My Honest Review of Meliá White House Hotel London – a luxury stay with a fatal flaw.
If you’ve been following my content for a while, you’ll know I’m all about finding home decor, DIY projects, travel and hotel stays that feel a bit more elevated, without the luxury price tag. I felt it was important to do a Meliá White House Hotel London review as it fell short in so many ways.
When I booked Meliá White House Hotel, I had high hopes and in some ways, it absolutely delivered. But there’s one experience I had here that I can’t ignore, and if you’re planning a stay, especially as a solo female traveller, it’s something you need to be aware of.
First Impressions… stylish & welcoming
The hotel itself is actually a 1930s Art Deco building, and you can really feel that as soon as you walk in.
The lobby is beautiful. Light, polished, and it feels a bit more premium than your standard London hotel at this price point. Exactly the kind of place I’d usually recommend for a “bespoke on a budget” stay.
The staff were also a real highlight. Friendly, welcoming, and genuinely helpful, which always sets the tone straight away.
There’s the option to check in online and collect your room card from a machine (pictured above) if you are in a hurry or don’t want to wait at the reception desk.
Location. A Really Smart Choice
One of the biggest wins for me with this hotel was the location.
It’s right by Regent’s Park, and you’re within easy reach of central London without being right in the chaos. But more importantly, I chose it very intentionally based on where I needed to be.
I had to be at the Meta Head Offices the next morning, literally 5 mins walk away, and it was also pretty much equal distance from where I was the evening before for an Amazon Influencer event. So no taxis, no Ubers, no extra train fares, saving money which I could then add to the room budget.
And when you actually add that up, it worked out cheaper than booking a really budget hotel further out and then paying for travel on top, but made it even more important that the hotel delivered as we arent talking about a Travelodge price point here.
How I Made This a “Bespoke on a Budget” Stay
Before booking Meliá White House Hotel, I checked multiple booking sites properly.
Not just a quick look, I compared prices across a few places and waited until I found a really good deal. It took a bit longer, but it meant I got a much nicer hotel for a price I was actually happy with.
And this is exactly what I mean by bespoke on a budget.
Sometimes spending slightly more on the room itself, but being smart with everything else, gives you a much better overall experience for the same total cost.
Breakfast… probably the best bit
I don’t say this lightly, but the breakfast here is genuinely excellent.
Loads of choice, hot food, continental, pastries, fruit, and everything was constantly topped up and well presented.
The dining room itself is also really nice. Calm, spacious, and a really good way to start the day.
Interior Design Notes. What I’d take home (and what I wouldn’t)
From an interiors point of view, there’s actually quite a lot to like, but also a few hard ‘no’s.
The room wasn’t huge, but it was really well laid out. It made good use of the space, with some clever storage ideas that kept everything feeling tidy without being cluttered. Exactly the kind of thing I’d recreate at home.
The bathroom is another good example. Small, but very well designed, so it didn’t feel cramped at all. They’d used glass to keep everything open and let the light flow through, which is such an easy trick if you’re trying to make a small space feel bigger.
But not everything worked.
The corridors were very dark. A heavy grey-based blue used everywhere, walls, carpets, everything. It felt quite oppressive, especially at night, and when I was moving rooms at one in the morning, it just made the whole experience feel even worse.
And the artwork… just odd. Lots of animals dressed as people in ornate frames, which didn’t really tie in with the otherwise modern feel of the rooms. It felt a bit all over the place stylistically.
The Problem… Why I wouldn’t stay again as a solo traveller
This is the part that completely changed things for me. I was staying solo, ahead of a really busy work day and a big event.
I’d been put in a room with an adjoining door, so there was a second door inside the room connecting to the next one. In the middle of the night, the person (a man) next door tried to open that door and it honestly scared the life out of me.
There was weird noises, lots of loud grunting and pacing around, just really unsettling behaviour. As a female travelling alone, it was genuinely frightening. I ended up having to move rooms in the middle of the night, on my own, carrying everything down four floors in my dressing gown, trying not to panic.
Not exactly what you want before a full-on work day.
The corridors were covered in weird stains (pictured above) and there were lots of damp patches and repairs needed. A real contrast to the lobby and restaurant area.
Where the hotel gets it wrong
To be fair, it’s not the hotel’s fault that there was someone odd in the next room. But it is their responsibility to think about who they put in adjoining rooms.
Those rooms should be for:
- Families
- Groups travelling together
- Or people who specifically ask for them
Not solo female travellers. especially when the internal door opens outwards into the adjacent room, so you cant even put a security chair or coffee table in front of it for peace of mind.
The TV is not compatible with Chromecast, which is really annoying as who wants to watch the basic 4 channels on an enormous TV and, in reality, you end up watching Amazon Prime Video or Netflix on your phone!
They add an extra charge to your final bill of like 2.5 or 3% for housekeeping. I find that really irritating as it should be factored into the advertised room rate – no one wants stealth costs snuck on their bill, especially when you’re travelling on a budget.
I got there a couple of hours early and in all the hotels I’ve ever stayed in, if the room is ready they let you have it. This time they wanted to charge £40 extra! I paid it as I was keen to start prepping for my big work day, but it didn’t get us off on the best foot.
How I Saved Money on Food
Another thing I always do is avoid eating in hotel restaurants in the evening. They’re nearly always more expensive, and you can usually find something better nearby for less. Often hotel restaurants lack the atmosphere of a local authentic restaurant too.
There are also lots of money-saving eating out deals you can take advantage of if you’re on a tight budget like the PizzaExpress £5 After School Club deal, which I’ve shared in a full blog post already, and it’s such good value.
I also used the Côte Brasserie app, and there was a Côte Brasserie just around the corner. I had rewards built up, so used those towards dinner.
Again, it’s just about being smart with it. A nicer hotel, balanced out with better value food options.
My Go-To Trick… Bring your own snacks
And finally, one I always stick to. I never rely on hotel snacks or the minibar or the hideously expensive shop in the hotel lobby (pictured above). It was like £5 for a chocolate bar – bonkers.
On this trip, I stopped at the Tesco Express opposite the hotel and stocked up on drinks and snacks for the room. It costs a fraction of the price, and you avoid that painful checkout moment where everything’s been added onto your bill.
One nice touch was the complimentary chocolates that were in the room.
Melia White House Hotel, London review summary…
This is one of those stays that had so much going for it. Beautiful building, great view from the 8th floor (pictured above), excellent breakfast, and a really well-thought-out room. But the issue with the weird neighbour and adjoining room completely changed the experience for me.
As I was keen to give the hotel the best chance, I did go back and stay again with Mr D for another work event in a normal room without an adjoining door. This was definitely better but I still didn’t enjoy the vibe of the dark dingy corridors and the obvious need for some maintenance. Overall, I just don’t think the hotel is worth the premium price and wouldn’t recommend staying there, especially as a woman travelling alone.
Where next?
- See where we stayed in Rome on a budget family trip
- Read about the Hotel du Vin, Tunbridge Wells for a Christmas romantic getaway
- Read about the Hilton DoubleTree Malta, our family review
