PRESENT PERFECT

The Kensington Hotel London offers a stylish townhouse experience that melds the best of then and now. Glen watson finds himself settling in comfortably

ON A RECENT visit to Britain as the guest of a luxury car brand, the schedule includes a couple of nights in London. The itinerary reads something like: “Two days/nights enjoying London before Hong Kong flight, details to follow.” This makes me feel curious, mixed with a bit of a helpless feeling that only seems to come when travelling. Where will I end up? What hell-hole will they stick me in, or in which palace will I be pampered?

I’ve enjoyed stays in many London properties, yet so rapidly has the city’s complement of hotels swelled in recent years that there are hundreds more that I’ve never had the fortune to experience. So I’m always up for a few nights somewhere new. When I find out that I’m staying in The Kensington Hotel London, on Queen’s Gate in the SW7 area, I do cartwheels. OK, not literally, but I am excited. I probably spend more time in the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea than any other part of London. The museums, Hyde Park, King’s Road, Knightsbridge…to be in the thick of it is ideal.

Part of The Doyle Collection, and a member of Mr & Mrs Smith luxury-hotel grouping, The Kensington Hotel is so much more than 149 rooms in a Regency-style townhouse. Following a multi-million-pound refurbishment, the boutique hotel provides a level of refinement, style and elegance that some believe is now a part of our past, not present. Fortunately, the hotel’s Wi-Fi signal is excellent so I know we’re in the present – as my vibrating Blackberry constantly tries to remind me.

Entering my room, I’m thrilled immediately by a huge and welcoming bed that’s surrounded by an eclectic mix of furniture. I skip the bed and settle in to a very comfortable high-back armchair. Each of the rooms and 20 suites features unique furniture designed by George Smith and Julian Chichester. I feel at home, if not exactly in the present. Then I spot a huge French door.

I grab both brass handles and swing it open to reveal a massive bathroom. It’s nearly the size of the bedroom, with a gigantic bathtub set upon four golden claws. Immediately, I let the water run for a hot bath.

After what seems like a lifetime passes, it’s time to dress for cocktails in the hotel’s lobby lounge area and the adjacent Aubrey Bar. I’m told the bar’s large brass doors are from Dublin’s post office, site of the 1916 Easter Rising, and there are bullet holes in them (from 1916, not the present, I assume). I do notice that some of the guests enjoying cocktails on the sofas and upholstered chairs seem to have security details complete with earpieces. I don’t recognise the guests. On the security people I look for holsters, but don’t see any. It’s still England, after all.

Apparently, some of the “it” crowd of heirs, heiresses, celebrities and even royalty like to have drinks here before going off to party the night away in nearby clubs. It’s no wonder. It feels like a palace, or the drawing room of the home of a very wealthy London socialite. I go out with some London friends for dinner. The night flies by and although the Aubrey Bar closes at midnight, when I return to the hotel in the early morning there are still a few people enjoying a quiet drink in the lounge area. I’m pining for the huge bed that waits in my room.

Each room and suite in The Kensington Hotel is different by design. Particular recommendations come from the Mr & Mrs Smith website: “We love Asian-inspired Studio Suite 115, mainly for its uplifting yellow, purple and blue colour scheme. It comes with gold coloured hardwood floors, light-flooding windows and an enormous bathroom with double sinks and a TV built into the end of the bath. We also like the huge Corner Suite 123, with its green velvet chairs and access to a terrace, and high-ceilinged Standard Room 121, which comes with bold red flower-patterned curtains and matching satin pillows.”

Breakfast the next morning in the Aubrey Restaurant is excellent, thanks in large part to the decor and the great coffee served in a double-wall, stainless-steel plunger. (You could also opt for an early-morning walk and try some of the many coffee shops in the immediate area, especially towards South Kensington tube station.)

The Christie’s South Kensington auction showroom is just around the corner on Old Brompton Road. It’s a great place to visit, as a browser or buyer, and is open seven days a week. There’s also a free valuation service, in case you want to have an item of jewellery appraised.

I’m excited after a great night’s sleep in a lovely hotel in South Kensington. There’s the whole city of London to explore, but I have a feeling I won’t be straying too far from here.

doylecollection.com
mrandmrssmith.com