Hotel reviews
checking in
hempel hotel, london
Décor and atmosphere: Whiter than a polar bear’s love nest. A gorgeous Georgian townhouse with façade straight from My Fair Lady hides a starkly modern interior. Designed and formerly owned by the ice queen of ’90s minimalism Anoushka Hempel, the hotel is all high white walls, sunken banquettes, outsize twig arrangements and tea-lights. The restaurant, lobby and bar are uninterrupted by anything as common as doors; impeccably black suited staff appear mysteriously like Alice-in-Wonderland characters from barely visible openings on the pale horizon.
Plus points: Guests have private access to a peaceful, Japanese-styled garden square just in front of the hotel, a rare haven in busy central London. A much bigger garden – Hyde Park – is just five minutes’ walk away. On our stay, breakfast was excellent and room service was punctual. Give the overpriced, mediocre Euro/Asian restaurant a miss at dinner, though. Instead, grab a cab for Notting Hill’s many restaurants or the new Café Anglais brasserie in Whiteley’s shopping centre.
Minus points: Form does not always go hand in hand with function, as we discovered when we tried to run a bath. The mammoth granite trough in our en-suite bathroom looked inviting enough but the tub refused to fill: the tap gushed directly onto a pivoting plug, which was loose, so spun round and emptied the bath as the water ran. Staff offered to move us but thwarted attempts at a romantic soak had made us tetchy, so we stayed put. A torrential shower and spacious wetroom almost made up for bubblebath disappointment, though not quite.
Earlier in the evening, another incident left a sour taste. The barman could barely contain his disgust when we asked if he sold cigarettes: “We don’t, thank goodness,” he hectored. “If you must smoke, try the cigarette machine in the basement, but it’ll cost you.” As it turned out, this was empty. Sterling’s hotel spy is well aware she’s no paragon of virtue, but doesn’t expect a lecture in a five-star hotel.
Tech talk: There is WiFi in public areas. Rooms have wide-screen TVs and many modem connections including one in the toilet. (If you need to download a big file, you could be locked in there for hours). Internet in any area of the hotel comes at a charge of £15 (approx. €19) for 24 hours.
Getting there: 10 minutes’ walk from Queensway underground or Paddington rail and underground station.
Cost: From around £169 (approx. €212) for a double deluxe.
The Hempel, 31-35 Craven Hill Gardens, London, W2, +44 (0)207 298 9000, www.the-hempel.co.uk
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