Description: Unless you have money to burn, the chances are that a visit to the Grosvenor Hotel in London will be associated with some kind of professional awards ceremony or big annual dinner. This was the case for me back in 2005 when the company I worked for at that time was one of the sponsors of a big industry dinner. I was lucky enough to get booked into the Grosvenor whilst some colleagues were shipped out to Travellodges in the area.
First impressions were very positive and I might actually have stood in the lobby with my jaw wide open in awe when I first walked in. It's very sparkly, lots of chandeliers, a bit piano, nice rugs and lots of plus seating. We were checked in by the funniest and self-deprecating receptionist who giggled throughout the process and proclaimed himself to be 'As camp as Christmas' before sending us on our way to find our rooms.
My room was absolutely gorgeous and I really wish I'd taken my camera since it's hard to get people to believe I sometimes stay in such lovely places. Firstly it was very large. From memory I think my room was a corner plot so rather than just getting a big rectangle with the bathroom cut out of it, this room was much more spacious and the bathroom was along a separate corridor from the rest of the room. The lighting in the bathroom was excellent so none of the normal straining to see if you look gorgeous or not and the bathroom fittings were beautiful and expensive. My room was well equipped with really nice furniture and not just the nasty flat pack stuff that gets scuffed after 18 months in a hotel room. The bed, based on the ridiculously short time I spent in it, was heavenly. I loved the room so much that I barely wanted to go to the awards dinner.
Eventually I tore myself away from the room and headed to the dinner. You can tell that the Grosvenor do a lot of these events because everything ran extraordinarily smoothly. Dealing with hundreds of drunk guests and serving food whilst awards are being presented is an art-form but everything ran to plan. The bar staff served quickly and efficiently and the casino (which we had sponsored) ran smoothly and everyone seemed to be having a great time.
When I finally dragged myself out of bed the next day to get breakfast, it was really worth the effort. The breakfast room has windows over looking the park and offers the most extensive range of buffet and cooked to order food I've seen anywhere. It's not cheap and from memory I think breakfast was around £25 per head, but it was really excellent.
Sadly I left that company a year later and never got to go back. I'm still in the same industry but don't have a UK-centred role so I don't get invited to these dinners any more. I'd love to go back and just spend a lazy weekend at the Grosvenor.
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