Lovers of the Art Deco style of decoration – said in its 1920/30s heyday to represent luxury, glamour and exuberance – will enjoy the decor of Hilton London Paddington Hotel.

The hotel was originally the brainchild of engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel and was called the Great Western Royal Hotel when it was built by the Great Western Railway Company (GWR) and opened as “London’s largest and most sumptuous hotel” 162 years ago in 1854. Then it offered 115 bedrooms with singles from 2 shillings per night. (20 pence) This price increased over the years – to £105 a night in the 1990s – and more bedrooms were added, along with meetings facilities when it closed to undergo a four-year, £45million refurbishment in 1998 before re-opening as a Hilton 14 years ago, in 2002.

At the beginning of last year Hilton London Paddington opened the adjacent GWR Tower, its 56 premium GWR tower rooms contributing to the hotel’s 419 guest rooms and suites on the site. These break down into 182 double, 52 double de luxe, 25 double executive, 11 twin, 39 family, 19 family superior, 4 king junior suites, 20 queen suites, 8 terrace suites, 1 executive terrace suite, 56 GWR tower rooms and 2 king Hilton suites (Tower suites) For those who like to lie back, soak and daydream every room has a bath. Guests staying in the Tower have their own private lift and access to the private Tower Lounge where a full breakfast is served along with complimentary food and refreshments throughout the day. Organisations can hire the whole of the Tower for their functions.

For meetings the 18 rooms and combinations start with the two small ones in the Executive Lounge, which accommodate six each and can be hired by the hour. Then, also on the ground floor there are three rooms for 18, one for 60 and one for 70, all theatre-style and all with natural light. Upstairs on the first floor are the largest rooms comprising one boardroom for 16, which holds 20 for a banquet, seven rooms with theatre-style capacities for 18, 24, 27, 30, 32, 32, 48 and two ballrooms for 140 and 350 which can be used separately or together, the largest offering a pillar-free, high-ceilinged and chandeliered space. All conference and event rooms had a makeover three months ago with new carpets, ergonomic chairs and multifunctional tables.

T: +44 (0) 20 7850 0500 www.paddington.hilton.com E: [email protected]