Property Location: A stay at The Rubens at the Palace places you in the heart of London, within a 15-minute walk of Buckingham Palace and Hyde Park. This 5-star hotel is 1 mi (1.6 km) from Big Ben and 1.5 mi (2.4 km) from Piccadilly Circus.
Rooms: Make yourself at home in one of the 161 individually decorated guestrooms. Complimentary wired and wireless internet access keeps you connected, and satellite programming provides entertainment. Private bathrooms have designer toiletries and hair dryers. Conveniences include phones, as well as laptop-compatible safes and desks.
Amenities: Make use of convenient amenities such as complimentary wireless internet access, concierge services, and babysitting (surcharge). Additional amenities at this hotel include gift shops/newsstands, wedding services, and a living plant wall.
Dining: Enjoy British cuisine at The English Grill, one of the hotel's 2 restaurants, or stay in and take advantage of the 24-hour room service. Need to unwind? Take a break with a tasty beverage at one of the 4 bars/lounges. English breakfasts are available daily from 7:00 AM to 11:00 AM for a fee.
Business, Other Amenities: Featured amenities include a 24-hour business center, complimentary newspapers in the lobby, and dry cleaning/laundry services.
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Resort Details
General Policies & Fine Print
Checkin Instructions: Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policyGovernment-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental chargesSpecial requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteedThis property accepts credit cards, debit cards, and cashCashless transactions are availableThis property uses eco-friendly cleaning products
Special Checkin Instructions: Front desk staff will greet guests on arrival.
Know before you go: The property has connecting/adjoining rooms, which are subject to availability and can be requested by contacting the property using the number on the booking confirmation. This property advises that enhanced cleaning and guest safety measures are currently in place.The property is cleaned and disinfected using an electrostatic sprayer; disinfectant is used to clean the property; commonly-touched surfaces are cleaned with disinfectant between stays; bed sheets and towels are laundered at a temperature of at least 60°C/140°F.Personal protective equipment, including masks, will be available to guests.Social distancing measures are in place; staff at the property wear personal protective equipment; a shield is in place between staff and guests in main contact areas; periodic temperature checks are conducted on staff; temperature checks are available to guests; guests are provided with hand sanitizer; cashless payment methods are available for all transactions; contactless room service is available; masks are required in public areas; reservations are required for some onsite facilities. Enhanced food service safety measures are in place.This property affirms that it adheres to the cleaning and disinfection practices of Safe Travels (WTTC - Global). This property welcomes guests of all sexual orientations and gender identities (LGBTQ+ friendly).
Mandatory Fees: You'll be asked to pay the following charges at the property: Deposit: GBP 100 per accommodation, per night We have included all charges provided to us by the property.
Optional Fees: Fee for English breakfast: approximately GBP 45 per person Valet parking fee: GBP 70 per night Pet fee: GBP 500 per pet, per stayService animals are exempt from fees Early check-in is available for a fee (subject to availability) Late check-out is available for a fee (subject to availability) The above list may not be comprehensive. Fees and deposits may not include tax and are subject to change.
Customer Ratings & Reviews
TripAdvisor Traveler Rating
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Just the most lavish , amazing stay
we had not been to London for 25 years and the Rubens(thank goodness) was recommended to us , we had a suite over looking the royal muse , the bed was comfy and so big, the room, shower was spotless we had a very warm welcome and we were shown to out suite . We had breakfast there each morning, there was continental plus a menu of cooked breakfast , which was cooked to order, The staff were wonderful , polite , caring and helpful. now the bad bits there is not any we cant wait to stay again
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Disappointing Stay
Our first visit to Rubens At The Palace, which overlooks Buckingham Palace Mews front gate. We chose here from any of our usual haunts because we were seeing Ian McKellen in Frank & Percy at The Other Palace theatre, which is literally a two minute walk round the corner. We checked in late Saturday afternoon and after dropping bags off in the room, parked ourselves in the New York bar (at very uncomfortable tables) for a few drinks and snacks before show time. Handily, we also managed to hit final service in the Curry Room downstairs after the show finished; that two minute walk was extremely useful. Full English breakfast was also provided as a complimentary extra at the time of booking, so we also ate in the English Grill on Sunday morning. It was all OK, but If I’m honest, quite a lot irritated us with this hotel. Firstly, we booked a Royal Mews View King Size room overlooking the Palace Mews, which is basically a front facing window on the hotel. Yes, you might see horses, but its pot luck and what we wanted was a king size bed. However, the hotel is quite small and compact and these rooms are also small and for £560 per night with that complimentary breakfast, you barely get enough space to walk round the dominant bed, and no real space. The bathroom had a bath with a decent shower but this is all quite compact which belies the sense of space the images on the website portray. I wouldn’t categorize the rooms as luxurious either, they’re adequate but a little tired and it does my head in when there are wonky switches, plugs and even a TV, which unnecessarily obscures the mirror. The major issue for us though was the food, mainly because all three times we ate in the hotel, we had cold food that should have been hot. The hotel was busy, but we had the sharing plates in the New York bar and two of them were boarding cold. The curry is served on a large stainless steel plate which was lukewarm when I got it, after the food arrived, it was cold. Luckily, the large bowl of rice was hot so I used it to eat from instead, Finally, my wife’s cooked breakfast had cold beans that she sent back, then her breakfast was cold before she could finishing eating it. Just to point out, if it hadn’t have been complimentary, it would have been £45 a head! Finally, none of this was excellent food, It’s all 5 star London hotel prices without the necessary quality. To make matters worse, we also had a bill at the Curry Room which stated £48 for the Butter Chicken, luckily I’d remembered it was £36 on the menu and after questioning it, our server apologised and redid the bill. I’d question why the menu amount is different to the charged amount on an automated billing system, and how many others were being overcharged. Either way, it was £145 for an average curry consisting of one bottle of beer and two mains with boiled rice and a naan. Finally, the staff are friendly, but this was a busy Saturday/Sunday and service was sporadic at best. Items of food didn’t arrive together or were sent back for being cold and I think it showed on the staff. I also took umbrage to being told there was a £15 discretionary service charge being added to our final bill. Sorry, this was a £769 bill for one night with service charges on all the food served with all the problems mentioned. We stay at the Landmark Hotel usually and frankly, apart from the location to the theatre, I wished I had again.
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Great staff. Tiny rooms. Little value for the $$$$
Very small rooms. No gym, pool, or other amenities but a £15 daily hotel charge???? Staff was wonderful (Pascal, Tamil, Taylor, and Zameera). Location is perfect for seeing sights. Can walk to pretty much everything. Included breakfast was excellent and plentiful. Bottom line: Would I recommend maybe if only for a short stay. Would I go back-- Probably not. It's too expensive for not a lot of hotel. Rooms are too small to spend anytime in. The best part of the stay was the staff.
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Not the Great of Experiences
This is a quirky hotel. Firstly the rooms( Double with Mews views) are small (14sqm), BUT they do have everything you need, unless you want a mini fridge which you will need to request prior to your arrival. The hotels location is great, as it's near everything you will need, particularly if you find 70GBP for two, is a bit steep for breakfast. (Several great coffee shops and restaurants nearby at a much cheaper cost!!) However they do set their prices in line with their perceived competition, or so they will have you believe. On arrival also be prepared for 100GBP per person per day to be taken from a credit card for incidentals. (Not too sure what incidentals would cost that, but that is the rule!!!) As we had pre-booked for 6 nights, this was a considerable, and unexpected imposition. (We also had the value of our already pre-paid room taken in error, along with the 100GBP pp pn as well. It proved too difficult for accounts to refund this substantial amount prior to our departure. No idea why the hotel couldn't fix their mistake, but we were informed that was the way it was!!!) You should also be aware that there will also be a discretionary charge of 15GBP per night added to your bill on check out as a service charge. You will find the rooms, although small, well cleaned and the facilities satisfactory. Another quirky matter was turn down service, which does seem to be performed at some odd times....anywhere from 5pm to 9.30pm, but only when we were in our room and likely to decline it. At which time you are handed a letter which indicates, that you have declined to have your room "turndown." I assume this is to negate complaints at a later time. We did have breakfast twice at the hotel, (that's another story), and we found the restaurant, food and service to be excellent, with there being a fairly wide, but typical, breakfast offering available. What probably says the most from our viewpoint, is that we are coming back to London again this coming year for 10 to 14 days, and although we really loved the location of the Rubens, I'm not too sure, based on our past experiences, whether it will be on our list of hotels, to stay at.
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Old hotel with extremely small rooms
The hotel is very old and is in need of a renovation. Rooms are extremely small and a little stinky. Service is good and people are nice, though they stored the luggage and it took forever to be delivered to the room.