Covent Garden Hotel

About

Covent Garden Hotel sits on Monmouth Street in Seven Dials, just far enough from the Covent Garden crowds to feel like a find, and close enough to make most London plans embarrassingly easy. The Royal Opera House, Soho, theatreland, good shopping and too many pre dinner temptations are all within a few minutes on foot. The building has a past worth noticing. Before Tim and Kit Kemp opened it as part of Firmdale in 1996, it was the French Hospital and Dispensary, and the old French inscription can still be seen on the façade. That detail helps. It gives the hotel a London story before the wallpaper arrives. And the wallpaper does arrive. Kit Kemp’s interiors are full of patterned fabrics, dressmaker’s dummies, floral chairs, fireplaces, art, colour and a confidence that will delight some guests and mildly alarm lovers of calm minimalism. At its best, the hotel feels like a cultivated private house with theatre tickets in the drawer. At its busiest, it reminds you that English eccentricity is not afraid of a cushion. The rooms are comfortable and generous, with marble bathrooms and a softness that suits a rainy afternoon. Downstairs, Tiffany’s Library and the wood panelled drawing room offer that rare London luxury: the option of being sociable without fully committing to it. Brasserie Max is relaxed and clubby, while the private cinema gives dinner a reason to become an evening. Do not come for architectural drama, spa rituals or contemporary design purity. Come for a warm, witty, well hosted London address in a neighbourhood that does half the seduction before you have even checked in.