Residence Inn London Kensington Review | Getting It Right

What to Expect at the Residence Inn London Kensington

The Residence Inn London Kensington is a basic, no-frills Marriott property, and that’s fine. This was our second stay.

The first time, we were coming back from Iceland and I needed a noon check-in. The manager was very accommodating. She let us check in early and, since our son was with us, upgraded us to a two-bedroom suite. This time, we came after a disappointing stay at the Hilton Queen’s Hotel (see my earlier review). I needed a day or two to get settled while I arranged a longer-term place in London, and I knew this hotel would do the job.

About the Residence Inn London Kensington

The Residence Inn opened in July 2018 after a full conversion and refurbishment of the former Think Apartments complex. With 319 suites, it opened as the largest Residence Inn in Europe and the third largest in the world. At launch, it was owned by an affiliate of Starwood Capital Group and run by Cycas Hospitality under a Marriott franchise. That size explains a lot about the experience, both good and bad.

Getting to the Residence Inn London Kensington

Right on the blue line - Piccadilly tube line from Heathrow. Easy walk to the hotel.

Right next door is a giant Tesco that stays open until nearly midnight. Every suite has a kitchen with a stove, refrigerator, and dishwasher, so it’s easy to stock up and cook for yourself.

Earl’s Court station is a 5–10 minute walk, depending on your pace. We arrived in heavy rain with our luggage, so I called an Uber, which cost £15 with the tip. Another time, we walked back from Earl’s Court in a downpour without bags. You can walk it in any weather. Bad weather with luggage is the only time it’s a hassle.

Earl’s Court is well connected. The Piccadilly line runs straight from Heathrow, and the District line takes you into central London and to Victoria in about 10 minutes. The station is also step-free, which helps if you’re pushing a stroller, using a wheelchair, or traveling with older family members who can’t manage stairs. One tip: the lifts are at the Earl’s Court Road entrance, not the Warwick Road entrance closest to the hotel, so plan your route that way.

Internet at the Residence Inn London Kensington

The in-room Wi-Fi was strong, about 30 Mbps up and down. I ran a 75-minute Zoom video call to the United States with no lag time, dropouts or any other issues.

Service and Housekeeping

The hotel seems to be run by an Eastern European team. The housekeeping staff don’t speak much English, but that never caused a problem, because their system works. You tell the front desk, the desk tells the head of housekeeping, and the head of housekeeping makes sure it gets fixed. When we arrived, the coffee maker had a European plug with no UK adapter, and they sorted it out quickly.

I was also impressed that the head of housekeeping came to our room after check-in to ask whether anything was missing or wrong. That was a nice, proactive touch. It made me feel that they cared about stay and they cared to get it right.

The Downsides

This hotel is what I call no-frills but then again I have stayed at higher end Marriott properties such as the JW Marriott at Grosvenor Square. But for me 10-15 years ago, this type of hotel was a luxury. I did not grow up in fancy hotels until much later in life.

For a property this size, there are only two elevators, and they get very crowded at checkout and during breakfast after about 9 a.m. On our first stay, we used the stairs a lot. This time, we managed with the elevators.

It’s one of the less expensive options among the big chains in London, like Marriott, Hilton, and Holiday Inn. Part of the reason is the location. Earl's Court and the walk to the hotel make it inconvenient for some. But the kitchen-equipped suites do bring in a lot of families. The hotel serves a breakfast buffet each morning, and after about 8:30 a.m. the area can get chaotic with kids running around. It’s chaotic but also manageable and never an issue for us. Each table has a placard that you flip to show it’s still in use. If it shows red, the table is free and you can sit down. This allows you to safely get seconds without someone clearing you table accidently or losing it outright. There are always plenty of staff working the buffet, clearing tables and ensuring guests are quickly seated.

The buffet features an American-style breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage plus yogurts, fresh fruit and an assortment of breads. It is well stocked and you will not go away hungry.

Is the Residence Inn London Kensington Worth It?

Yes. I highly recommend the Residence Inn London Kensington if you’re on a budget or want to save a bit of money. Central London is easy to reach from Earl’s Court, and the staff handle problems quickly. I didn’t take pictures of the rooms, but the photos on the hotel’s website are an accurate picture of what you’ll get.

Here is a travel tip. If you come in on an International flight, use the hotel for a day or two to acclimate to the time zone change and to recover from jet lag. No need to spend big money when you will be sleeping, relaxing and not doing much the first day or two. As mentioned earlier, if you do get the urge to go to Covent Garden, Piccadilly or Leicester Square, it is quite easy to get there.