The Hempel hotel in Hyde Park is an excellent venue in an excellent position. It’s ideally suited for high-class passing traffic and for many highlights of the city. It’s a 5-star hotel that deserves each and every celestial honour.
From the outside it doesn’t even look like a hotel. There is the classy Georgian façade, painted white, with black painted accents. Only a small black H on each door pillar lets you know you’re in the right place. The understated elegance is obvious from before you even walk through the door.
The location is excellent too, being only 5 minutes’ walk from Paddington station and Lancaster Gate tube. That means Bayswater and Notting Hill are also a short walk away. Naturally, Hyde Park is also a short walk, as is the Royal Albert Hall, Harrods, and the Victoria and Albert museum. There is enough nearby to keep visitors occupied, although you may have to look around for somewhere to eat.
The entrance continues the elegant feel as you enter through the thick wooden doors to be warmly greeted by the reception staff. The reception area is light and airy, the high ceilings adding to the feeling of space. The staff greeted us warmly and ushered us through the check-in process quickly and efficiently.
Our bags were whisked away and we went up to our room. The rest of the hotel continued the high quality finish and was a nice, cool place to be. The high ceilings and doors may be off-putting for some, but we liked it. It did remind us of a Victorian hospital, but done in a very nice way.
Our bedroom had a great view over the private gardens and was full of quirky design features. The light fixtures blend into the walls, which is a nice touch. There is a lot of white around, but this adds a modern air to what is a boutique hotel. The floor is dark wood and echoes nicely as you walk along, fortunately we didn’t hear anyone above us doing the same thing.
The room included one of the most comfortable beds we have ever slept in. It was large, firm and had lovely clean bed linen that only hotels seem to be able to produce. The bathroom was ideal, with a lovely bath and a separate monsoon shower. It would be easy to flood the room with one of those! There were also lovely l'occitane toiletries too.
The central garden is lovely. It’s a bit zen, a lit city-garden and all nice. It does get used for receptions and functions so probably gets busy, but is a nice haven away from the city if you’re lucky enough to face inwards. The only downside is that the grass is fake. It’s actually astroturf. No big deal, but an amusing find.
The atmosphere in the room, and throughout the hotel is one of calm. That zen garden permeates calm throughout, and it’s a nice aspect of the hotel. In a building in the middle of our busiest city, it’s a haven of smoothness, chic, and relaxation. It could have only been better if they had a spa.
The art gallery in the basement is different, but I would have still preferred a steam room and a massage to go with the feeling of the hotel.
The Hempel is an unassuming but impressive place to stay. It’s minimalist, modern, chic and quiet. It’s high-class but not high priced, and offers lot to travellers. It’s near to everything yet quiet and away enough to have a relaxing stay.
The Bill: £262 per night
