Rubens At The Palace

Friendly helpful staff. excellent location, lovely quaint elegant hotel.

I tipped the staff during my stay but when I checked out they added an additional £15 per night tips which I didn’t realize before my stay and I felt uncomfortable declining it at the reception desk.

The full English breakfast is the best I’ve ever had , superb . Staff , top notch great for a laugh and joke . Checked in early, room ready no wait . No wait for hot water through the taps .

Our room could have benefited from tarting up looked a bit stale . Only seriously comment though . Was the £35 each which was requested as a tip as we checked out . Optional , we didn’t pay . Hotels ought to pay their staff enough without this nonsense

The location across from Buckingham Palace is perfect, easy walking to many London attractions. The hotel is old world elegance in style and service. From the warm welcome at arrival to the beautiful interior, we were immediately charmed. Although our arrival was early, straight from our overnight flight from DC, check in was efficient and the fresh coffee in the lobby appreciated. Our luggage was quickly stored and the bellman, Kevin, recommended a walk over to Buckingham Palace to watch the ‘Changing of the Guard’ followed by a delicious lunch at a local pub, ‘The Phoenix’(wonderful fish & chips, beer, & cocktails). Loved it all! Our beautiful room was large and, although a step back in time, had all the modern conveniences one could expect. It was extremely comfortable in every regard. Needless to say cleanliness, linens, amenities, WIFI, TV were all top notch. Our booking included a delicious breakfast served in their elegant dining room. The menu choices are extensive. Coffee is set up for self service in the lobby by 6:30-7:00AM. Staying at the Rubens at the Palace was a special part of our London experience!

Lovely, elegant, in fact luxurious hotel, near Buckingham Palace. We booked a standard double room, which was small (we knew that), but very comfortable. It had everything you need: a queen-size comfortable bed with soft, quality sheets, 2 armchairs, a desk, night-tables, wardrobe, mirrors (including bathrobes and slippers, and tea and coffee making facilities). The bathroom was even bigger than we had expected, well equipped. We loved the cleanliness of the place, bed sheets and towels were changed 3 times in 5 days, even if we have not asked for. Excellent breakfast was served in a beautiful surrounding, using the best china. We had full English breakfast included in the rate, which was lovely. Beside the continental buffet, we could choose every morning a hot/ cooked dish (eg. Benedict eggs, different types of omlettes, and a few Scottish and Welsh dishes). They have the best coffee in the whole London (expresso, machiatto, capuccino, whatever you want, and as much as you want in the morning). The staff is extraordinary, from the waiters to the receptionists, or the concierge, or the doormen. All were polite, kind and helpful. This is one of the very few hotels where you are greeted every day, for several times in fact, asked ”how are you” and offered to be helped. The hotel announced us when we booked the room that there will be a discretionary service charge of £15 per room, per night, which we found very strange at the beginning, but at check-out when we were asked if we agreed to pay that, the answer was absolutely YES, because the whole staff deserved it. Last, but not the least, we loved the location of the hotel. It is close to many sights, and means of transport (underground, train, bus).

I did not like that on arrival I was charged with 50 pounds/night, for any incidentals that could be charged to our room. The sum was refunded at check-out, but it will take several days to receive it back on my card. I consider that such a 5 star hotel should have confidence in its customers and charge them only at the end of their trip.

This was our second visit to this fabulous hotel during 2021. We visited in December with our dog, aside from the location which is unbeaten in London the highlight of the hotel is the staff, the staff in reception, the bar, the door, the cleaners all are wonderful and they made our stay so great that we extended not wanting it to end. Everything about this hotel is fabulous, we ate and drank in the bar, we enjoyed amazing breakfasts all the while our pup was treated as a paying guest making our stay really special. We can’t wait to visit again in 2022.

There was nothing we didn’t like.

We’ve visited London many times for work and leisure but this is our first time staying at Ruben. It’s a fantastic hotel…well maintained, professional staff, nice room with good lighting and good water pressure for shower. Location is very central..:short 5 mins walk to tube station, short walk to Hyde Park, places of interest and restaurants. Breakfast was superb…good continental spread and hot breakfast cooked to order. Able to handle dietary restrictions too. Our server at breakfast, Geraldine D, was excellent - professional, helpful and friendly…a real gem!!

Nothing

Almost everything but see below. If it had not been for this event then all scores in our review would have been 10. This is a lovely hotel with lovely caring and attentive staff. We had a fantastic time here and will visit again.

Privacy. On our last morning at approx. 8.30 am a staff member knocked on our door and entered without waiting for an answer. My wife was sitting on the edge of the bed in her lingerie to be confronted by this person who simply said good morning and left without apology. About 15 minutes later another knock and immediate entry by another staff member who did this time apologize before leaving quickly. This was reported to reception and the matter was dealt with entirely to our satisfaction by very apologetic and caring staff.

Very good customer service. The team is very warm and welcoming. This time, I particularly enjoyed meeting Raj, Kevin, Salvatore and Sourya the singer, who made my stay more memorable and like a second home. The bed was super comfortable. The soundproofing was good but there were some minor mechanical sounds at night. Good lighting. The room was very clean and I particularly enjoyed the small treats that the staff left throughout my stay. They were also kind enough to decorate my room with balloons and a delicious cake for my birthday. The Old Fashioned at the New York bar was well done and I enjoyed the live music at the bar.

Room was on the smaller side. I stayed in the cozy room, which was smaller than the room I stayed in last time, but was still comfortable. The desk was functional for a small laptop. Some minor mechanical noises.

The location at Rubens is perfect - there so many attractions which are easily in walking distance however there are taxis or the underground and the SWR trains, too should you require one. There are so many splendid restuarants and bars close by and the hotel has facilities too. There is a ZARA as well as other clothing stores and a bookstore just around the corner. The staff were so professional and helpful they really did go beyond. We will definitely be staying at the Rubens at the Palace when we return to London in future.

Nothing - it was truly a lovely hotel, so warm and welcoming from the moment we stepped into the foyer at the reception. We did however receive a note in our room address to a Mr and Mrs Smith .... with some welcoming macaroons. I did notify them and they just apologied and said they mustve move them around so we mustnt worry. I was a little concerned as we did book a Superior King Size room and our room was a little smaller than we had expected - but it was still lovely.

The room was nicely decorated and had a lovely turn down service doorman where very friendly and helpful

Not a huge selection of food on the room service menu and there was no communication before hand regarding the $xxxxx dollars you have to pay up front in case you charge something to your room. This would have been ok if we had known about it before we got there but it was the end of our trip so had not budgeted for it. I know you get the money back once you leave but it takes 5 working day to come back into your account