Dayuse at St Pancras Renaissance Hotel

Recently I was approached by Dayuse for a London campaign to show how much fun it is to take a hotel room for the day. This new brilliant booking platform allows you to pick your dayuse hotel on their app.

It is as the name says – day use at a hotel, and they are the leading ‘daycation’ hotel booking platform. Quick and easy to use, the rooms are offered at a large discount to the overnight rate (up to 70% off ), with over 10 cities in the UK to choose from. A great excuse for a city staycation.

Why would you use Dayuse?

What is your idea of a staycation? For me, loving London as I do, it was the perfect way to see and experience a new part of London with the bonus of having a great base to go back to, along with a bit of spa time.

It could be a birthday treat to hang out in a different part of town to where you live or maybe you run a small business and need a day in London as a base. Alternatively, you might live out of town, have a party to go to and want somewhere to change and get ready – taking full advantage of all the hotel facilities. The list is endless and so I accepted the offer to try it out.

Dayuse in London

With over 55 hotels to choose from, I chose St Pancras Renaissance Hotel. Why you ask? Well, it’s an iconic landmark hotel (more on this later) and it’s location next to the mainline stations appealed. The new Coal Drops Yard is on its doorstep, there is great shopping, so many restaurants, a few museums and a spa!

St Pancras Renaissance Hotel | a little history

Formally named the Midland Hotel, this historic Gilbert Scott building was saved from demolition by Sir John Betjeman who secured a petition against it. Indeed in 1967 it is was given a Grade 1 listing. It also happens to have the most Instagram-worthy staircase in London. Find more facts here

Now run by the Manhattan Loft Corporation, it has 245 rooms with 38 suites, 6 of which are signature suites, all with en-suite bathrooms. It has the longest bar in London, at 29 metres, in the Booking Office restaurant.

The spa is located in the original kitchen… not bad for an old kitchen is it – just look at the tiling and alcoves! The pool was perfect.

Talking of kitchens, the fabulous Marcus Wareing is now firmly established in the Gilbert Scott restaurant to the left of the hotel.

St Pancras Rennaissance Hotel | checking into our room

My check in and out hours were from 10am-6pm. I had a delicious coffee before going up to view my base for the day. The room was light, extremely comfortable, with a huge television should I wish to spend the whole day there watching movies. The bathroom was also a good size.

However, the sun was peeping out and I decided to head out to explore the local area.

Dayuse | Exploring the area

Here on the doorstep, culturally, there is the British Library, the Wellcome Collection, the Aga Khan Centre (housing the largest islamic library in the UK). There’s also very luxurious Everyman cinema for movie lovers. I headed over to Kings Cross for lunch with Joanna at The Lighthouse, a pretty outdoor space alongside the canal, for a glass of rose and a salad. We were on a daycation after all!

We then strolled over to Coal Drops Yard for some shopping research on our website shop. This new development houses a mixture of independent artisans, shops, restaurants, bars and cafes. It is a fabulous space, made all the better with good weather.

St Pancras Rennaissance Hotel| Spa time

Very often hotel spas are quiet, and will offer guests deals on the day. This is what I experienced – a gorgeous facial with a 20% discount. With plenty of time before my appointment, I headed down to the pool and steam room to relax and clear my head of thoughts.

With not a soul in sight, I was so happy about the peace and quiet. I then headed for my lovely hydrating aromatherapy facial where I promptly fell asleep. I then snuck back upstairs, and put myself to bed for an hour before the hubby collected me for supper.

Verdict | Dayuse

The day use idea really delivered. If you have followed me for a while, you know I go to France quite often to visit my mother. She lives in Normandy, and we often meet in Paris. This is the exactly the sort of app I’ve been looking for. How nice it is to have somewhere to base yourself in another city. So yes, I did this in London, but it is indeed the ideal formula for a perfect city daycation.

I was invited by Dayuse as their guest to spend the day at the St Pancras 
Renaissance Hotel.

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