Review: Hilton Newcastle Gateshead - Executive Room & Lounge

The Hilton Newcastle Gateshead occupies an enviable spot on the southern bank of the River Tyne, overlooking the distinctive Tyne bridge that connects Gateshead with the city centre. With its prominent position, the 254-room hotel is easy to spot from the riverside and even on the trains approaching Newcastle upon Tyne station.

The Hilton Newcastle Gateshead overlooking the Tyne river and bridge

In terms of location and scenery, the hotel is a good choice for its riverside position and views. Its restaurant Windows by the Tyne, bar and the Executive Lounge also offer impressive views of the Tyne. The on-site health club and pool are in the basement without any views, so the restaurant and lounge are the places to be at.

Location

The Hilton Newcastle is situated south of the river and nestled between three bridges — the High Level bridge, Swing bridge, and Tyne bridge. Guests arriving at Newcastle station (served by several operators including LNER, Northern, TransPennine and CrossCountry) must cross the river to reach the hotel, which is about 15 minutes away by foot. The nearest metro station from the hotel is Gateshead which is a 10-minute walk. There is also easy access to the A1 motorway.

Hotel exterior with the High Level bridge and Swing bridge visible

Another look at the hotel exterior

There is a large drop-off area available to cater to guests of the hotel, restaurant and meeting facilities.

A large drop-off area

Revolving doors (not in use)

Check In

Upon entering the hotel entrance, guests will find an expansive reception area with a large fountain at its centre. At certain angles, the fountain makes very pretty reflections of the iconic Tyne bridge. 

A large fountain in the reception area

Pretty reflections

There are four reception desks and a separate concierge at the corner. The hotel has the Hilton digital key functionality available, allowing guests to skip the counter for check in and out.

Reception desks

Upon enquiring about late checkout, I was informed it can only be requested on the morning of departure. On the morning itself, the latest check out time grant to me was 1pm as a Hilton Honors Diamond member, which was disappointing considering that the hotel website was still selling rooms of same type that I occupied. I really did receive a knock on my door at exactly 1pm that day, with a hotel staff cordially inviting me to vacate the room.

A spacious lobby

The hotel restaurant is further down

Three elevators serve the hotel's 254 rooms.

Elevator lobby

Room: Double Executive Room

The Hilton Newcastle has the following room types for booking:

• Double Guest Room
• Double Room with Double Sofa Bed
• Double Deluxe Room with River View
• Double Double Bedded Room
• Double Double Bedded Room with View
• Double Executive Room
• Double Executive Accessible Room
• Double Executive Room with Balcony
• Twin Executive Room
• King Executive Room Plus
• King Executive Bedroom Suite

The executive floor is on level 5, which is also where the executive lounge is situated. Rooms on the north side of the hotel feature river views (better on higher floors). By booking the entry level room, I was allocated a Double Executive room on the top floor featuring great views of the river and Newcastle city centre.

Double Executive Room

Great views of the High Level bridge

The room is a little dated, as the above pictures reveal. Curtains are single layer which is below standard for the brand. The working chair was less than flattering and would certainly benefit from an update.

An old working chair

The room came with a bathroom, which was very slippery. With the handle bar not particularly tight, I found it potentially hazardous and had to take extra care when using it. The water pressure, however, was surprisingly good.

Bathroom

Crabtree & Evelyn shower amenities

Executive Lounge

Hilton Honors Diamond, as well as guests staying in executive rooms, are able to access the Executive Lounge on level 5. Gold members are only eligible to access the lounge if staying in (or upgraded to) an executive room.

While the lounge is not large, it does offer great views of the Tyne bridge, and the seats are deliberately oriented to allow guests to soak in the scenery. The lounge has two floors, with the food and drink counter on the lower floor, and slightly more seats on the upper floor.

The lounge is open daily from 7am to 9pm for coffee and soft drinks. Note that breakfast is not served at the lounge but at the main restaurant on the ground floor. Cream tea is offered at the lounge on Fridays and Saturdays between 2pm and 4pm. Evening drinks and snacks are available between 6pm and 8pm (Sundays to Thursdays) and between 5pm and 7pm (Fridays, Saturdays and Bank Holidays).

The Executive Lounge at Hilton Newcastle Gateshead

The two hours of evening drinks were appreciated even though it is not "evening cocktail" because no spirits were available; alcoholic choices include sparkling, white and red wines, as well as bottled beer. Light snacks were available but really not the most generous of hotels.

Outside of evening drinks, the snack choices are really just whole fruit and Biscoff, which leaves a little more to be desired.

Evening drinks

Breakfast

The morning meal takes place at the hotel restaurant on the ground floor. Breakfast timing at the hotel are from 6.30am to 10am on weekdays, and from 7am to 11am on weekdays and holidays.

There was a queue when I visited around 10am on a weekend, and it took a 10-minute wait to be seated. It was around Mother's Day so there were some additional decorations set up.

Breakfast at the restaurant

There were plenty of sausages and hashbrowns to go around even as the closing time was near. Made-to-order eggs are available and can be requested to waiting staff who will serve it to your table. Overall, the variety is average for the brand and quality is acceptable.

Hot buffet selection

Cold breakfast dishes

Breakfast table

Fitness Centre

The third-party LivingWell Health Club is located at the basement and open 24 hours (guests can visit the hotel reception for access outside of normal opening hours).

LivingWell Health Club at Hilton Newcastle Gateshead

Meetings and Events

With 13 flexible spaces across the ground floor and basement, the hotel is suited for corporate events, conferences and weddings. Adjacent to the hotel lobby is a dedicated entrance, foyer and private function bar. The Gateshead Suite is the largest hall and has capacity for up to 600 delegates.

Events foyer

Function bar

Overall Impression

The best part of the hotel is probably the scenic views of the Tyne, with approximately half of all rooms having some view of the river. The Executive Lounge has large glass windows and is also a nice place to take in the river view, although not much food is available really. Unfortunately, there is not much loyalty recognition to go around at this hotel. Another downside is that the rooms are showing their age; they can clearly benefit from some modern touches, hopefully in the not too distant future. 

Hilton Newcastle Gateshead

Bottle Bank, Gateshead NE8 2AR, UK