Frequently Asked Questions

​​​4 Stanhope Place, Marble Arch, London      |      Phone:    +44 (0)20 7402 2241      |      ​​Email:     reception@parkwoodhotel.com

​ATTENTION: COVID-19 UPDATE

We have implemented a range of enhanced Covid-19 compliant hygiene, safety and social distancing measures at the Parkwood Hotel –

• Hand sanitisers are placed in public spaces and all bedrooms • Anti-microbial cleaning products will be used throughout the Parkwood
  
• Screen in place on the reception desk and bedroom keys sanitised and placed in envelopes prior to passing on to the guest.
  
• Cashless payments encouraged.​
  

Every member of staff will have had their body temperature tested when arriving for work at the Parkwood every day to ensure that they are clear of the virus.

Bedrooms - Advanced cleaning procedures are in place for bedrooms with particular attention paid to high-touch items, such as doors, furniture handles, toilet seats and handles, telephones, light switches, TV remote, luggage racks and keypads on the room safe.

Housekeeping - To reduce guest/staff contact as much as possible guests can accept or decline housekeeping service for their room by displaying the card door hanger each day on their door handle on the outside. For your room to be serviced please display the ROOM READY FOR
SERVICE card. Rooms without a door hanger card will not be serviced. To minimise contact with guests while cleaning, the room must be vacant for service.

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Previous Guest Discount

Guests who have stayed with us before and are making a new booking now qualify for a “15% Previous Guest Discount” off the full price of the room when paying their final bill. To get this 15% discount please let us know the date of the previous stay and you must book direct with the hotel and not through third parties.

What if my plans change after making a reservation?

Reserve with confidence. There are no problems if your plans change and you need to cancel or change your dates. Your deposit will be refunded in full provided you have let us know not later than 2 days before the date you were due to arrive. We have a different deposit policy for some special types of bookings such as long-stay, Christmas or small groups but, if a different deposit requirement is to be applied, this will be made clear to you before you make a reservation.

How do I get to you from Heathrow Airport?

Fast Train - Take the non-stop Heathrow Express train straight into Paddington Station, leaves every 15 minutes (journey time approximately 15 minutes). Book online and it's much cheaper than purchasing a ticket at the station.  Ticket costs vary, £15 – £37, depending on the time of day you want to travel and how far ahead you book your ticket on their website. Children under 15 are free with each adult.

From Paddington Station take a 5-minute taxi ride to the hotel - approximately £9 or a bus, nos. 7,23 or 36 – £2. 

The Heathrow Express route is much more expensive than the Tube but we recommend it because it’s the quickest and easiest way to reach us.

Taxi (Black Cab) - There are always plenty of taxis lining up waiting for customers, takes about 50 minutes depending on traffic delays, i.e. takes much longer in the morning and evening peak periods. Costs about £65.

The Tube - Get a ticket for Marble Arch and take the blue Piccadilly Line Tube into London, leaves about every 10 minutes. Change at Holborn onto the red Central Line and take the westbound train to Marble Arch. Costs £6 (Children 5-16 yrs - £3) and takes about 55 minutes. The carriages become very overcrowded during peak rush hours. Heathrow is the first stop so you will get a seat but getting off in Central London with lots of luggage in the rush hours will be stressful.

By Private Hire Car (Minicab) – We can make arrangements to meet you with a personalised sign at the Arrivals Hall at the airport, help you with your luggage and bring you straight to the hotel by private car. The price depends on the number of persons and the amount of luggage and we can quote you the amount if you email us and advise. For example, from Heathrow - 2 persons with 2 cases and hand luggage would be £50 (From Gatwick, Stansted and Luton - £25 extra)

How do I get to you from Gatwick Airport?

By Rail - Take the Gatwick Express train direct from the airport to Victoria Station. It leaves about every 15 minutes and costs £19.90 (£17.70 online- gatwickexpress.com). The trip takes about 30 minutes to reach Victoria Station and then take a taxi (about 10–15 minutes £11). 

By Bus - National Express coach to Victoria Coach Station, £8, and then a taxi, approx. £11
By Private Hire Car (Minicab) – See above

How do I get to you from Stansted Airport?

By Rail – Stansted Express, which runs from the airport every 15 minutes from 0800 to 1700 weekdays and every 30 minutes early morning, evening weekdays and weekends. Ask for a ticket to Marble Arch and change trains at Liverpool Street onto the Tube (Central Line). Journey time - approx. 1 hour. Cost - £22.50 (£21.50 online) .

By Bus - Several operators serve central London from the airport and this is the cheapest way to reach Marble Arch, for example National Express direct to Marble Arch £10 (http://www.nationalexpress.com), easyBus to Marble Arch £11 (http://www.easybus.co.uk).
By Private Hire Car (Minicab) – See above

How do I get to you from Luton Airport?

By Rail – Luton Flyer to Kings Cross, change onto the Victoria Line to Oxford Circus and change again onto the Central Line to Marble Arch. Costs about £15. Takes approx. 70 minutes. Alternatively to the Tube from Kings Cross take a taxi, 15 minutes approx. £8.

By Bus - To save the hassle of changing onto different tube lines use a bus direct to Marble Arch. Greenline757 to Marble Arch, £11. Takes about 75 minutes and leaves every 20 minutes. See http://www.greenline.co.uk. Easybus £11 (http://www.easybus.co.uk)

How do I find you after leaving the Tube?

Take a print of our local map with you. Just turn right outside the Tube and Stanhope Place is the third turning on the right. Takes just 3 or 4 minutes. The reception area is open as follows: Monday to Friday from 07:00 to 22:30. Saturday and Sunday from 07:30 to 22:00. There is always a member of staff on duty after closing hours in case of emergency or late arrivals (flight or train delays etc.). Please follow the sign on the main entrance for assistance after closing hours.

What do I get with my "English" Breakfast?

Our policy is to make sure you start the day with a full and satisfying breakfast consisting of a choice of various cereals, yoghurts, choice of fruit juices, tea and coffee, toast, choice of jams, marmalade and honey, eggs (fried, scrambled, poached), grilled bacon, sausages, tomatoes, baked beans. If you're still hungry when you're finished, have more of whatever you want.

Where can I get information about travelling around London?

London Buses and Tubes - Tube and bus fares are based on a six-zone system. Check http://www.tfl.gov.uk for full details, tube maps, bus maps, journey planners and the latest prices. Tube and bus maps and other information are also available free at our reception desk.
Smoking is forbidden in the Underground (on the cars and the platforms) and on buses.
An on-the-spot fine for not having the correct ticket on a bus or train is £10 so make sure you don't stray outside the zones that you've paid for. Most visitors will only need Tube travel for Zones 1 and 2.

Unless you intend to mostly walk everywhere it's cheaper and more convenient to purchase an Oyster Card. It can be used on bus, Tube, trams, DLR, London Overground and National Rail services in London and you can get all the information you need at https://oyster.tfl.gov.uk/oyster/entry.do . You can get an Oyster card at most train and subway stations, including airports, and official tourist information centres. Also at almost 4000 London shops. London taxi cabs are expensive, so using public transport is one of the most practical ways to save money.

Taxis - Black-cab drivers tend to know central London very well and can be hailed in the street when the yellow Taxi sign on the roof is lit. Once they have stopped for you taxis are obliged to take you anywhere you want to go within 6 miles of the pick-up point. The charges are made through a combination of time and distance and the meter is visible for you to check the cost and you can get out at any time. Black cabs are expensive but are fully insured and low-risk. A standard journey across the West End will cost about £10 outside rush hour. A 10% tip will be expected.

Where can I get information about theatres?

There are more than a 100 theatres in London and you can see a full list of what's on, maps of theatre locations, seating plans and theatre box office telephone numbers at http://www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk/ . It’s important, before you pay for any tickets with your card, that you check the seats you’ve been allocated against the seating layout to ensure that they’re OK. If you’re booking on the ‘phone have the seating layout on the screen in front of you before you call. A useful website for this is http://www.seatplan.com which features seat reviews and photos from seats to help users book the right tickets.

Buying from the theatre box office - There is usually no booking fee when you buy tickets in person. If you telephone the box office direct to order tickets, you may be charged a small booking fee. At busy periods, some box office telephone numbers ‘trip over’ to ticket agencies. In this instance, any fees should be identical to those charged by the box office.

Buying from the Half Price Ticket Booth in Leicester Square - This ticket booth in the clock-tower building in Leicester Square is the best way to buy discount tickets on the day of performance. Have a look at http://www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk/tkts for further details. 
Warning - make sure you go to the correct place in Leicester Square, ignore the booths you pass getting there.

Buying tickets from a ticket agency - Most legitimate ticket agents are members of STAR (The Society of Ticket Agents & Retailers), an organisation that aims to encourage best practice among ticketing outlets. Ticket agents always charge a booking fee, up to 25% of the price you would pay if you bought the ticket direct from the theatre box office in person. These fees vary so compare this cost from their websites before committing yourself.

Where can I park the car?

It's worth pointing out that the roads in London are very crowded and the cost of parking is prohibitively expensive so we strongly recommend that you do not bring a car unless you really have to and don't hire one unless you intend to take it out of the centre the same day. London now has a “Congestion Charge Zone” in the very centre and the Parkwood Hotel, fortunately, is just outside that area.

For further information - http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/congestioncharging/6709.aspx .

Street parking on a single yellow line in Connaught St., a 2-minute walk from the hotel, is free from 6.30pm - 8.30am. Metered parking at other times and traffic wardens are predatory in central London so don't over-run the time on your meter. You have been warned!

General Questions

Electricity - British current is 240 volts, AC, so you'll need a converter or transformer for U.S.-made electrical appliances, as well as an adapter that allows the plug to match British outlets. You can buy a transformer/adapter at many places in London and we recommend "Boots the Chemist" as their prices are reasonable and they have many branches close to the hotel.

We supply hair dryers and an iron.

Time difference in America - Most of the year Britain is 5 hours ahead of the time observed on the East Coast of the United States. When it's noon in New York, it's 5pm in London.

Tipping - In restaurants, service charges around the 10% range are often included in the bill. Sometimes this will be clearly indicated but, if it isn't, waiters won’t mind if you ask and you can decide for yourself how much to leave. There's no tipping in fast-food cafes, pubs or theatres.

Check-in time & Luggage Storage - Reception is open from 7 a.m. (7.30 Sat/Sun) - 10 p.m. Check-in time is from 1.30 p.m., check-out time is 10.30 a.m. You are welcome to store your luggage at reception if you arrive before your room is ready and temporarily for a few hours on your day of departure.