St. James's Hotel And Club Mayfair, The Granville

As a professional travel writer, I visit 5-star hotels in London every year to do a write-up and create recommendations for travel clients. I'd booked a 5-night stay at Althoff London St James Hotel and Club for December. I always assess hotels I will be reviewing partly on their communication and professionalism prior to the visit. Sadly, there was none from the staff here. I emailed the concierge, dining team, and reception and heard nothing back from any of them. I then chased with reception and received a response stating that she needed to check some things and would get back to me. That was several days ago and I've heard nothing back since despite chasing for a response. This lack of communication raised red flags with regard to what the service was likely to consist of during my stay. As a result, I cancelled my stay and booked with another 5-star hotel, where I received responses or at least acknowledgements of my questions within an hour (what 5-star service is supposed to be like). So, although I cannot comment on the service at the hotel, the customer service prior to staying did not instil confidence, hence deciding to cancel. They seem to spend a lot of time touting for business on social media to get bookings but no time at all responding to people who have gone ahead and made bookings.