Located on the corner of Russell Square, it is an easy walk from the Piccadilly tube line.  Just recommend that you take “the lift up” from the tube. There are so many steps.

The Imperial is located next to a casino and the entrance to the hotel facing the casino and sharing a small roundabout. The foyer area is huge and the staff friendly. There is even a bellhop if you need one.

We were given an upgraded “larger” room away from the main road.

There was a couch and the bathroom was large. We did notice “small” rooms, and they were small. I don’t think we would have liked those rooms.

We found out soon enough the room did not have AC. The windows did open, partially. There was little breeze and in the daytime we felt it was stuffy. A fan could be had from house-keeping for a ten pound deposit.

The elevators were fast, but the doors took an extraordinary amount of time to open. The hallways seemed dated like the foyer area.

We found the breakfasts to be ample. The scrambled eggs, though, were very thin in consistency and the sausages weak tasting. I did enjoy the fried potatoes. My wife did like her hardboiled eggs. Tea was served by a friendly staff member.

If you pre-book, the monies are taken immediately. I am not a fan of this process. A “free” dinner is offered to one of five different restaurants on the first night. Unfortunately, we picked a restaurant that was more like a diner.

Ice could always be gotten from the friendly bar. We did notice that there were no tissues offered in the room. For us, those little things make a quality stay. Compounded with a very firm bed, our sleeps were poor.

We did go to a member hotel for an early breakfast, the Royal National, but that was filled with plenty of tour groups. There are a number of hotels owned by the Imperial brand. We just wish they would concentrate on making the historical Imperial Hotel better.