Music, Astronomy, Ornithology, Botany, and Geometry At The Ampersand Hotel London

Where: 10 Harrington Road, London, United Kingdom

August 30, 2012 at 2:48 PM | by JasonD | Comments (0)

When earlier this summer we recapped the London hotels that have opened since the start of this year and that are on our radar for the next few months, we had The Ampersand Hotel listed with an August 29 opening date. And lo and behold, not only did the hotel open yesterday, we had a chance to look around this South Kensington newcomer earlier this week.

Located on Harrington Road, seconds away from the South Kensington tube station, The Ampersand takes its inspiration from this swank area of London. Royal Albert Hall, the Chelsea Physic Garden, as well as the Natural History, Science and V&A Museums are all close by, and reflected in five main themes that run throughout the hotel and different room categories.

Rooms

Astronomy characterizes the Double rooms, which are a snug 11-15m2. Especially the smaller of the double rooms are probably not your best bet for more than a brief overnight stay unless you travel very light; you'll struggle to find floor space to have a suitcase lying open.

Superior rooms hit a musical note with their wallpaper, with Deluxe rooms adding a chaise at the foot of the bed and a comfortable chair along with their ornithological theme. Deluxe Studios are a spacious 28-32m2, the studio we saw had intricate painted flowers on the wall and a big freestanding bathtub in the bay window.

Finally, geometry is the word in the Suites, which offer a separate bedroom as well as a kitchenette, and are situated on the fourth and fifth floor of the hotel. All 111 rooms feature pops of color in the big headboards of the beds, the curtains, and the occasional pillow or lamp. Bathrooms have black and white subway tiles and toiletries by Miller Harris.

Public Spaces & Facilities

On the ground floor you will find the Drawing Rooms, which fuse the English drawing room with the French salon de th�, serving afternoon tea and sweet & savoury bites throughout the day. Mediterranean restaurant Apero is one floor down in the cellar arches, focusing on smaller dishes to share. We liked the cosy, brasserie-style vibe, with exposed brick and wooden floors. This is one London restaurant that shouldn't require a limitless credit card; offers include one dish and a glass of wine for �10 ($15).

In addition to Apero, the lower ground floor has a number of meeting spaces and a fitness room for hotel guests.

An independent hotel, The Ampersand is affiliated with Small Luxury Hotels of the World and White Line Hotels, which includes The Greenwhich Hotel in New York. A double room at The Ampersand can be had from �174 ($275) as a special opening offer, with a Deluxe Studio at �318 ($503). If you're willing to select an advance purchase rate, further discounts on the opening offers are available.

[Images: HotelChatter]

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