HOTELS
A trifecta of hotels in London, separate but connected
There’s something about the Doyle Collection, spread across three hip neighborhoods of London. Entirely different properties intertwined. It could be their Irish family owners felt throughout all three hotels. It could be the bespoke wallpaper.
The Doyle brand originated in Dublin. After selling off the South County Hotel in the 1960’s — P.V. Doyle needed to fund the more upmarket Montrose Hotel at the time — to rebrand into the luxury realm. The Doyle Collection is now a handful of hotel properties, with The Westbury, and The Croke Park Hotel in Dublin, The River Lee Hotel in Cork, The Bristol Hotel in, you guessed it, Bristol, UK, and The Dupont Circle Hotel in Washington DC. Now they’ve entered the London hotel scene with The Kensington, The Bloomsbury, and The Marylebone Hotel, and stylishly too.
The London hotels are currently offering exclusive collaborations: A stay at the Bloomsbury Hotel and a guaranteed seat to the West End musical The Devil Wears Prada starring Vanessa Williams. A stay at the Kensington Hotel and guaranteed entry to the Schiaparelli exhibit at The Victoria and Albert Museum, (even if sold out, which it usually is), or a stay at the Marylebone Hotel with their wellness package, Suite Health partnered with Rebase Recovery.
Excited? You should be. I tried all three.
The Kensington Hotel
Perfectly situated on the corner of Queen’s Gate and the Old Brompton Road in the heart of South Kensington. The Kensington Hotel is within walking distance to the Natural History Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Science Museum, Knightsbridge, and, ahem, Harrods. It’s on a quiet street, but just around the corner from the hotel there is a Waitrose, a well-stocked pharmacy, a juice bar, and artisan boutiques of all kinds.
Immediately upon arrival you are most likely met by Mario, a light beam in his mix of headwear depending on the time of day, a top hat, or a bowler, as he opens the large doors of the pillared entrance for you. The Kensington Hotel is made up of four Regency townhouses, circa early 1800’s, now conjoined as a magnificent luxury boutique hotel. The staff are warm and welcoming, the ambience relaxed.
Through an elegant drawing room, an elevator takes you up to your floor with the original long narrow hallways with their higgledy-piggledy floors. This adds to the hotel’s uniqueness. The room interiors were designed in collaboration with London design studio Timothy Mather, with Italian marble bathrooms.
The Kensington Hotel has 116 guest rooms and 30 suites, each room is unique, and delightful. There are special touches, such as your initials monogrammed on your pillowcase, a fresh fruit bowl in the room and a well-stocked mini bar. Room service is 24 hours.
Downstairs, high ceilings, open fires, and elegant drawing rooms invite you in and thoughtful art covers the walls and surfaces throughout. The hotel has the Town House restaurant. The intimate wood paneled K bar is known for its cocktails, dimly lit, with a vibey ambience at night where guests and locals go alike. They serve delicious bar appetizers and have an extensive menu of fine wines and champagnes, and for this period have Schiaparelli inspired cocktails. How about the Faux Gelato, made with Tequila, Mezcal, Cocchi Americano, apricot, and lime with a pistachio foam…. That’s what I’m talking about! Do not drink one of these before you go to the museum. Just saying.
Currently The Kensington is running a collaboration with the V & A Museum, offering a luxurious hotel stay and tickets to their newest exhibit “Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art.” Celebrating the 100th anniversary of the House of Schiaparelli. Elsa Schiaparelli was a pioneer of wearable art, collaborating with surrealists like Salvador Dali to create avant-garde pieces like the Lobster Dress. She broke boundaries by blending high fashion with wit and intellectualism, introducing pants as streetwear on women, in the form of culottes in the 1930’s. She was the first designer to feature visible zippers as a decorative element and to use a human silhouette as a perfume bottle, and she introduced music, lighting, and a runway theme to fashion shows.
In 1932 she opened her London boutique. Over 400 pieces feature in the exhibition. The offer is available until 31st December 2026, and includes overnight accommodation, a full English breakfast, two tickets to the exhibition and an afternoon tea in the Drawing Room. From £515 per night.
The hotel has a 24-hour fitness suite, concierge and business services, luxury car service, dry cleaning and currency exchange. The hotel is also pet friendly.
109-113 Queens Gate, South Kensington, London SW7 5LP
The Marylebone Hotel
A completely different vibe awaits at the Marylebone Hotel, a five-star boutique hotel in a spectacular location in the heart of Marylebone village, surrounded by artisan stores, and moments from Oxford Street, the exclusive boutiques of Bond Street, Mayfair, and, interestingly, the upscale medical hub of Harley Street.
Opening into an art deco lobby and venturing further within, you’re met with cozy drawing rooms decorated in rich colors, velvet, and open fires, an unexpected labyrinth of hallways leading to interesting nooks and crannies, and The Cocktail Bar, and the 108 Brasserie, a wonderful place to stop and have lunch.
The Marylebone has roof top terrace suites with open fires and views over the London rooftops. Their vibe is Scandinavian inspired.
You can sit outside the 108 Brasserie on the old, cobbled Marylebone Lane, a la Paris, and watch the world go by.
For the Marylebone Hotel special offer they’re going full on health and wellness with performance recovery studio Rebase located just a minute’s walk from the hotel. Rebase has yoga, saunas, ice baths, vitamin infusions, lymph drainage, oxygen therapy, and if you can take it, cryotherapy.
Their Suite Health wellness package includes overnight accommodation in a beautifully appointed suite for two guests with A La Carte breakfast, complimentary access to the Third Space wellness club and indoor swimming pool, followed by a 45-min Rebase Infrared Sauna Suite session, inclusive of ice baths, a 60-min Rebase deep tissue massage, or alternative treatment, and a bespoke recovery kit including fresh juices.
Available until September 1st, 2026, from £1115 and subject to availability.
47 Welbeck Street, London W1G 8DN
The Bloomsbury Hotel
Located in the literary heartland of London, in the theater district, close to Covent Garden, Soho and Oxford Street. This restored Luyten’s neo-Georgian building used to be a Young Women’s Christian Association, where Queen Mary laid the first brick as the foundation stone in 1929. The building was originally modeled on her doll’s house. It was redesigned in 2017 through a multi-million-pound investment program and in collaboration with Martin Brudnizki Design Studio.
Initially striking about the Bloomsbury is its secluded entrance, down a walkway, unassuming, like a secret. Inside is another world, passing initially by the Dalloway Terrace, inspired by the spirit of Virginia Woolf’s character Mrs. Dalloway — the book takes place in the surrounding streets and parks.
The Terrace hangs with greenery and florals to create a space that mirrors a high-society London vibe where diners can enjoy a cozy brunch, lunch, or dinner. It’s open until 11.30pm, seven days a week. Last orders by 10pm. They have a popular afternoon tea. Bookings are strongly advised.
The rooms are grand and stately, adorned with rich color.
The Coral Room is a high ceilinged, rich red and gold art deco bar designed by Martin Brudnizki, with white bauble chandeliers, a plethora of colored alcohol choices, a cocktail list entitled the Voyage of Crosbie featuring cocktails from global destinations and with literary themes. A Beyond the Pale – a unique Irish Whisky cocktail featuring dandelion coffee and mint chocolate cream. Or a Red Albion, a gin-based signature drink with hedgerow and rose shrub, Campari and raspberry.
The Bloomsbury Club Bar located underneath the hotel, is known for its mystical mixology with Egyptian themed cocktails and jazz inspired atmosphere, and a hidden whisky bar like a 1920’s speakeasy.
The hotel is currently offering a bespoke experience with the Dominion Theater, (extra wonderful as the main theater entrance is just around the corner), to the Devil Wears Prada West End show. Tony Award nominee Vanessa Williams plays the role of Miranda Priestley, with music by Elton John. It’s a wonderful experience.
The Devil Wears Prada hotel offer includes a luxuriously appointed room, a la carte breakfast each morning, pre-theater dinner at the Dalloway Terrace, two tickets to The Devil Wears Prada with premium seats, and a program signed by the cast. This is available until 6th February 2027, and based on maximum two adults per room. Tickets are subject to availability, so book as soon as possible. You will not be sorry.
Bloomsbury Photo provided by Wonderlust
The hotel has 24 hr room service, a fitness center, bar, and a restaurant, and is wheelchair accessible. They offer luxury car transfers, excellent concierge services, all day dining terrace, private dining rooms, dry cleaning, and currency exchange. The hotel also has a couple of awards for their commitment to sustainability practices.
Rates for this offer are from £475.
The hotel also offers alternative experience packages.
16-22 Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3NN
