RADISSON BLU HOTEL London Stansted
THIS RADISSON BLU PROPERTY offers a surprising array of facilities for an airport hotel, including a pool, gym and a large selection of meeting and event spaces. It recently revealed the results of a £6 million refurbishment that saw its central atrium, with the brand’s iconic Wine Tower and stylish seating, given a makeover. By Molly Dyson
WHERE IS IT? Directly connected to the main terminal building at Stansted airport via a covered walkway. From the hotel lobby to the train station and terminal is five minutes’ walk. It will be even closer to the airport when the new arrivals building opens in 2020. WHAT’S IT LIKE? The Radisson Blu brand is the Radisson Hotel Group’s upper-scale offering, which is reflected in the sleek interiors of this property. The refurbishment has given the whole hotel a fresh update and it looks more like something you would expect to find in a city centre than at an airport hotel. Upon entering, guests are
greeted by an impressive reception area separated from the bar by a freestanding wall with a sculpture of a person standing on the shoulders of another – a reference to the “wine angel” acrobats that occasionally scale the striking Wine Tower. I visited during the celebratory
launch event to reveal the refurbishment and check-in was quick and easy. The hotel also features two
restaurants headed up by chef Ben Nottage. Station 169 – named in honour of Stansted’s history as the site of a US Army Air Force base in the Second World
War – offers an Anglo-American menu, including a tempting selection of steaks. Meanwhile, Collage Restaurant is labelled a “quintessentially British brasserie” that hosts the breakfast buffet every morning from 4am and serves dinner in the evening. ROOMS The hotel offers 500 rooms and suites, with categories including Standard, Superior, Premium, Junior Suite and Suite. It also features family rooms. I stayed in a Premium room,
which was formerly known as Business Class. At 25sqm, it offered me plenty of space, along with a king-size bed, free wifi, complimentary water, espresso machine and tea-making facilities, bathrobe and slippers, TV and upgraded bathroom amenities. BUSINESS Some £660,000 was spent on refurbishing the hotel’s 19 meetings and events facilities, which include a large ballroom – the Essex Suite – with space for up to 350 theatre-style, as well as 18 other meeting rooms. VERDICT If you’re departing early from Stansted, the Radisson Blu is the most convenient hotel to stay at. Pair that with comfortable rooms, a choice of restaurants, a stylish centrepiece bar and on- site gym and pool, and you have all you need from an airport hotel.
The hotel’s atrium with its iconic Wine Tower
The Paris Marriott Rive Gauche is an ideal base to explore Paris
PARIS MARRIOTT RIVE GAUCHE HOTEL AND CONFERENCE CENTRE
AS THE LOCATION FOR this year’s ACTE Paris Summit and Corporate Lodging Forum, I got to see this 4-star Marriott property in full swing. Its recently refurbished rooms and spaces did not disappoint. By Molly Dyson
WHERE IS IT? On Paris’s Left Bank in the Montparnasse area, a 20-minute ride on the RER B from Gare du Nord. WHAT’S IT LIKE? This property has everything you’d expect from a conference hotel – a cafe, restaurant, business centre and fitness centre. This complements 757 guest rooms spread over 18 storeys. The multilingual staff are
friendly and helpful. When I discovered, upon getting to my room, that I had left my UK-EU plug adapter at home, the business centre was able to lend me one at no charge. Although the property can
seem labyrinthine to anyone who has not been there before, an abundance of signs – all written in French and English – point you in the right direction and it’s not hard to find a member of staff who can direct you. ROOMS Guest rooms come in a variety of categories, and the hotel also offers a choice of single, queen or king-size beds. I stayed in a Deluxe room
and on arrival found that I had been assigned a room with two single beds. As a lone female traveller I liked the fact, as a safety measure, the hotel took the initiative to place me on the
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17th floor rather than a lower storey. The room was larger than I expected, with a big television, desk, tea and coffee-making facilities, a wardrobe, shower over bath and a separate toilet. The only downside to my room
was the door connecting it to the next room – it wasn’t sufficiently soundproofed to keep out the noise of the very excitable guests staying in it. However, overall I found the
hotel quiet, especially considering it was hosting a conference with hundreds of attendees. BUSINESS The attached conference centre offers a total of 54,000 sq ft of event space, with the largest able to accommodate up to 2,000 delegates. For smaller meetings, there are up to 40 break-out rooms. Event organisers can use Marriott’s Red Coat Direct app to manage their function in real-time. The venue also offers full catering services, from coffee breaks through to gala dinners. VERDICT This hotel is comfortable, the staff are friendly and accommodating and it makes a convenient base for exploring Paris so long as you don’t mind a bit of a walk or riding on the Metro. For conferences, it has pretty much everything you could want for attendees.
2018 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 109
HOTEL
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