Destination London: insights from a trip to the capital with glh

The UK’s capital has a wealth of diverse venues to choose from. Here’s a select few from our partner, glh hotels.

One of our key partners glh recently hosted the conference team at their hotels and venues across London. Dawn Thorburn, senior consultant, and her team, share some of the insight gleaned from the trip.

Central London

Overlooking the River Thames and London Eye, One Whitehall Place exudes charm and elegance. The venue, which is adjacent to the five-star Royal Horseguards Hotel, has a number of distinctive spaces, from The Gladstone Library which can seat up to 300 people, to Churchill’s Bar where famed authors HG Wells and George Bernard Shaw once used to drink and debate.

Dawn’s team also had the opportunity to experience another of the venue’s two spaces. “The private terrace is lovely,” says Dawn. “It’s a great place to host drinks receptions and there’s an adjoining rooms if the weather turns. If you want a more historical feel, you could host a reception in the hotel’s old wine cellars, which used to have a secret tunnel for MPs to Whitehall.”

Nearby, and just steps from Trafalgar Square, you’ll find another of glh’s hotels. Housed within a Grade II listed building, the Amba Hotel Charing Cross has a variety of spacious meeting rooms to suit delegates’ needs. “You can look at pictures and read about hotels, but there is nothing better than seeing them first hand,” says Dawn. “We also took the opportunity to walk between some of the venues to get a feel for the different areas, and Charing Cross has great connectivity being part of the station. All of the hotels we saw are well located in London, not to mention easy to find.”

Further west, and a stone’s throw away from Oxford Street and Hyde Park, the four-star Amba Hotel Marble Arch enjoys 12 versatile meeting spaces, all of which come equipped with superfast Wi-Fi and the latest conferencing technology. The bar and reception in the hotel have also been refurbished recently. “The food was excellent, and it was fantastic to see the refurbished spaces,” Dawn explains. “The meeting spaces can accommodate between four and 500 delegates.”

The City

Ideally located near the City, The Tower Hotel has more than 20 meeting and event spaces to choose from, ranging from intimate rooms perfect for board meetings to theatre-style spaces. With unrivalled views of Tower Bridge and its own private entrance, Tower Suite is the largest of the hotel’s spaces and can host up to 550 people. “The meeting spaces are extremely adaptable,” adds Dawn. “And I couldn’t fault the service.”

West End

A four-star boutique hotel, The Kingsley can be found in the heart of London’s intellectual and literally capital, Bloomsbury. Whether you are having a banquet or a boardroom meeting, the hotel offers several elegant spaces, each with speedy Wi-Fi and LCD projector screens. The hotel is also within walking distance of Covent Garden and Oxford Street, not to mention the British Museum should your delegates like to brush up on their classical history.

“All the venues were extremely accommodating, and it was great to meet the teams personally and hear them speak about the properties,” adds Dawn. “We can share what we learned to customers, and it’ll help us advise them on the venues most suitable for their meetings and events.”

For more information on any of these venues in London, contact our team.