Editor’s Note: This post is part of the Oktoberfest trip to Europe in which I visited Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, The United Kingdom, and Luxembourg.
Continuing the many shenanigans we got into on our trip to Europe for Oktoberfest, we decided to do one final night out in London as part of a pub crawl tour before our flight out of LHR the next morning.
Review: Hotel Indigo London – 1 Leicester Square (London, UK)
Knowing full-well I’d be in no conduction to do, well, anything (after a proper night out in London), I wisely decided to stay walking-distance from all the action in Soho in the area known as Leicester Square at Hotel Indigo London – 1 Leicester Square.
My room, lit up at night
About Hotel Indigo London – 1 Leicester Square
Leicester Square is located right smack in the middle of the West End between the theater district, Soho, Chinatown, Piccadilly Circus, Convent Garden, and Trafalgar Square. In other words, the part of London that never sleeps.
Here’s the description blurb from the Hotel Indigo London – 1 Leicester Square’s website:
Hotel Indigo® London – 1 Leicester Square sets you at the pulsing heart of British Theatreland. We’ll welcome you in with art deco styling, theatrically inspired boutique rooms and spa bathrooms. Let us tempt you to delicious dining and neon-flooded West End views in our Rooftop Bar. Outside, you’ll be immersed in a dazzling world of star-studded first nights, hit musicals and blockbuster movies.
You have arrived
Getting There
Getting to Hotel Indigo London – 1 Leicester Square couldn’t be easier.
From London Heathrow Airport (LHR), you can simply hop on the London Underground’s Piccadilly Line. The Tube runs every 10 minutes and will take you directly to Leicester Square Station in under an hour. Of course you can also take a taxi if you prefer.
The Redemption
Now to the nitty-gritty – the redemption.
I hold the [legacy] Chase IHG Rewards Club credit card, which has a $49 annual fee (and has since been replaced by the Chase IHG Rewards Club Premier credit card).
In the good ol’ days, this card came with a free annual night benefit redeemable at any IHG property in the world (although this benefit was devalued [effective beginning in 2019] to a free annual night at a property up to 40,000 points).
I wanted to use this credit for maximum value before it was gone forever.
I realized my travels would take me to London and that would be the perfect city to use the [unlimited] free annual night.
When I searched rooms at Hotel Indigo London – 1 Leicester Square, I found the rooms were going for $546 USD a night, not bad for a $49 dollar credit card benefit!
The Check-In
Check-in was very fast and easy. I was immediately recognized for my status and told I would be upgraded to a superior room overlooking Leicester Square as a Platinum Elite member.
I know some people knock the IHG Rewards program as not being the “loosest” with room upgrades, but I’ve actually never found this to be a problem. In fact, I’ve gotten some awesome upgrades with IHG Rewards, and the Hotel Indigo London – 1 Leicester Square was no exception – even with a free annual night certificate.
The Platinum Elite Welcome Letter
The front desk attendant thanked me for my loyalty and handed me the following Platinum Elite Welcome Letter.
The Elevator Area And Hallway
Ooooohhhhhh, shiny. Flashy, yes – but it works
The hallway continues with the Art-Deco styling
The sign outside my room
The Room
I was upgraded to a corner room over looking Leicester Square.
The Bedroom Loft
Due to the corner-layout of this room, it was a little hard to photograph, but here’s what I got:
Rounding the bathroom glass into the bedroom area
The bed
The bedroom television mounted on the wall (looking toward the room entrance)
View of the window and the neon lights from the W Hotel
Around The Room
Office desk in the entrance way
View of the office desk from in front of the bathroom glass
The “closet”
The Room Amenities
Nespresso – the European fine-hotel standard
The fridge with 2 complimentary bottles of water
Ear plugs, because – Leicester Square
Complimentary smartphone (no, this is not complimentary to keep)
The Bathroom
The sink area
The shower
The loo
The D.R. Harris & Co. toiletry bottle trio
Lemon Soap
Body Milk
View From The Room
View from my room of Leicester Square below
View From The Rooftop Bar
View of Leicester Square toward the Underground Station
The London Eye at night
Angry moon winking
The club next-door
The Check-Out: A Random Hangover Story
Normally, I don’t report on my check-out experiences because they’re usually pretty uneventful.
Well, as I made my way to the front-desk to check out at 5 am, I was told I’d have to wait. “Why”?, I asked.
It turned out a certain American actor, known for his portrayal of a manager of the Dunder-Mifflin Paper Company, was checking-out right before me and he was in a rush to get to the airport.
I was a fan (and also extremely hung-over), so I [of course] deferred until he checked-out and was ushered out to the car waiting outside in the rain. When the car pulled away, they quickly apologized for the delay and checked me out.
Turns out the Hotel Indigo London – 1 Leicester Square has some reputable [and hilarious] clientele.
The Bottom-Line Review: Hotel Indigo London – 1 Leicester Square (London, UK)
Overall, I was very impressed with the Hotel Indigo London – 1 Leicester Square. It was exactly what I was looking for location-wise [centrally located to some of the most famous parts of London], and the perfect location for a night out on a London pub crawl.
It’s also located along the Picadilly Line, with easy access to all of London via the Tube. Just know, there’s a lot going on in Leicester Square all hours of the day (and night), so if a quiet retreat is what you are looking for – this is not that.
The Hotel Indigo London – 1 Leicester Square was an amazing redemption for the free annual night certificate, giving me $550+ USD in value, and that’s before my Superior Corner-Room upgrade!
The corner room’s layout was a little strange, sure, but it’s size, cleanliness, and comfort made up for it, and what a cool view from the room! The Rooftop Bar had amazing views of London and is a must-see destination by itself.
Overall Rating: Highly Recommended (especially for tourists, pub-crawlers, Chinatown foodies, paper-company managers, and theater-goers).
Cheers!
