The location of Hilton London Bankside is pretty fantastic. It’s just a quick five-minute walk from Southwark Underground station. There are also quite a few attractions within walking distance, such as Borough Market, the Millennium Bridge, and St. Paul's Cathedral. If you have the energy, you can even walk straight into the heart of London (it takes about 36 minutes to reach Big Ben). Since the Tube doesn't run on Christmas Day, we actually did this exact walk!

📌 Recommended Reading: Christmas in London | Dreamy & Extravagant Christmas Lights!

➡️ Check Official Website for Room Rates & Offers
➡️ Check Real-Time Room Rates & Offers on Agoda

🦊 London Travel Info

★【Guide】: Ultimate Guide to 36 London Attractions
★【SIM Cards】: Europe 5G eSIM | UK Unlimited 5G eSIM
★【Transport】: Hop-On Hop-Off Sightseeing Bus | Heathrow Express Airport Transfer
★【Passes】: The London Pass | London Explorer Pass
★【Tickets】: The London Eye | Tower Bridge | Westminster Abbey | Windsor Castle
★【Family】: Warner Bros. Studio Tour (Harry Potter) | Peppa Pig World
★【Tours】: Stonehenge, Windsor Castle & Bath | Stonehenge, Windsor Castle & Oxford | Royal Observatory Greenwich & Cambridge

🦊 Hilton London Bankside Review Directory

★ Lobby
★ Room Tour
★ Buffet Breakfast
★ Executive Lounge

🦊 Lobby

The lobby isn't the ultra-luxurious, intimidating kind; instead, it feels incredibly stylish and welcoming. We checked in on Christmas Eve (12/24), and right as we walked through the doors, we were greeted by festive decorations. All the staff were even wearing very fitting red-and-white striped Christmas sweaters!

The beautifully decorated row of Christmas trees right inside the hotel entrance.

Next to the lobby, they displayed a massive gingerbread house shaped like one of London's iconic landmarks—The White Tower (part of the Tower of London). They set up an adorable little sign next to it with the name "The White Tower" and a list of ingredients. Unbelievably, it was made using 120 kilograms of gingerbread and 25 kilograms of icing!

The adorable sign next to the gingerbread house detailing the ingredients for "The White Tower." They used 120 kg of gingerbread and 25 kg of icing, and even listed the names of all the chefs who helped build it!

🦊 Room Tour

The room's design style is exactly Cherry's cup of tea, using calming, sophisticated gray tones as the primary color palette~

All the surfaces and hardware—including the lighting fixtures and power outlets—feature a unified, premium-looking black finish. Meanwhile, the wardrobe, headboard, and TV stand use natural wood tones, which adds a lot of warmth to balance out the cool gray and black palette.

Down to the smallest details—the legs of the chairs and desk, the reading lamps, and the frames of the wall art—everything uses black hardware and borders. You really have to admire the designer's thoughtful attention to detail!

Finally, they added a touch of industrial-style lighting as an accent. We feel the overall design is high-end and modern, yet still warm and cozy. It makes for an incredibly comfortable stay!!

There was a little fox pattern placed on the bed. If you observe closely, you'll spot this little fox hidden in many subtle spots around this Hilton (like on the lobby ceiling). It's a very low-key way of weaving the fox motif throughout the hotel's entire design. We really love this cohesive but understated theme!

The gray and natural wood tones seamlessly continue into the bathroom.

The bathroom offers both a bathtub and a separate shower stall~

The bath amenities provided are by Crabtree & Evelyn~

Inside the wardrobe, you'll find slippers, bathrobes, and an umbrella—specially provided for London's ever-changing weather.

They also provide a turndown service~

When it comes to this Hilton, what impressed us the most was the Mini Bar! When we checked in, the front desk staff told us that because of our elite status, everything in the Mini Bar was completely free to consume. Yes, you heard that right—all-you-can-eat-and-drink! And during housekeeping the next day, they restock everything fully so the cycle continues.

And this Mini Bar isn't just your standard complimentary offering—it's incredibly generous. Just counting the beverages and water alone, there were 8 bottles!

For the drinks and snacks, they thoughtfully partnered with local organic food suppliers. Everything is completely organic!

It’s definitely worth mentioning that when we woke up on Christmas morning and stepped out of our room, we were greeted with a huge surprise!!! Hanging on every single door handle was a stocking specially delivered by "Santa Claus"! It was stuffed full of snacks. Such a small gift, but it brought immense warmth to us travelers! ➡️ Check Real-Time Room Rates & Offers on Agoda

🦊 Buffet Breakfast

Breakfast is served at OXBO Bankside, the restaurant located right next to the ground floor lobby. Look closely at the snowy Christmas display under the sign—do you spot the little fox again?

The interior of the restaurant is full of a cozy cabin vibe, making you feel as though you've stepped into a woodland lodge. Because it was Christmas, every table was decorated with a miniature Christmas tree.

As soon as we sat down, a staff member with a proper, authentic London accent—sounding like they stepped straight out of "Harry Potter"—came over to ask if we wanted tea or coffee. For Cherry, a massive Harry Potter fan, it felt exactly like being in Hogwarts on Christmas morning. She was grinning from ear to ear! 🤣

The hotel breakfast is served buffet style.

They offer a hot food section.

As you'd expect from a Western breakfast, the hot dishes mainly consist of the classics: sausages, roasted tomatoes and potatoes, sautéed mushrooms, scrambled eggs, and so on.

Made-to-order omelets!

There's also cereal, a must-have for a Western breakfast.

And plenty of bread and pastries~

The selection of fresh juices at this hotel's breakfast is incredibly generous!!!

For the cold cuts section, you'll find smoked salmon, various types of bacon and cheeses, and a salad bar.

They also have yogurt and fresh fruit.

What’s quite unique is this Nordic-style pickled herring~~

Most importantly… this breakfast buffet actually has congee!!!!

For Cherry, the presence of Chinese congee "instantly" adds 80 points to the score 🤣. So, you can imagine that this breakfast ranks very high in Cherry's book! Being able to enjoy a piping hot bowl of Chinese congee on a morning in a foreign country—even if there aren't many side dishes to go with it—can only be described as pure happiness~~

🦊 Executive Lounge

In addition to OXBO, if you hold Hilton elite status, you also have the option to have breakfast in the Executive Lounge.

The overall breakfast selection here is a bit smaller in comparison.

However, the dining environment in the Executive Lounge has a completely different vibe than OXBO~

The overall design leans towards a classic, understated luxury. It's definitely worth experiencing!

Overall, this Hilton London Bankside left an incredibly deep and positive impression on us—whether it's the design style, the service, or the breakfast. The hotel's surrounding area also has great attractions within walking distance, like Borough Market and Tower Bridge. It is absolutely a hotel we'd want to return to on our next trip to London. We genuinely recommend it to everyone!

➡️ Check Official Website for Room Rates & Offers
➡️ Check Real-Time Room Rates & Offers on Agoda

📌 Recommended Reading: Tower Bridge, Borough Market

For more London attraction info, check out 👉🏻 【Ultimate London Travel Guide】36 Must-Visit Attractions ★ Includes Maps, Transport & Itineraries

🦊 London Travel Articles

★【London Guide】36 Curated Attractions + Transport + Itinerary Guide
★【The London Eye】360° Aerial View of London | See the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey All at Once
★【Tower Bridge】5 Attractions at Tower Bridge and Its Surroundings
★【Borough Market】London's Most Popular & Oldest Market! | Ultimate Borough Market DIY Guide
★【Westminster Abbey】Must-Read Guide for Visiting Westminster Abbey
★【London Hotel Review】Super Popular! Hilton London Bankside
★【Christmas in London】Christmas Day Itinerary Recommendations & Tips
★【London Christmas Lights】The Most Dreamy Lights on Earth! How to Best Enjoy Them
★【London Christmas Markets】Bursting with Festive Cheer! Hyde Park Winter Wonderland
★【London Christmas Guide】15 Must-Do Activities & Attractions to Celebrate Christmas in London

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