From real online check-in to telephone room keys, Park Plaza London Waterloo offers a glimpse into the longer term of London hotels at an inexpensive price given the nice location.
But it is not all about high-tech. The hotel maintains three beehives on its lower roof, that are home to tens of hundreds of bees. The honey produced by the bees is utilized by the hotel’s pastry chef and even in a cocktail.
This mixture of cutting-edge technology and sustainable elements creates an unforgettable stay that appeals to a younger goal group that maintains a digitally-driven lifestyle while becoming increasingly environmentally conscious.
A high-tech hotel
Online check-in is nothing latest. In fact, many other Radisson Hotels Group hotels have been offering online check-in for several years.
However, earlier versions of the system were buggy and still required a visit to the front desk to select up a key card, often negating the time savings.
The check-in process at Park Plaza Waterloo is seamless as the whole check-in process is completed online. By downloading the associated app, guests don’t have to go to the reception in any respect after they arrive on the hotel because the app acts as a room key.
Even if activation sometimes takes a second or two longer, the Bluetooth reference to the door lock and the activation point for the elevators all the time works.
There is one downside to not picking up a physical key from reception: you’ve gotten no method to ask questions. However, the hotel app comprises numerous information and offers the likelihood to talk with reception via WhatsApp.
The guest rooms are controlled via touch screens in the doorway area and on each side of the bed.
With a touch, the blinds may be opened or closed, the air con may be adjusted and the lighting may be set to a wide range of modes, including a “mood” setting that is ideal for relaxing before bed. The touchscreens are turned off at night but mechanically glow a deep blue while you move your hand toward them.
A house for bees
London is a greener city than many visitors initially think. And that is best seen while you benefit from the view from certainly one of the hotel’s upper floors, where you may see the green patches of London.
In the lower roof area, three hives provide a house for tens of hundreds of bees. This is a component of a growing trend of rooftop restoration and concrete beekeeping in lots of British cities.
According to the organization City beesThe installation of such “bee hotels” is “a local and concrete way to restore nature for wild bees and other pollinators and to increase biodiversity.”
And there’s one other profit for the hotel and its guests: the bees provide honey, which is utilized by the hotel’s pastry chef and even within the cocktails on the hotel’s Italian-inspired restaurant and bar.
In addition to honey from the roof, “Don’t Touch The Bee” comprises gin, lemon, orange marmalade and Grand Marnier.
A snug stay on London’s South Bank
Although it is known as after the famous station, it is simpler to take the Bakerloo line of the London Underground to Lambeth North station. The hotel is situated directly opposite the station entrance.
Waterloo Underground Station and Central Station are only a 10-minute walk away, and the River Thames, Lambeth Bridge, Westminster Bridge, Golden Jubilee Bridge and Waterloo Bridge are also inside easy walking distance.
The attractions of London’s West End may be reached in 20 minutes by tube or local bus, or on a pleasant day it’s possible to walk. Covent Garden is a 35-minute walk from the hotel.
Room rates start at around $250 for a double room, with breakfast costing $26 per person.