The Rubens at the Palace
5-star hotel · Westminster, London
Long Weekend score
Strong1 serious report in 256 reviews: a physical hazard
Guests rate nearly every hotel highly: half the hotels in London are rated 8.2 out of 10 or more. So our score shows how a hotel compares with the rest, not how luxurious it is.
- Rated higher than 86% of London hotels
- 86% of guest comments are praise
- 100% of guest photos show no damage
How this score is made
- Rated higher than 86% of London hotels. Compared with 5,640 hotels in London. Counts for 50% of the score.
- 86% of guest comments are praise. 549 praise, 92 complain. Counts for 30% of the score.
- 100% of guest photos show no damage. 60 of 60 photos. Counts for 20% of the score.
- Serious reports are never counted in. They are flagged beside the score, because one matters even when everything else is good.
- $306 a nighttypical for two, before tax · from $232
- 3 min walkto the nearest station
- 256 guest reviewsfrom the last 2 years
- 60 guest photostheirs, not the hotel's
At a glance
For
- 4 min walk to Buckingham Palace283 m by road
- A station within walking distanceA station is 258 m away
- Staff223 praise · 9 complain
- Location144 praise · 0 complain
- Food48 praise · 7 complain
Against
- On a main road: Buckingham Palace Road16 m from the building
- Room size23 complain · 15 praise
- Room condition19 complain · 2 praise
- Value12 complain · 7 praise
- Unexpected charges and refunds15 of 256 guests
What guests reported
What guests say
256 reviews from the last 2 years. Most praised: staff (223 guests). Weakest: room condition, where 19 of the 21 who mention it complain.
Location1440Strength
If you’re looking for a more “royal” experience and want to be close to the palace, this is definitely a great choice.
Google, September 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
Steps away from Buckingham palace.
Booking network, June 2026, rated 10/10 by this guest
Staff2239Strength
They were so fun to talk to and blew our expectations out of the water as far as service goes.
Google, August 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
The staff was so friendly and helpful.
Tripadvisor, September 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
The restaurant menu was very confusing and the waitress did very little to help us understand.
Booking network, April 2026, rated 7/10 by this guest
Beds182Strength
Room was spacious, very comfortable bed
Tripadvisor, September 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
Bed was luxuriously comfortable w lovely linens.
Tripadvisor, September 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
Uncomfortable bed and billows
Booking network, August 2026, rated 2/10 by this guest
Cleanliness375Strength
It’s absolutely beautiful and clean.
Booking network, September 2026, rated 10/10 by this guest
Rooms clean (loved the robes)
Tripadvisor, September 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
The curtains are dirty, there is no mini-fridge, the smallish TV hangs at an angle and the tub’s porcelain is peeling off - a big patch is missing!
Booking network, June 2026, rated 5/10 by this guest
Food487Strength
The staff was friendly and the restaurants were great.
Tripadvisor, October 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
We had an amazing meal at The curry room restaurant with family and friends.
Google, August 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
We ate in the Grill in the evening and had great expectations unfortunately these were not met as even after sending my main course back I still couldn’t eat it as not good at all and I didn’t think you could make linguine such a bad meal
Booking network, August 2026, rated 8/10 by this guest
Breakfast439Mostly good
Room are very clean, breakfast is amazing.
Google, April 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
The breakfast was superb and sizeable.
Google, May 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
Breakfast was not as good as it could have been and service was not perfect.
Booking network, May 2026, rated 9/10 by this guest
Quiet at night126Mostly good
Room was comfortable and quiet.
Tripadvisor, September 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
Inside is a vacation itself with kind, friendly, and helpful staff, wondering food and drinks, and peaceful well appointed rooms of various sizes.
Google, September 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
Some of the bedrooms are very small and facing into an enclosed courtyard with noisy air con unit and trellises right in front of the windows.
Booking network, May 2026, rated 8/10 by this guest
Room size1523Weak spot
However, the rooms are small, some facilities are old, and recent exterior construction affects the view.
Google, May 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
The room is small, and while I understand it's old and classic, I won't be returning.
Tripadvisor, September 2026, rated 2/5 by this guest
Queen rooms are small, but King rooms are spacious.
Tripadvisor, September 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
Value712Weak spot
Price was a little high for the value.
Booking network, August 2026, rated 8/10 by this guest
Don’t deserve the price tag.
Booking network, May 2026, rated 5/10 by this guest
I felt I was paying a lot for the location rather than luxury and this meant it was in my opinion, overpriced.
Booking network, June 2026, rated 9/10 by this guest
Room condition219Weak spot
It is a old building so you do have the minor issues that go along with a old property
Booking network, May 2026, rated 10/10 by this guest
Room was an older premier inn style and not representative of price.
Booking network, July 2026, rated 8/10 by this guest
Tiny room which requires the renovation
Booking network, August 2026, rated 8/10 by this guest
Too few mentions to judge: views.
Who stays, and their score out of 10
From every review of the last two years that gives a score and says who travelled, including those with no words.
All 2,418 Google ratings
Problems guests raised
Raised most: unexpected charges and refunds, in 15 of 256 reviews.
Unexpected charges and refunds15 of 2561 in 17 reviews
The automatic addition of gratuity to your bar bill and then again to the same bill when paying on departure, if I wish to tip please let me do so
Booking network, September 2026, rated 10/10 by this guest
Having to pay an extra £100 per night on top of the room cost as a security deposit.
Booking network, September 2026, rated 10/10 by this guest
Expensive food and drinks7 of 2561 in 37 reviews
I had to bring my own drinks up to my room when I ordered them downstairs and when I ordered water to the room (3 500ml bottles) it came to £26!
Booking network, September 2026, rated 8/10 by this guest
A booking not honoured3 of 2561 in 85 reviews
When we arrived in the room we found we had a twin instead of a double/king.
Booking network, July 2026, rated 10/10 by this guest
Complaints the hotel left unresolved3 of 2561 in 85 reviews
we argued with them and even talked to the manager but they would not give our money back…I would definitely advise NO ONE TO STAY THERE!!!!!!!
Tripadvisor, August 2026, rated 1/5 by this guest
Problems in the bathroom3 of 2561 in 85 reviews
Bathroom shower only had half glass wall panel, so when you showered, water everywhere on the floor.
Booking network, August 2026, rated 9/10 by this guest
Dodgy shower installation which meant you couldn't cool the water down properly.
Booking network, July 2026, rated 8/10 by this guest
Serious reports
1 in 256 reviews, most common first. Shown beside the score, never averaged into it.
A physical hazard1 of 256 reviews
Access to bathroom is by 2 steps-a problem for my partner’s wrecked knee.
Google, September 2026, rated 2/5 by this guest
These are guests' own accounts from their reviews. We have not verified them, and the hotel may dispute them. A report is counted only when the guest says it happened at the hotel and holds the hotel responsible.
Photos, checked
0 of the 60 guest photos we checked show damage or dirt (0%).
Guests’ photos confirm: restaurant (3), bar (4).
The hotel says it has no swimming pool, spa or hot tub.
Price, place and rooms
Price
$306 is a typical night, from 299 dates checked in the coming year.
Weekends cost 17% more than weekdays
A typical night, month by month
Cheapest month: Feb 2027, $232Dearest month: Jul 2027, $520
Prices on booking sites, the day we checked
What each seller advertised on the one day we checked, so these sit outside the year-wide figures above and can fall below the typical price.
- Super.com$325
- Vio.com$327
- deals.goseek.com$327
- deals.dealbase.com$327
- clicktrip.com$332
- trivago.deals$348
- amimir.com$354
- Booking.com$381
Lowest advertised nightly rate for two adults; taxes and local fees are not included. Shown in US dollars.
Nearby
The nearest station is 258 m away by road, about 3 minutes on foot. There are 8 bars or clubs within 200 metres.
- Nearest main road: Buckingham Palace Road16 m
- Nearest shop: Palace Store1 min walk49 m by road
- Nearest station3 min walk258 m by road
- Buckingham Palace4 min walk283 m by road
- Big Ben20 min walk1.5 km by road
- The British Museum3.1 km
- Tower Bridge5.5 km
The lines are 5, 10 and 15 minutes on foot.
Distances follow the streets, not straight lines.
Rooms
16 room types, from 7 to 55 m².
- Executive Single7 m²Sleeps 1
- Cozy Double11 m²Sleeps 1Bathtub
- Royal Mews View Classic Double12 m²Sleeps 2Landmark view
- Classic Double Room12 m²Sleeps 2Bathtub
- Royal Double Room13 m²Sleeps 2Bathtub
- Double Room (Royal Themed)13 m²Sleeps 2
The other 10 room types
- Superior Twin Room14 m²Sleeps 2
- Royal Themed King Room15 m²Sleeps 2
- Superior King Room16 m²Sleeps 2Bathtub
- Royal Mews View King Room17 m²Sleeps 2A view, going by the room's name
- Executive King Room22 m²Sleeps 3Bathtub
- Junior Suite23 m²Sleeps 31 Queen bed
- Executive King Suite24 m²Sleeps 4
- Family Suite33 m²Sleeps 41 super-king bed
- Master Suite55 m²Sleeps 41 super-king bedLandmark view
- Room (Product Api Enablement)Not statedSleeps 1Not stated
From the hotel's own room descriptions, checked against each room's photos.
How it compares
How it ranks
Guests who booked rate it 9.2 out of 10. 86% of the 5,640 hotels in London are rated lower, and a typical one is rated 8.2.
Every review site, out of 100
If room condition matters to you
Here, 19 of the 21 guests who mention room condition complain. These nearby hotels do better on it.
More hotels in London
The nearest first, with our score for each.
How we know
256 reviews counted · 100 photos checked · updated 10 October 2026
- We collected this hotel's 746 most recent reviews from Google, Tripadvisor and the Booking network. 256 of them describe a stay in the last 2 years and are the ones counted here; the rest were 160 older, 55 in other languages, 233 with a score but no words and 42 about the restaurant rather than a stay.
- The hotel replied to 169 of its 200 newest Google reviews.
- 28 in every 100 reviews thank a staff member by name.
- 18 reviews mention a free upgrade, a cake or a gift.
- We looked at 100 photos: the first 40 of the hotel's own and the 60 newest from guests.
- Every number on this page is counted, not estimated. Anything in quotation marks is a guest's own words.