I’ll be honest – when I first walked up to the Millennium Hotel on Harrington Gardens, I wasn’t expecting much. The entrance is tucked between those classic white Victorian terraces that make up half of South Ken, and from the outside it looks almost too understated for a 4-star place. But you know what? That actually works in its favor. While tourists are queuing up at the flashier hotels closer to Hyde Park Corner, this place sits quietly doing its thing just a two-minute walk from Gloucester Road tube station.
The thing about staying here is the location really clicks once you get your bearings. I mean, you’re literally around the corner from the Natural History Museum – I could hear the school groups gathering in the mornings from my room on the third floor (fair warning if you’re planning to sleep in). But honestly, being this close to Exhibition Road means you can easily walk to the V&A, Science Museum, and even pop over to Harrods without dealing with the Underground. The staff mentioned that a lot of conference attendees stay here, which makes sense given the meeting facilities, though it does mean the lobby can get a bit corporate-busy during weekday check-ins.
What surprised me most was how the rooms actually felt more spacious than expected – nothing revolutionary, but the ceilings are decent height and they’ve managed the lighting well enough that it doesn’t feel cramped. The bathrooms are proper sized too, not those coffin-like spaces you sometimes get in London hotels. I stayed during a rainy February week and the heating worked perfectly (you’d be amazed how many places get this wrong). The 7.4 rating feels about right to me – it’s solid, reliable, does what it says on the tin without any major hiccups. There’s something to be said for a place that doesn’t overpromise. The restaurant downstairs serves decent enough food, though honestly with all the options along Old Brompton Road just a few minutes away, I’d probably venture out for dinner. One practical note – if you’re driving, parking around here is the usual South Kensington nightmare, but they do have arrangements with a nearby car park. The front desk staff were genuinely helpful about this stuff, not just handing you a generic map and wishing you luck.