Victory House Leicester Square

Chrystal recently had the pleasure of staying at Victory House Hotel centrally located on Leicester Square, London.

Not the best with directions and a little bit of a ditsy type I struggled to find the hotel. My google map stated I was at the confirmed address however I’d completely missed the entrance right behind me. A well-presented man wearing a waistcoat style uniform approached me and asked if he could help, I told him I was looking for Victory House and he said, “Mrs Webster right this way,” I literally looked up and there it was. The moral of the story; the entrance is discreet so pay attention and look for the M Memories branded mat or wall plaque.

A personal greeting and escort to the door certainly created a good first impression!

The Concept

The receptionist also greeted me by name and explained the practical information I needed to know along with detail of their ‘Memories’ concept. One way in which they fulfil this brand promise is by offering guests a selfie stick and camera which they keep for the duration of their stay, upon check-out they return the equipment and the hotel creates a film from the pictures. This is offered at an additional cost but a really nice way to live up to brand values.

Given the regular red carpet movie events Leicester Square has become synonymous with it will be no surprise that the theme here is a cinematic one.

The hotel was designed in partnership with renowned architects Michaelis Boyd, the hotel’s interior has been carefully curated to emulate the rich cinematic history of its landmark location.

Rooms

The hotel comprises of 86 rooms, nine of which are suites. My suite was located on the top floor (6th) and made an ideal contemporary city bolt hole. The space was relatively small (although for prime-time city square foot perhaps not?!!) but effectively used to present a comfortable and stylish home for the night. Pictures of 1950’s cinema legends adorned the walls and film related coffee table books added to the cinematic theme. Complimentary fruit, snacks, soft drinks and a great selection of London tea and coffee to choose from. The chef had even left us a tasty plum tart for us to tuck into on our arrival. Delicious!

Bed and linen was extremely sumptuous and this king-size didn’t disappoint.

The bathroom was immaculate (in fact probable the cleanest I have ever seen!) and boasted a powerful rain shower and was stylishly decorated with metro tiles, period sanitary wear and matt black fittings. CJ Bigelow was the amenities provider of choice. No bath but that didn’t bother me.

My room overlooked Leicester Square, there wasn’t much going on but you couldn’t hear anything from the street below.

The restaurant, Petit Bistro, is located on the ground floor of the hotel and is where guests enjoy dinner and this is also where breakfast is served.

Dinner

Our stay included dinner and I must say when I took a sneaky peek at the menu online I wasn’t overly excited. Never judge a book (or menu in this case) by its cover! The food was delicious. As the name of the restaurant suggests the menu is very French with a good selection of all courses.

I chose escargot for starters and the garlic butter it was served with was delicious; good job we were given a basket of freshly baked bread to mop it up with! I chose slow-roasted spiced honey duck leg served with buttered Savoy cabbage, swede purée & duck jus for my main and the meat simply fell off the bone.

The waiter was knowledgeable and made excellent recommendations, particularly with the wine choice and if he didn’t know the answer he promptly made it his mission to find out.

The only slight disappointment was dessert which was more down to my choice. I chose Floating Island and although it was suitably sweet I think there were other alternatives which would have been a better choice. I was so full I didn’t even really need dessert – greed got the better of me!

Another very Continental element which I liked is the covered on-street dining area, with heaters and big thick blankets for patrons to get cosy under.

The restaurant is small with a relaxed atmosphere.  Staff were very attentive and service was excellent.

Breakfast

Despite overindulging on the food front the night before I managed to do great justice to breakfast. There was an excellent choice of sweet and savoury dishes on the a la carte menu, however being the cereal and pastry fiend that I am I opted for the continental buffet. The long central table presented a lovely range of pastries, muffins, cereals, granola, Bircher muesli, fruit salad, yoghurt, avocado and fresh bread. I am sure I’ve missed something but you get the gist. A freshly brewed cafetière provided a suitable caffeine kick.

Again, the staff were attentive, friendly yet professional and smartly presented.

Conclusion

All in all a great, stylish and comfortable place to stay if you want to enjoy the hustle and bustle of a London city break.