unique function suites of all sizes), most of the other facilities you could need would be found next door in the linked St. Pancras station or King’s Cross next door. Service was good throughout, in particular from Hakan in the Chambers Club and the professionalism and welcome from all the Midland Grand Dining Room team.
I’ve broken down the key facilities and services and shared my opinion on them below:
Rooms/suites
My first room was #428 in the Barlow Wing, a standard twin. While exceptionally clean and well proportioned, designed and presented, this was really quite bland and not at all in-keeping with the ambience of such a grand hotel. I’m not keen on a single bed and it was a shower over the bath (much prefer a walk-in shower) and it was quite dark with the window looking straight into the tiled station roof next door. If you’re in the Barlow Wing, ask for higher up levels or ideally the odd numbered rooms which are on the left hand side and street rather than station facing.
I was eventually however, late on the following day, moved to a king-bed room on the 7th floor, still facing the station but with a much higher ceiling and more light, despite only one small window, with it being almost above the station roof rather than facing straight in. This second room (#706) was a whole different story and had much more character, while simply designed did invoke the feeling of a vintage railway station waiting room.
Levels of Comfort
Both rooms were extremely comfortable, exceptionally clean on arrival and also after the morning cleaning service. Beds were super-comfortable (even the single was fine, despite the more limited size), there were bottles of mineral water provided and replenished if you got the evening turn-down service and a nice touch was having refillable water stations (sparkling and still) out in the corridor). There was a mini-bar, bathrobes, lots of spare towels and the usual favourite of ‘Mrs’ The Private Traveller - an iron and ironing board.
Bathroom
The first was fine, though very functional and you could have been in any Hilton Doubletree or the likes anywhere in the world, the second so much better and was clearly of better standard (Barlow House has Deluxe, Superior and Premier room options). There were marble tiled walls and floor, nicer bathroom fittings and sanitaryware, a full-sized walk-in shower, heated bathroom mirror, discrete night-lighting.
Breakfast
With the rate also including a full breakfast in the Booking Office, as well as having the option of the Chambers Club, I thought I would try the Booking Office one day and then the Chambers Club the day after. The Booking Office was great, not only because it’s such an incredible space with vast ceilings and just exudes history, but it had a great breakfast buffet set up with a whole array of options. These included fruits, yoghurts, juices, pastries, toast, cheeses and meats, as well as a whole range of hot options too (sausages, bacon, hash browns, tomatoes, scrambled eggs etc.) but you could also order additional eggs made fresh to order. I went for the avocado on sourdough toast with a poached egg.
Really liking the ambience and exclusivity of the Chambers Club, I did indeed go for breakfast on my second morning to check it out. While well presented and welcoming, it did feel really lacking. There were some meat and cheeses, and salad (bizarrely), some juices and cereal (there was milk) and fruit (apples, bananas etc.) there was no yoghurts, fresh fruit salad or toast etc. There were some small pastries and a coffee machine, so I just had a juice and a couple of small chocolate croissants. Feeling short-changed, there was no problem just to go next door and I added on some delicious bircher muesli with fruit salad, followed by some hot options of tomatoes, beans and hash browns with toast. Great service again and good choices of food.
Restaurant & Bars
Great choice on site at the hotel and you can read all about them below in detail. I tried the Chambers Lounge for breakfast, which I must say was a bit disappointing, but overall the standard and choice was excellent. Was also a really nice feature to be able to dine in the Chambers Lounge with a choice of the full menu from other restaurants. Dining on my own, with it being a solo trip and always the awkwardness at a restaurant of being asked if it’s a table just for one, I found it quite relaxing carrying on work with my laptop in the lounge at evening cocktails and then having dinner served to me there.
Design & Architecture
This is one incredible building, originally built in 1973 as the former Midland Grand Hotel designed by George Gilbert Scott but closed in 1935. Until 2005 I think the building was only used as railway offices, but in 2005 a number of residences were developed before the hotel reopened in 2011, now managed by Marriott International.
It’s such a grand gothic fronted building, built in Victorian times with such grandeur of the principal staircase, made incredibly famous by the Spice Girls video for Wannabe.
What about the King’s Cross / St. Pancras location?
I always think location is all about where you want to be, or a reason for why you might choose one hotel over the other. I never think of this area as particularly being one I would rush to without reason, albeit the majesty of the hotel building is always worth a visit regardless. You’re literally at St. Pancras (the home of Eurostar) if you have a train either arriving or departing, next door to King’s Cross, or only a short distance to Euston if you’re taking or arriving off of the Caledonian Sleeper train.
Some of the top activities I’d recommend doing at St. Pancras Renaissance are:
St. Pancras Spa
I don’t remember St. Pancras Spa from our last visit, albeit it was so many years ago, so I was really interested this time to not only visit the spa, but have a treatment too. There’s a pool and steam room, decent sized gym and fitness room, as well as very well appointed changing rooms and the treatments space and shop, in the basement under the Chambers Wing. Traditionally Hammam-style, this Victorian recreated space is a really nice extra for the hotel.
The downside of the trip was the service when trying to book a treatment in advance. It was quite a last minute trip to London and my choosing to go back to the St. Pancras Renaissance, but when I checked out the Spa website I was unaware that there was a direct booking option. So often, I find, if you click the ‘Book’ button on a hotel spa website you can invariably just be directed to booking the hotel itself, not just a treatment. I therefore emailed to enquire about a 90 minute massage for the days I was there, and after quite a few emails trying to establish the right timings, I was offered an appointment that suited.
I explained (by email) that I was going to be a guest in the hotel and if I could please reserve the appointment. They (not unreasonably) said that they had to phone me to take payment. Since I was flying at that time then experienced terrible transport problems getting from Heathrow (train line issues on both Underground and the Heathrow Express), it was a few hours before I was able to get to my first London hotel, not the St. Pancras. I emailed them my phone number and confirmed that they could phone anytime then to take payment. They did phone very soon after, but to inform me that they no longer had that appointment available as it had been booked by someone else online! Very disappointing that after being so specific about wanting to book that suitable appointment, writing spa treatment reviews and therefore really interested in visiting, as well as advising I would be a registered guest that they hadn’t either reserved the slot nor advised me that I could have booked it online. With having Wi-Fi in flight en route to London, and therefore being able to email them re appointments, while I couldn’t have made the phone call, I could easily have booked and paid online to secure the booking.
Food and Drink in the St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel
There is everything you could want in the hotel itself, with a choice of bars and restaurants, not to mention in-room dining too. You also have many other options nearby, either in the station itself or the surroundings. I love Carluccio’s so I have spotted that for my next trip - literally right next door to the hotel’s MI+ME outlet, so seconds from the hotel itself.
Here are the dining and bar options at the St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel London:
Booking Office 1869
The Booking Office 1869 is an absolutely stunning repurpose of the original booking office of the station into an all-day bar/restaurant with a club feel in the evening.
Midland Grand Dining Room (and Gothic Bar)
Formerly the Gilbert Scott (by Marcus Wareing) which closed after 10 years in 2021, this has been reborn as the Midland Grand Dining Room, and it is indeed grand in all aspects. The new restaurant (I say new, but with extreme heritage) by Patrick Powell was an amazing experience and one I will definitely want to repeat on a future visit. The only disappointment was not being able to be accommodated in the incredible Gothic Bar before dinner to try a cocktail. I was offered a bar seat in the restaurant, but this wouldn’t have been appealing.
The Hansom
I didn’t have a chance to either eat here or have a drink (there was no need really having had access to the Chambers Club) but this is the central foyer lounge bar, and it’s another incredible space. All-day dining and drinks, or a great place for a traditional English afternoon with this majestic vaulted roof.
Chambers Club
Open daily from 7am to 10pm, this is an exclusive space reserved for those staying in the Chambers Wing, like an executive lounge in an airport. Breakfast is served daily from opening through 11am, with afternoon snacks 2-4pm and hors d’oeuvres every evening 5-7pm. There are complimentary tea, coffee and soft drinks throughout the day, with complimentary house wine and beer 5-8pm. You can access either off the Booking Office through an exclusive door, or from the staircase from the Chambers Wing rooms and suites above through a private staircase. Hakan the manager was excellent, the only downside I felt was that the breakfast selection was a bit wanting.
MI & ME
Located under the arches of St. Pancras International Station on the Grand Terrace. MI+ME offers delicious gourmet burgers, healthy salads, desserts, and fresh local draft beers for both dine-in & takeaway. Only opens from lunchtime through mid-evening.
RoofGarden by Booking Office 1869
I think this must be seasonal as it wasn’t open when I was there (November) but is an outside area for the Booking Office, this is for drinks with a pizza oven and BBQ - not overlooking the station like MI & ME, but out from the extension link to the Barlow House rooms adjacent to the British Library - quite a good building with a great café, so worth a visit since you’re in the area.
Highlights of my stay
There were so many highlights of the stay at the but here are just a few of the key points, which I hope you find a useful summary.
Location - if you’re leaving from or arriving into St. Pancras on the Eurostar, such an amazing way to get to the hotel.
The history and Victorian architecture - I just love the whole area of the hotel around the Grand Staircase.
The Chambers Club Lounge - Hakan the Club Manager was excellent, really added to my stay which to that point had been disappointing. Great tour of the historic parts of the hotel and such a fantastic engaging and charming hotel ambassador.
Pre-dinner cocktails and canapés in the Chambers Club (also great to have a dinner option here too).
The staircase - whether you’re a Spice Girls fan or not, or a Victorian gothic grandeur aficionado, you can’t fail to be impressed by this majestic (and very famous) staircase.
“Suite to Seat” - if you’re booked into a suite in the Chambers Wing, you can arrange direct access to your seat on Eurostar, by-passing all of the rigmarole for boarding.
A glass of Prosecco to welcome you at check-in - nice touch.
The Grand Midland Dining Room - newly opened but such a wonderful experience.
Areas for improvement
Wherever we stay, I do always like to look at the positives on any property we stay in, and airlines we fly with etc. but sometimes you can’t help but notice things that (for me, but I realise this is always personal) might have made for a better stay.
Be selective with your accommodation choice - go for the historic Chambers Wing if you can afford it. The Barlow Wing can be a bit bland/characterless/Hilton Doubletree-esq. If you do go there though, ask for a higher floor room and preferably the odd numbers which look out onto the street (more characterful windows). The even numbers, especially on lower floors, just look into the roof of St. Pancras and can be a bit dim.
Spa booking - very disappointing, as above, albeit it is a nice facility.
Grand Midland Bar - had been really looking forward to having a cocktail pre-dinner in the Dining Room. Seeing it on a Thursday night (which I thought was the new Friday) it was relatively quiet but yet on the Friday when I had dinner booked I wasn’t able to get a table for a drink. I should have seen about pre-booking.
Inconsistent turn-down - had this in 428 (more mineral water and a bedtime chocolate) but did not get in 706.
Chambers Club breakfast - bit disappointing there wasn’t more choice. No prepared fruits, yoghurt or toast.
Would I stay here again?
Yes I definitely would - I would have said no based on the arrival disappointment of the spa booking and room, but Hakan the Club Manager turned that around (inadvertently) and it is such a majestic building in such a prime location for either St. Pancras International or Kings Cross rail stations. As above, I’d be very specific on location within the Barlow Wing, but really my preference would be in the front Chambers Wing. By the end of my stay, I fell in love again with the grandeur and draw of the building and its history.
St. Pancras Renaissance Grand Staircase
My final thoughts on The St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel London
Have you stayed at The St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel before? I’d love to hear your own thoughts and opinions on it as well as your impression of London as a destination. This is somewhere I want to come back to if we’re travelling on the Eurostar. The ‘Suite to Seat’ benefit has massively peaked my interest.
Comment below to share your thoughts and opinions.
Let me know which hotel I should review next!
