Good and Bad Service in London

When you travel a significant amount of time you quickly notice good service and more importantly come to really appreciate it. I had never been to London so didn't know what to expect in terms of taxi, restaurant, or hotel service.

My first impression was not good. I arrived at Heathrow around 11 pm on a Tuesday night - there were very few people at the airport. After quickly clearing customs and immigration, I made my way to the taxi line to head to my hotel. I was surprised to see the taxi starter ASK the next driver in line if he'd take me to my destination. After agreeing, the driver did not get out the taxi and load my bag - no big deal I'm more than capable of doing it. It was a short drive to the hotel and to my surprise when we arrived he sat in the car and waited for me to exit and unload my bags. The whole time acting agitated that I was taking to long to get out of the car. Needless to say I did not feel real welcome in London. Later in the week I needed another ride from Heathrow to my hotel - this time it was late afternoon. I was dumbfounded when the taxi driver refused to drive me to the hotel and emphatically told me to take the bus. In all my travels I've never seen anything like this.

Luckily my experience at the Heathrow Raddison Edwardian hotel was exactly the opposite of the taxi experience. The staff there was fantastic. After getting to my room I received a phone call to see if the room was ok. Whenever I needed transportation or directions to restaurants, the bellmen were incredible. One bellman, John, provided some of the best service I've ever received at a hotel. On Friday night he spent 20-25 minutes mapping out a day trip for me to London. He also provided excellent restaurant recommendations in the area.

One of the restaurant recommendations was the Pheasant Restaurant and Lounge. The menu offered a wide variety of food. I ended up eating there 3 times over the week. The fish and chips were great and the fillet mignon was some of the best I've ever eaten. Best of all the service was excellent and the staff was very friendly.

My experience with the Raddison and the Pheasant made up for the less than stellar service received in other parts of London. If you are traveling to London be prepared for service an all parts of the spectrum.