We had a wonderful stay in London, thanks in part to our lovely hotel. The Pelham Hotel, owned by the Firmdale Group, is a haven of tranquility and convenience in South Kensington. Directly across from the tube and down the road from the Victoria and Albert, you cannot argue with the location. However, it is the hotel interior and attention to details that is the clear winner.Firmdale Hotels' owners Tim and Kit Kemp believe that "hotels should be living things, not stuffy institutions" and certainly this philosophy is evident at every turn. Kit Kemp has designed all of the interiors in a fresh contemporary English style. Her mixture of color and texture, modern and antique together with an impressive art collection, has combined to create a unique look and style.
Firmdale Hotels won the Queen's Award for International Trade in 2000 and 2006. In 2007 the Haymarket Hotel was awarded the Crown Estate's prestigious Urban Business Award. Firmdale's next project is the Crosby Street Hotel due to open in New York's SoHo in late 2008.
Certainly, in my opinion, The Pelham Hotel ticked all the right boxes—heated towel racks, Miller Harris bath products, Frette bed linen, Tivoli radio, flat screen LCD TV, complimentary morning papers. However, I do have one small complaint. While our room had WiFi, there was a charge of .30p per minute with a maximum charge of £20 per day. Is it just me or in this day in age, especially at a luxury hotel, don’t you think internet access should be complimentary? I still highly recommend The Pelham Hotel, but would welcome your thoughts on the subject.
Details:
15 Cromwell Place
London, SW7 2LA, UK
T: +44 20 7589 8288
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14 comments:
I absolutely agree with you!
Beautiful hotel! I've read about the Firmdale Hotels for some time now. I have to say that I agree.
Beautiful hotel! I've read about the Firmdale Hotels for some time now. I have to say that I agree.
Gorgeous. I love the sitting room, so British.
It always STUNS me when expensive places have the nerve to charge for Internet services...
I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoy your blog (I've been lurking for sometime) and in particular these last two London posts. My parents used to live in South Ken on Pelham Crescent. My mom came back to the states before I was born- I've never fully forgiven her for ruining my chance at dual citizenship! At any rate, I haven't been in London since '06 so it's been lovely to look at your photos of places with which I'm familiar. Thanks! :)
Highway robbery!
Thank you for the comment Libby! It's such a beautiful area!! We had the best time. I can't wait to go back and do it all over again.
Thanks for this post, Ronda! I have long admired Kit and Tim Kemp's approach to the hotel business and how they infuse each property with their own distinct brand of savoir-faire. It's been a while since I've been back to London, but this looks like a perfect place to stay.
I saw your review of the Pelham on Extravigator.com and I agree with what has been voiced by other readers.
Absolutely without question it should be complimentary. There's no reason at all why the cost to maintain the network can't be folded into the cost of the room.
Have to agree with you. Charging for internet just seems like a slap in the face these days when so many places offer it for free. Beautiful pictures.
A small price to pay. Thanks for the tip on the hotel - am always looking for new places to stay.
Best,
The hotel looks gorgeous! I'll have to add it to my file!
XX
Anna
That's an interesting double (triple?) chair in the second picture, but seems so impractical. I wouldn't want to set me head back up against someone elses...and it would be terribly uncomfortable.
I do, however, love the headboard in the bedroom with that great print...and it even matches the drapes and still works without being too matchy matchy. Love it.
I truly admire The Pelham. I was there years ago. The interior decor has been made quite contemporary. All of the Firmdale hotels are the perfect mix of traditional and contemporary. The reception area at The Pelham was surrounded by tufted upholstery and needlepoint wall hangings. It felt like we were in a fabulous townhouse--and we were! Glad that you were able to enjoy it too! (We were charged for local calls on the tele--quite unnecessary, like the internet charges) All that said, I'd go back in a second!
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