Q: What is it? A: It’s a hotel. A bit traditional (read; old-fashioned) yet carefully renovated and not too expensive, in the southwest corner of London. And a fine hotel, I should add.
Please, don’t get misled by the proportions. The room is waaay bigger than it looks in the photo above. Look again – that’s a very queen-sized bed in the middle!
Plus: Large bathroom. Minus: Warm? Cold? Something in between? It took quite some experimenting, a few trials plus a few errors. The mixer is too complicated, if you ask me.
Every UK hotel should have this: A way for Scandinavians and everyone else isolated in continental Europe to avoid silly adapters – an easy-to-find socket with Euro-plugs.
Nice area. Nice lobby area where you’ll work, have yourself a cup of coffee or a light lunch. The Caesar salad may not be too memorable but the staff is attentive and nice.
A tiny bit of Kensington Hotel exterior for your viewing pleasure. Meticulously renovated. So is it Gregorian or Victorian style? Ho-hum, I will have to get back to you on that one…
This hotel may be the answer…
People ask me about hotels. That is all cool. That was actually the reason why Guidebook.se was started in the first place. But one question is being asked more often than others: ”Can you recommend a good hotel in London?” Though one, yes. Often with the follow-up: ”…a hotel that isn’t dirt expensive?” Honestly, I’ve not always been able to come up with a proper answer. That, however, may be about to change. Please, do read on.
Quite the combination:
I immediately liked the place. For doing so I had plenty of reasons: The doormen were of the chattier kind. Front desk was nothing but smiles. Check-in was swift and hassle free. I got myself an upgrade. The lobby was a pleasant place for hanging out. The entire place felt vibrant, although it wasn’t crowded. There are 149 rooms of which 22 are suites. Speaking of rooms; mine was nice. Not overly glitzy or modern. Just nice. It was also clean as a whistle although it came with a few visible dents. Look at the photo above! When you get to grips with the image’s proportions, you will realize why I gladly call it spacious.
Is there a catch?
Yes, there is one. This corner of Kensington is not Piccadilly Circus. In other words; if ‘central’ is a must, stay elsewhere. But keep in mind that good/clean in combination with low price and central location is not a combo that you will find just like that. If I had to give one of those up, I’d ditch the ‘central location’ criteria any day. Plus; what’s central London anyway? By now, I’ve been in the city many times (well over 30) and I may have passed the place with the many illuminated signs maybe three times. Mind you, that the Kensington Hotel is located some 321.87 meters from the South Kensington tube station,
Did you hear that? You’re not exactly in the burbs. In fact, you’re only 4 tube stops away from the little statue of Anteros (I was about to joke about this little Greek god with ”long hair and plumed butterfly wings” but the stuff I read on Wikipedia was so twisted that I decided not to).
The Kensington Hotel
109-113 Queen’s Gate
London SW75LR
United Kingdom
+44-207-589-6300
Click here to book The Kensington Hotel through TabletHotels.com!
Closest tube station: South Kensington – walking distance 321 meters (0.2 miles).