London Hotels Insight provides up-to-date, independent advice for your perfect stay in London. We research guest feedback, meet management and identify hotels at the top of their game.
How London hotel guests define luxury.
Hotel guests often find luxury in the tiniest details (like this immaculate martini that Antonio served to me at the TripAdvisor number 1 rated Egerton House Hotel), contrary to the often grandiose claims of hotel marketing departments
The word “luxury” is bandied about so freely these days that it has lost much of its value. Nowhere is this more true than with hotels. Tired of the hype? This post takes a guest-centric view on luxury using TripAdvisor.
In a previous article we criticised the use of misleading star ratings. Today we take aim at the term “luxury”, especially as applied to “boutique hotels” (a problematic term in itself). And particularly hotels that go for the double whammy by calling themselves “luxury boutique hotels”.
What exactly is a luxury boutique hotel and why is everyone so keen to jump on the bandwagon? The short answer is because consumers absolutely love them. At the time of writing, every one of the top 5 London hotels on TripAdvisor could be classified as a luxury boutique hotel.
Below we take a tour of “luxury” through the eyes of guests who have recently stayed at this creme-de-la-creme of London hotels:
#1 ranked (out of 1062 London hotels): Egerton House Hotel [28 rooms]
A wonderfully-intimate townhouse-style hotel, this small hotel punches well above its weight thanks to its friendly staff – typified by dynamic Head Barman Antonio, who mixes the best martinis in London.
Recent guest comments on what makes this hotel special:
“The service was welcoming, attentive and informed”
“Details such as the night turndown with candlelit bathroom, sweets and slippers by the bed were charming”
“The staff are all so warm, personable, accommodating and ready to serve”
Read the full comments for Egerton House Hotel on TripAdvisor.
The Egerton House Hotel specialises in providing a uniquely intimate hotel stay
#2 ranked: The Milestone Hotel [44 rooms]
The Milestone in Kensington has a colourful history and is known as one of the most pet-friendly London hotels. Its staff are adept in providing “Tiny Noticeable Touches” to deliver impeccable service consistently.
Recent guest comments on what makes this hotel special:
“From the moment you check in to the moment you check out, the Milestone staff treat you like royalty”
“…service that was gracious but not overbearing, excellent breakfasts and delicious evening hors d’oevres“
“…extremely comfortable accommodation and impeccable, friendly service”
Read the full comments for the Milestone Hotel on TripAdvisor.
The above suite (Mistinguette) is typical of the quirky flavour of the Milestone's luxuriously-appointed guest rooms - each is individually furnished
#3 ranked: Hotel 41 [30 rooms]
Hotel 41 was the number 1 TripAdvisor London hotel until recently: it is a hotel with a uniquely high staff/guest ratio, quirky retro decor and great service which turns its lack of a formal hotel restaurant into a benefit.
Recent guest comments on what makes this hotel special:
“…a marvellous experience and rooms with sweet deco…”
“…a haven in a very busy city…”
“The attention that we received was absolutely incredible”
Read the full comments for Hotel 41 on TripAdvisor.
The staff are the stars of the show at the top-floor secluded Hotel 41
#4 ranked: The Levin Hotel [12 rooms]
This tiny 4 star hotel makes a mockery of the star ratings system by delivering impeccable service a stone’s throw away from Harrods.
Recent guest comments on what makes this hotel special:
“The hotel itself feels like a home away from home, with very cool/classical/elegant/charming decor“
“nothing is too much for the staff at The Levin”
“The beds are a dream and the bathrooms fresh and modern”
Read the full comments for the Levin Hotel on TripAdvisor.
The Levin in Knightsbridge has only 12 rooms and perfectly exemplifies why small is beautiful
#5 ranked: The Arch [82 rooms]
The Arch is a London Hotels Insight favourite: we love its laid-back luxury hotel vibe, its pastry chef and its creative HUNter 486 restaurant.
Recent guest comments on what makes this hotel special:
“totally won over by the wonderful bathroom and to finally have a decent power shower in a central london hotel”
“I have not had such a good sleep in ages!”
“Beautiful decor throughout the hotel, staff who were friendly and relaxed but also very attentive when needed”
Read the full comments for The Arch Hotel on TripAdvisor.
Bedrooms at the Arch have small touches which guests love like TVs in the bathrooms
Notice any commonalities in the above list and guest comments?
So-called “branded boutiques” from big chains fail to make the elite.
For example, while the Andaz London (by Hyatt) and the Trafalgar Hotel (by Hilton) have been praised on this blog and are fine hotels in their own right, guests don’t necessarily see them as proper boutique hotels. It seems that hotel consumers are savvy enough to spot a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Small is beautiful.
All the above top 5 TripAdvisor hotels are independent and small. In fact, the groups behind all the best boutique London hotels operate small collections of individual hotels rather than “big brands”. Also, none of the above hotels has more than about 80 rooms and each one cultivates a personal, intimate vibe. All also have exceptionally high staff-guest ratios.
Reading guest reviews, it’s amazing how often true luxury is in tiny details.
The London-brewed Meantime beer served at The Arch is something you'd be hard-pressed to imagine seeing at a big chain London hotel (image credit below)
The best boutique luxury hotels are privately or family-owned.
A charismatic individual has put their personal stamp on each of the above:
- Bea Tollman – the founder and driving force behind Red Carnation Hotels – numbers 1, 2 and 3 in the above list. She personally furnishes all rooms at the group’s 6 luxury boutique London hotels which also often serve her own personal recipes in their restaurants.
- David Levin – founder of The Levin Hotel: a veteran luxury hotelier who has spent nearly 6 decades in the business.
- Willy Bauer – founder of The Arch: winner of a lifetime achievement award at the prestigious Hotel Cateys in 2009. He was also General Manager of The Savoy between 1982 and 1989.
The best boutique hotels wouldn't dream of charging for WiFi - because the hotel owner may personally hate to stay in hotels that do
Conclusion
The words “small” and “independent” need to be added in front of “luxury boutique hotel” to give it substance (I’d add “free WiFi” too, which would currently exclude the otherwise excellent Firmdale Hotels like the ultra-stylish Soho Hotel). And maybe hotels with modern design and unstuffy service should be termed “design hotels” rather than “boutique hotels”.
Why is this? It seems TripAdvisor reviewers value a level of intimacy and personal service which branded hotels can’t deliver. They want a hotel reflecting their own style – far-removed from a cookie-cutter approach.
And they often want a hotel which bears the clear and honest imprint of an individual – rather like the original boutique hotel by Anouska Hempel.
So it’s time to ignore the hype and choose the hotel fitting our needs best – whether “big brand” or “small boutique” – and avoid mixing up the two.
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Photo credits: The Levin Hotel, The Arch Hotel, Red Carnation Hotels, Bernt Rostad’s photostream.
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