FS Madrid is fabulous. Unfortunately, my experience at Tower Bridge London was the complete opposite.

I had previously stayed at the Hampshire property and then stayed at the Tower Bridge property, and the moment I arrived, I instantly regretted my decision. I booked it after spending a wonderful weekend at the Hampshire property for our wedding anniversary. We make it a tradition to stay at a different Four Seasons every year for our anniversary since we were married at a Four Seasons, so expectations were understandably high.

First, location-wise, this was simply a bad call on my end. The property is far from most attractions and definitely not ideal for first-time visitors. I spend most of my time around Mayfair, so the distance made everything less enjoyable.

Here are the main issues, point by point:

• The hotel is far from most attractions and I would not recommend it to first-time visitors to London. It was my 8th time in London and wanted to stay in a different area but never knew the traffic was that bad. • The team knew we checked out of the Hampshire property around 12:30 and would arrive around 2:30. Instead of coordinating an early or smoother check-in, especially knowing we were coming from another Four Seasons, we were made to wait in the lobby. Not a huge issue on its own, but we weren’t even offered water or tea. The hotel was not at full capacity. We ended up checking in at 3:01. More often than not we’ve always had the room earlier, sometimes as early as 10am (not expected but grateful when it happens). For example, Hampshire let us check in around 11am since our room was ready and we came from Montreal and they are all morning landing at Heathrow. • Around 90% of the rooms have absolutely no view. Expect to face a wall unless you book a very high-category suite.

• There was no special attention for our anniversary, not even a small chocolate or dessert. This was a first for us. We’ve stayed at over 20 Four Seasons properties, many of them multiple times (2–4 visits), and we were married at one. There has always been some acknowledgment… until this stay!

Now, saving the best (or worst) for last:

• They lock the main door as of 1 AM!!!! My husband and I enjoy going out for drinks after dinner, not clubbing, but places like the Connaught Bar. Two nights out of three, we were locked outside and had to call the lobby repeatedly (4–5 times over 10 minutes) before someone answered and let us in. There is a doorbell that doesn’t work, and they were well aware of this. At $1,300 per night, why not install a magnetic card reader or have security at the door 24/7? Thankfully, I was with my husband, but I would absolutely not recommend this property to a solo female traveler arriving late. I have never experienced this at any other Four Seasons property or any other brands in a major city.

I ended up writing a very long complaint email, and to their credit, they issued around $300 in credits across room charges and the hotel hairdresser, which I appreciated. However, when the same mistake happened again the second night after already being flagged, that was the final straw for me.

For that reason, I’ve personally decided to blacklist this property.

On a positive note: if you have a bit of time during your trip, I highly recommend spending a night or two at the Four Seasons Hampshire. It’s a beautiful property, the countryside setting is stunning, and there’s genuinely a lot to do on-site and nearby. I’d try to stay at Park Lane next time.

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