Threadneedles, Autograph Collection

Spending a weekend break in London’s financial district, Bank, might not be the obvious first choice. As the city winds down for the weekend, the area can become a virtual ghost town but on our most recent stay in London we found that the area’s weekend quietness is also its best asset after a long day seeing the city west-end sights a moment’s peace and quiet is just the tonic. So read on and find out more about our stay at Bank’s Threadneedles Hotel.

Hotel Details

Formerly the head offices of the London, City and Midland Bank Headquarters from the 1880s. In 2002 the building was transformed into the Threadneedles Hotel, it’s part of the Autograph collection of which there is another property the Glasshouse in the TLE headquarters in Edinburgh we have stayed at as well as the beautiful Hotel Santo Mauro in Madrid which we have also stayed at.

Location

The hotel is bang in the middle of the Square Mile in possibly the area’s most famous street of them all – Threadneedle Street. A moment’s walk to St Paul’s Cathedral, The Barbican, Museum of London, Tower of London, Tate Modern, Shakespeare’s Globe, Spitalfields Market and Shoreditch are all just a short walk away and Bank and Monument tube stations are on the doorstep.

Style & Ambiance

The property is a listed building which has been sensitively adapted from bank to boutique hotel. From the striking lobby and lounge/bar which was the former banking hall with an original elaborately hand-painted stained-glass dome. Through to the hotel 74 bedrooms and suites some of which feature original features like safes and fireplaces the conversion has been though-full throughout.

Ambience & Check In

Check-in took slightly longer than I had hoped I was hanging about waiting without even an acknowledgement from the staff serving that I was in the lobby waiting to check in. After about ten minutes I was attended to and the process was smooth and simple.

A glass of prosecco is offered, newspapers in the morning are provided free of charge and I was even offered later check out (which came in very handy)

The Room

The hotel has a strong focus on ’boutique’ and there are only 74 guest rooms and suites across five floors, so there are no miles of maze like corridors to navigate through.

I stayed in an executive room near the back right which was larger than the luxury and deluxe rooms. My room was elegant with a contemporary edge, the large king-sized bed felt in proportion to the rest of the room. There was a separate seating area, with a bottle of red waiting for me 😉 The dressing area was large in proportion, with ample space to lay out all of my overnight things and there was two double wardrobes with plenty of space if you were staying for a few nights.

Bathroom was big, with separate shower and bath areas – and the shower had both a rain and paddle shower. The tiling and lighting gave the bathroom a warm feeling which was complimented by wood finished.

Some of the practical things I liked

The room had all the usual stuff, safe, kettle, hairdryer, it had a Nespresso Machine (I really can’t live without one of these gadgets when I am away now). I also liked the fact that you can turn the lights in the room on and off easily without needing a manual or electrical engineering degree.

Also something practical and more to do with location is that the rooms are quiet, no noise that you would here if you were in a more touristy part of the city.

Some of the finishing touches

The hotel is predominantly for business guests, so there is less of the knick-knacks and little surprises you might find in a more leisure-based property. I did like the bathroom amenities by Aromatherapy Associates and the iphone charging station next to the bed was handy too.

Turn Down Service

There was an evening turn-down service, the bed was turned down and curtains closed when I came back and mineral water on each side of the bed.

Food and Drink

The restaurant is by Marco Pierre White – Wheeler’s of St. James’ Oyster Bar & Grill Room It has its own entrance off Threadneedle Street, Wheeler’s Restaurant serves seasonal British dishes with a modern twist using a selection of fresh, locally sourced produce. Menus are conceived by the enigmatic Marco Pierre White, the godfather of modern British cooking.

Final Thoughts

I was pleasantly surprised, I had wanted to stay at this hotel for a while now so happy to have tried it out. I enjoyed the petiteness of the hotel with all the luxury finishes you would expect with the Marriott brand. Bank is actually really quite convenient, you are only a short journey to the west end and the Shoreditch which is love is on your doorstep. I would definitely stay here again.