London calling: 3 boutique hotels still open for business

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

St James

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

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

The Capital

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.

Previous

Q&A with Lita Moreno, SLH’s Sales Manager for Southeast USA

Next

Colourful boutique hotels to brighten up your day

Latest stories

Northern delights: a ‘coolcation’ itinerary across Norway & Iceland

As the train begins its slow, corkscrewing descent into Norway’s Flåm Valley, snow is softening mountain peaks into meringue-like folds. Outside the window, waterfalls freeze mid-cascade, as forests stand still under crystal light. The Flåm Railway — a staggering feat of engineering — feels like a portal into another season,

Snowy Lapland lodges to Balinese spa retreats: top boutique hotels for February

February invites a different kind of travel thinking. The urgency of new beginnings has softened, replaced by a desire to move well toward places feel tuned to their setting. This month’s selection spans extremes and in-betweens: Arctic forests and Balinese cliffs, historic towns in southern Europe, and quietly evolving cities.

A winter guide to the Dolomites for sporty travellers

Next month, the Winter Olympics land in northern Italy, with Cortina d’Ampezzo and multiple mountain clusters across the region hosting events. This winter guide to the Dolomites is for travellers inspired by the Olympian spirit: staying active outdoors by day, then prioritising recovery, wellness, and deep rest by night. Across

Out of season in Cyprus: discovering slow craft in Lefkara

Out of season in Cyprus, Lefkara doesn’t ask for your attention; it earns it by refusing to compete. The streets are narrower than you expect, the stone cooler under your palm than it looks, the air so clean it feels almost deliberate. You hear at your own pace: the sound