While the doors of the UK hospitality industry remain closed for the coming weeks following the recent increase in restrictions, a handful of boutique hotels in some of London’s most exclusive addresses are continuing to welcome key workers and business travellers on essential trips to the capital.
St. James’s Hotel & Club, Mayfair
This elegant Victorian townhouse is tucked away on a quiet cul-de-sac in the heart of picturesque Mayfair, with direct access to Green Park for socially distanced strolls around Buckingham Palace. The rooms and suites at St. James’s Hotel & Club are stylishly sleek, with handmade silk wallpaper in soft neutrals, black lacquered furniture and handcrafted Murano glass chandeliers, as well as iPod and iPhone docking stations – and can all currently be booked using an Essential Business Traveller rate. Although the recently renovated Seven Park Place restaurant remains closed, Executive Head Chef William Drabble’s Michelin-starred dishes can still be enjoyed in-room, or by take-away via luxury delivery service Supper London.
Flemings Mayfair
Blending English charm with cosmopolitan style, Flemings Mayfair was originally a terrace of elegant Georgian townhouses which have been lovingly refurbished with sumptuous interiors. Guests booking the Business Traveller rate will be welcomed into a boutique retreat with a home-from-home feel, with soothing shades of bronze and soft grey contrasting with vibrant fabrics in teal and indigo – and vintage-style patterned and textured wallpapers. Ormer Mayfair’s seasonal fine dining menu by Michelin-awarded chef Shaun Rankin and Great British Menu 2020 participant Kerth Gumbs is still available for delivery between Tuesday-Saturday, in addition to room service for residents between 12pm-9pm every day.
The Capital Hotel, Apartments & Townhouse, Knightsbridge
Perfectly positioned on a quiet tree-lined street in the heart of Knightsbridge, The Capital Hotel, Apartments & Townhouse is a quintessentially British bolthole with bags of charm and character. While the main townhouse is currently closed, the ten spacious self-catering apartments are open to essential travellers looking for their own private London residence, with all the bells and whistles of a luxury hotel.