Andaz London Liverpool Street Review

Andaz London Liverpool Street Review

There are only two Hyatt properties in London (plus one at Heathrow).  The Churchill (Hyatt Regency) and the Andaz London Liverpool Street.  In researching FlyerTalk it seems that both properties are quite nice.  TripAdvisor lists The Churchill as #91 in London while the Andaz is #101.  Both are Category 6 properties (second highest tier of Hyatt properties).

My decision came down to money.  The Andaz London Liverpool Street was about 1/2 to 1/3 the cost of my needed three weekend nights.  After watching the prices I was able to book Friday-Monday for £140/night (about $185/night).

Location: The Andaz London Liverpool Street is located in East London.  The hotel is a mile north of the Tower of London and a mile northeast of St. Paul’s Cathedral.  It is built on Liverpool Street Station with access to the Central, Circle, Bakerloo, and Hammersmith & City Lines.  There are also two trains (London Overground and TfL) that leave from the station.

From London Heathrow you can take the Heathrow Express to Paddington and transfer to the Circle Line.  The ride takes less than an hour.

Arriving in Liverpool Street Station, look for Exit 3 (by the McDonalds).  Upon exiting take a left and the Andaz London Liverpool Street is about 100 feet ahead of you.

Check In: The lobby is located on Liverpool Street itself.  The site originally housed a hospital.

The building is a 6 story brick building that was originally built as the Great Eastern Hotel in the late 1800s before becoming an Andaz in 2007.  There are 267 guest rooms including a number of suites.  Most rooms look out on to the street however there are a few that look in to the courtyard (ie no outside view).

I was traveling to London with my mom (her first stay in a Hyatt in decades) so I used a Diamond Suite Upgrade to ensure a suite.  I also asked for a rollaway bed as all of the suites only have one king bed.

The modern lobby is small and in typically Andaz form there is not a standard check in desk.  Instead you are taken to a large table with computers for a more personal experience.

Off the lobby was a small seating area with snacks and bottled water and juice.  In the evenings there are wine and canapés served on the check in table.  Down a hall are a couple of restaurants.

We were greeted at the front door by Max (who also had worked at the Andaz Amsterdam).  He asked how I liked Amsterdam and was quite friendly.  He went over the Diamond member benefits and let us know that the room was available for us.  It was located on the 2nd floor (technically the third floor for us Americans since it goes Ground, First, Second, etc).

There are three elevators to the guest rooms however one was down for refurbishment during my stay.  Just off the elevator bank is a small atrium that runs from the lobby up to the top floor.  Our room was 218 which was at the end of the hall and down a half flight of stairs.

Room: We were assigned to an Andaz Large Suite (room 218).  A corner room, it has high ceilings with floor to ceiling windows on two sides.  The layout is one large rectangular room with a bathroom in the corner.  Dividing the room in half is a TV console with built in closets on either side.

One half of the room was the living room area with a couch, arm chair and lounge chair around a coffee table.  A large desk was against the wall.

The TV console houses the all inclusive mini bar.  The cold section has waters, soda, juice and milk.  The other section has a candy jar, cookies and tea set.  All items were refilled daily.  The safe was also installed in this area.

There was also a bottle of wine provided and a plate of fruit each day.  A Nespresso machine was on it’s only side table with a large bottle of water.

The desk was quite large with various power outlets on one side and a lift up top in the middle.  Lift the top and you have a mirror, hair dryer and various office supplies.  Notice the Union Pacific artwork; maybe they knew we were Americans and wanted us to feel at home.

On the other side of the TV console is the bedroom area.  They had our room set up with the rollaway in an alcove and the King bed with the back of the console as the headboard.  Light controls for the room were built in to the headboard.  There was a second TV mounted on the wall in front of the bed.

On either side of the King bed were closets.  However they were not lit so it was a bit hard to see the clothing.  The only other complaint is that there are no outlets by the bed.  I was told the rooms would be renovated in 2017 so I am guessing that issue will be fixed.

Bathroom: While small, the bathroom at the Andaz London Liverpool Street was quite nice.  Lots of subway tile with industrial fixtures.  The door had a fogged porthole.

A combination shower/tub with a half glass divider had good water pressure but didn’t drain very fast and also splashed over on to the floor.  Ventilation was through a passive vent (no fan).

There was plenty of cabinet space above the sink and various amenities were included.  The sink itself had no counter space and had the same issue of water splashing onto the floor.  Or maybe I am just messy.

The bathroom amenities were high quality, locally made and not overly perfumed.  Each bottle was over 3 ounces and lasted the entire stay.

Gym: In the basement (good luck finding it) is the health club.  No swimming pool but a nice work out facility with newish equipment and plenty of it.  There was a steam room but it was closed during my visit.

Temple: How many hotels have an active Masonic Temple in their building?  Not open to the public, I was able to get a tour from the very friendly Head Concierge, Ali.  Ali has worked at the property since 2000 — when it was still the Great Eastern Hotel.  He was full of interesting history about the property.  The hotel was built in the late 1800’s by the owner of the Great Eastern Railway who happened to be a Mason. The building survived the bombings of WWII with minor damage.  Originally there were four Masonic Temples in the hotel but during a renovation in 1997 three were destroyed.  Hyatt purchased the property in 2007 and opened up the remaining Temple as a venue for events.  The Masons still meet at the Temple (and pay rent to Hyatt).

It is a maze to get to the Temple with many locked doors.  However once you get there it is quite an impressive space.

Breakfast: Breakfast is included for Diamond guests in the formal “1901” (named after the year the second wing of the hotel was opened).  It is a standard English breakfast buffet.  Additionally you can order hot items off the menu at no additional cost, but they staff are not forthcoming with this info.  You must ask for a menu.  I had waffles one day and french toast another.

Overall the food was good (not amazing).  If you aren’t a Diamond guest the price is £28.

Staff: I found the staff to be top notch.  It is a Hyatt owned and operated property, I am not sure if that explains the high level service or not.  From Max at check in to Ali giving us a tour to the staff at breakfast and housekeeping, I had all positive experiences.  Friendly, professional, detail oriented.  What you hope staff would be.

Overall: The Andaz London Liverpool Street may be one of my new top Hyatt properties.  Of course it helped to have a suite (and be a Diamond guest).  Even still, the location is wonderful (away from the tourist areas but not too far) with lost to do in the neighborhood.  Good staff.  Easy access to transportation.  I couldn’t find anything to complain about.  Would definitely consider it for a future visit to London and wouldn’t hesitate for a second to recommend the Andaz London Liverpool Street.