I have just returned from a short visit at the olympia hilton. i was concerned of its distance from the "center", We only used the convenient bus instead of the further away tube. the bus stop is literally across the street and are very frequent. great location for shopping, notting hill, kensington palace and orangery. it is so easy as there are two or three lines that will take you inevitably near where you want to go. The room was nice, not huge, and the bathroom was typically hilton with evelyn crabtree amenities. Tea, coffee and butter cookies in room daily. we did not use any of the services of the hotel but since i am a hilton honors member i was given a free paper everyday and also bottles of mineral water. sign up free at www.hilton.com very friendly, helpful staff. You can buy the travel card across the street at newspaper shop. also, about 1.5 blocks down there are two persian? delicatessans that have a lot of interesting fresh fruit, etc. they had pommegranates already peeled in paper cups to take away. there is a restaurant across the street called "the hare and the tortoise". we didn't try it but it filled up quickly with locals. There is not much to do in the evening in this area after hours. The hotel bar was spacious but modern and minimalist and it had flat screen t.v.s around. i have no complaints but if you are going to be in west end or riverside all the time, this will take you 20 minutes more on the bus, but it is a pleasant twenty minutes past many monuments, and a safe, quiet area.