Review: Hampton by Hilton London Waterloo hotel

This is a brief review of the Hampton by Hilton London Waterloo hotel.

As I have mentioned before, I have been doing occasional work days from Hilton hotels around London using the ‘day use’ rates. The cost is similar to what I would otherwise pay for our normal office space and I get to see some different properties.

I also earn Hilton Honors points, double elite night credits and will trigger cashback from American Express via their current Hilton offer.

Two weeks ago I decided to pop into Hampton by Hilton London Waterloo. This is usually the 3rd cheapest day use Hilton hotel in Central London, behind Olympia and Hyde Park. I paid £48.

The hotel website is here.

Where is Hampton by Hilton London Waterloo?

This is a relatively new hotel, opened in 2014. To be honest it looks a lot newer.

Whilst the buildings around it are not hugely inviting, the location is actually good for its target market. The Old Vic theatre is just seconds away, and the Young Vic and all of the independent restaurants on The Cut – which are generally aimed at the casual dining market – are within five minutes walk.

Tate Modern, the South Bank, London Eye etc are all easily walkable. Waterloo Station gives you tube access to everywhere else.

Rooms at Hampton by Hilton London Waterloo

I am a fan of Hampton properties – they are generally good value and good quality. Take a look at my room.

OK, there’s no Nespresso machine etc, but there is nothing to complain about here. The room quality is actually a lot higher than I’ve had in some ‘mainline’ Hilton properties I’ve visited on my ‘day rooms’ tour.

…. with an attempt to add some local flavour with the Borough Market image:

There’s a decent desk, which you don’t always get in the budget sector, and if you look under the TV there is a kettle, tea bags, coffee etc:

The bathroom is what you’d expect – not huge, and only a shower with no bath. Toiletries are from large dispensers.

I didn’t have any view to speak of, but you really can’t complain given the price and location.

The public spaces

Where this hotel really scores is that it has a lot of public space on the ground floor, including a restaurant which is currently closed. The restaurant has street frontage and I’m sure gets visitors who don’t even know it is part of a hotel.

This attractive library area opposite reception has a couple of PCs available for guest use:

This is where breakfast would usually be served, although it was running a ‘brown bag’ service even before the November lockdown started:

Here is a PR photo of the main lobby / bar area, which as you can see looks like it would be a decent spot to hang out:

Conclusion

I liked this hotel a lot, and would unhesitatingly recommend it for anyone looking for good value accommodation in a central but also slightly off-the-beaten-track part of London.

Whilst I didn’t eat there or spend the night, I was in the building for 8 hours and it gave me a good enough feel for what to expect.

Obviously current pricing isn’t really ‘normal’. Picking a random weekend day in March, it comes up as £84. Given that this includes breakfast – everyone gets free breakfast at Hampton – it is excellent value.

The Hampton by Hilton London Waterloo website is here.

How to earn Hilton Honors points and status from UK credit cards (December 2021)

There are various ways of earning Hilton Honors points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

Do you know that holders of The Platinum Card from American Express receive FREE Hilton Honors Gold status for as long as they hold the card?  It also comes with Marriott Bonvoy Gold, Radisson Rewards Gold and MeliaRewards Gold status.  We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.

The Platinum Card from American Express

30,000 points and an unbeatable set of travel benefits – for a fee Read our full review

Did you know that the Virgin Atlantic credit cards are a great way of earning Hilton Honors points? Two Virgin Points can be converted into three Hilton Honors points. The Virgin Atlantic cards are the only Visa or Mastercard products in the UK which can indirectly earn Hilton Honors points. You can apply here.

You can also earn Hilton Honors points indirectly with American Express Gold (20,000 bonus points), the American Express Rewards Credit Card (5,000 bonus points) and – for small business owners – American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus points) and Business Platinum (40,000 bonus points).

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which can be used to earn Hilton Honors points. 

(Want to earn more hotel points?  Click here to see our complete list of promotions from the major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.)