W Leicester Square yet to impress the masses

W Leicester Square yet to impress the masses

W Leicester Square opened on Valentine’s Day to much fanfare and excitement.  The hotel has enjoyed a star-studded guest list including the likes of Kate Moss, Alexa Chung and Lilly Cole, but three months after opening, has the reality lived up to the hype?  TripAdvisor can exclusively reveal that the hotly anticipated hotel has so far received only a lukewarm reception from its guests to date.

At the time of writing, 80 guests had reviewed the hotel, with opinions split down the middle.  The hotel has been rated “excellent” or “very good” 39 times, which is two less than the number of times it’s been rated “average”, “terrible” or “poor”. W Leicester Square currently has an overall rating of 3.5 (out of five), notably lower than the average TripAdvisor hotel rating of four. 

For those who judged the hotel poor or terrible, noise levels appear to the most common traveller complaint.  One TripAdvisor traveller said, “W Leicester Square needs to decide whether it’s a nightclub or a hotel” while another said, “Since the W is keeping me up til 2am blasting club music, I may as well write this review”. 

Those who rated the hotel excellent or very good were thoroughly impressed by the hotel’s design and high levels of service.  One TripAdvisor traveller said, “The design is fantastic.  I really enjoyed the wonderful room,” while another commented on the hotel’s “outstanding service”.

“This year has seen and will continue to see much-hyped hotel openings with W Leicester Square being one of the most talked about,” commented Emma O’Boyle, TripAdvisor spokesperson.  “The grand opening meant expectations for the hotel were high, leaving it with a lot to live up to before the first guest so much as walked through the door. The public feedback shows, generally, that the hotel’s decor and style has impressed many travellers, but noise levels continue to be a big issue.”

To see W London reviews on TripAdvisor, go to http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g186338-d1718977-Reviews-W_London_Leicester_Square-London_England.html

Brits can't let go of work on holiday

Despite working some of the longest hours in Europe, many British workers are still failing to reward themselves with a work-free holiday. Survey results from TripAdvisor’s annual Summer Trends Survey reveal that over a third (39%) of Brits check their work emails while on holiday.

On the flipside, almost half (47%) of  Brits apply an exclusion zone around their work emails on holiday and refuse to check them at all. Yet the discouraging news is that this number has gone down substantially from 62% in 2010. 

The number of British holidaymakers checking their emails daily has also seen an increase, with 13% logging on every day of their holiday, compared to 10% in 2010.*

“Britons are clearly struggling to switch off from work on holiday,” commented Emma O’Boyle, TripAdvisor spokesperson.  “Perhaps this is indicative of job security fears, but there’s no doubt that Britons work hard for their holidays and everyone deserves some uninterrupted time off.”

“Ensure you plan and delegate properly before you leave. If you’re worried about missing something important, ask one team member to call or text you if something genuinely requires your urgent attention. That way you can enjoy your holiday and return to work feeling truly relaxed and recharged.”

Although many Brits can’t let go of work, the TripAdvisor study reveals that it’s French travellers who work the most on holiday. Only 39% of French respondents refuse to check emails on holiday, while 18% check daily.

*Survey carried out 5,512 European travellers, including 1,475 Brits, between 13^th and 18^th May 2011

TripAdvisor Reveals The World’s Best Destinations

London looking good in Olympic lead-up, but what’s your favourite destination?

It’s good news for London – the capital has been awarded the accolade of Britain’s best destination according to the 2011 TripAdvisor’s Travellers’ Choice Awards. The city additionally  placed well in the World and European categories – coming eighth and third respectively – but was nevertheless beaten by European rivals Paris and Rome. Can London raise its game in time for next year’s Olympics? Paris and Rome are both great destinations but the world’s eyes will be on London in 2012 so we certainly hope so.

Scotland also has cause for celebration – the country is home to six of the UK’s top 25 destinations, with three ranking in the top ten.  Edinburgh, Inverness and St. Andrews took 2^nd, 8^th and 9^th places respectively, while Glasgow was hot on their heels in 11^th, followed by Aberdeen and Oban in 20^th and 25^th places.

“These awards honour the world’s best destinations as decided by those judges that really matter - travellers themselves,” said Emma O’Boyle, TripAdvisor spokesperson. “Tourism is vital to the UK economy so it’s encouraging to see London and Edinburgh both highly recognised as Europe’s best destinations.”

How many of the top destinations have you been to? Do you agree with the results? To see the full list of winners, go to www.TripAdvisor.co.uk/TCDestinations

The UK’s top 25	Europe’s top 10	World’s top 10
1.    London 2.    Edinburgh 3.    Bath 4.    Cambridge 5.    Oxford 6.    Stratford-upon-Avon 7.    York 8.    Inverness 9.    St. Andrews 10. Liverpool 11. Glasgow 12. Brighton 13. Belfast 14. Canterbury 15. Manchester 16. St Ives 17. Cardiff 18. Windermere 19. Newcastle upon Tyne 20. Aberdeen 21. Windsor 22. Bournemouth 23. Salisbury 24. Chester 25. Oban	1.    Paris 2.    Rome 3.    London 4.    Barcelona 5.    Prague 6.    Venice 7.    St. Petersburg 8.    Florence 9.    Edinburgh 10. Istanbul	1.    Cape Town, South Africa 2.    Sydney, Australia 3.    Machu Picchu, Peru 4.    Paris, France 5.    Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 6.    New York City, USA 7.    Rome, Italy 8.    London, UK 9.    Barcelona, Spain 10. Hong Kong