The Pelham Hotel

This was a lovely boutique hotel. The staff were friendly and the rooms truly gorgeous and spacious, especially for London. I stayed in three different rooms during my stay... two of which were grand and beautiful and one which was just nice... all in my quest to find a quiet room. This is the downfall of the Pelham. While it is very conveniently located in South Kensington right next to the tube station exit, it is located in South Kensington next to the tube station. The tube runs for 18 hours a day and each time it does, you hear... or feel... the rumble, depending on where in the hotel you're located. While my partner was not at all bothered by this as he is more used to city noise, for me, a very light sleeper, I found it quite distracting. This is, however, the only negative I could say about the Pelham.. .for me, it was a big one, but honestly, I wish it wasn't because I loved this place.

The staff were fantastically friendly and helpful, the hotel itself was very well appointed and very conveniently located. If you do not mind some street noise and a rumbling metro, I would definitely recommend it as a top choice.

In summary: I’d rank this hotel ‘off the scale’ and at '5 plus'. The service was wonderful, the decor in the hotel and the room were lovely – stylish, comfortable and fitting for the place – and the hotel and room were very clean and well maintained, the bed was great, and the continental breakfast was excellent. This hotel is up there as one of the top 3 hotels I have ever stayed at considering service, decor, comfort and the overall ‘experience’. I plan to stay again on any return trip to London.

I had a ‘deluxe’ – which is a basic room in this hotel. My room was on the top floor (#402). The room was very well decorated (pinstriped fabric walls, a great mix of furniture) and was a great size for one but would have been perfectly fine for a couple. The bed (and bedding) was excellent – I have a bad back and it’s rare for me to really enjoy a bed in a hotel. Part of our response to rooms and hotels as travelers is always whether they click for us and I have to say I loved my room and the hotel.

I can’t say enough about how friendly and helpful the staff were – a very high quality experience. Despite being booked in the cheap seats – so to speak – I received top level service that clearly doesn’t distinguish between guests. As a small hotel with excellent service staff were very quick to learn what I needed and enjoyed and, as some other reviews of this hotel have noted, start to anticipate my wishes. Genuinely excellent service.

The location is good – a pleasant and safe neighbourhood – very close to the V&A and the Natural History Museum. It’s located right across the road from the South Kensington tube station which has three lines running through – this makes it very easy to get around London from the hotel.

Based on rates for other London hotels, the rate I had and the quality of my stay I believe the hotel represents excellent value for money within the boutique hotel London market.

Two warnings. First, although I found the room very quiet – despite some temporary near by road construction – I had one staff person ask me if I could hear the trains – apparently some top floor guests can. If this would bother you, you should ask about room location and noise when booking. Second, these are converted old townhouses. In my room (and some others) the bathroom drains run slowly – not a question of maintenance but one of age and the vagaries of older buildings – this didn’t bother me or cause any problems. I know this type of thing bothers some people – be aware if you are one of these folks and ask about this when booking your room.

They made a nice fuss of our honeymoon stopover. Lovely rooms, well soundproofed from the road noise. Lots to do close by. Excellent overall.