Clarion Hotel - St Albans

Hotel's own picture

Have you ever been to St Albans? Have you ever heard of St Albans?
The first time I visited St Albans earlier this summer, I was looking all over for all the good things I was told about this city…

For some reason, people are so taken with St Albans, but I do not see why. For me when you descend on a city, if the area around the high street, the train station which is the door to the city is not impressive. 9 times out of 10 the city will not be impressive.

The corridor

Just in case you are tired

I didn’t like the town much the first time I visited it, and I didn’t like it either when I revisited early autumn, but one thing, no two things will make me return... the hotel I stayed in and the Café Rouge I had dinner. I stayed at the Clarion Hotel right at the heart of St Albans.

 Wow! What a hotel. The whole hotel is very modern art-deco with a lot of brown tones and just a dash of reds and green striped on the rugs along the bedrooms corridors.


Bar area

Upon entering the hotel, to the right there is a very busily decorate bar and TV space where there are way too many chairs for my liking, but the beige of the various shaped chairs bounces of a lot of lights in this small space. This space must be bathed light whenever the sun rises on this city.


To the left of this small bar we find the hotel reception. Very very small reception area… A traveller with 2 large suite cases would block the circulation here and people using the lift might not be able to get pass while new arrival are still checking in with the great and chatty receptionist who was in shift when I checked in.

My room was on the 2^nd floor and I must have walked passed at least 3 fire doors before getting to my room. The corridor though a bit dark were darted with beautifully upholstered chairs and lightly colored large rugs… I didn’t like the room doors.


This was my room

Entering my room, I was greatly surprise by it spaciousness, didn’t like the twin beds, but was not troubled by it.
 I loved my room, the decors and all the black white picture framed in black frames. The same picture frames where in the bathroom. This room also had a fauteuil where I slumped myself and rose with my shoeless feet on the nearest single bed… Ahhh! Ihat is comfort!

My night at this hotel was the best in a long time and given how comfortable I felt, £79 a night was too low for the quality of the place. I do not like St Albans as a town, but will definitely visit again to stay at this hotel. What a place!

PS: the hotel doesn’t have its own restaurant but, the Café Rouge next door where I had dinner it a very good match… Café Rouge offers discount to hotel guests.

I’d mark the Clarion 4/5 as far as hotels go.

Do checkout their website and see better picture from the hotel at www.stalbanshotel.co.uk/

See you soon!

The Reviewer.