The Hempel Hotel

Stunning, beautiful and elegant hotel. Located in the heart of West London, this is a must stay for travellers to the city.

The Hemple is a sweet, tucked away hotel with facilities to hire, conferences spaces, an art gallery area and an amazing outdoor garden.
The garden is walled off, quintessentially London as it is a tidy rectangle tucked in amongst very polished terraced homes.
With a dining and bar area available to customers, and perhaps the strangest doors I've ever attempted to use (just go there!) it is a little bit of quirky and a lot a bit of posh.

“The Hempel” really doesn’t look like under the couch by Hempel’s. The hotel is distinctly arranged top class boutique-hotel.

Every room is a small discovery for itself, just like it has to be, with one or the other niceness as the extremely good hidden bathroom doors.

The very good service and the charming ways of the staff make the stay at this hotel a great experience.

Design, design, design.... With your eyes closed, before you get there.... You would think you're in Miami, or in the movie "Miami Vice"... How can I describe this hotel? I would say pure, square, white, lots of concrete, huge rooms with very little furniture... You can feel really good there, but I uderstand if some people feel rather uncomfortable... The corridors that lead you to your room, for instance, reminded me of the corridors of a psychiatric hospital: Doors at the same level as the corridors, no decorations, no signs, almost disturbing... However, the rooms themselves are great: Good beds, great bathroom, TV with international channels. Overall the service is decent, without being outstanding, they had no adaptor for electric plugs at the reception... which is quite annoying when you're in an "International" hotel. Beware, the biggest disappointment of the hotel is the restaurant... In the basement, dark, it looks like a car park turned into a nightclub... The Thai cuisine is decent, the waiters are friendly but incompetent, and the waiting times are way too long, considering the exaggerated price...

Well, it is a great hotel with fairly decent contemporary clean line design. A friend of my stayed there recently and I happened to visit her and it was the first time I know of its existence! The minimalist design is my cup of tea however observing the place in detail… it lacks 'substance’ and it probably will not age well.
However, I still think that it is a place worth visiting… the effort of designing a proper place is worth complimenting at the very least! And it is definitely much better than a ultra commercial 5 star hotel… anytime!

It’s a funny hotel. I kind of feel like it’s a modern exhibition stand more than a hotel. Food is variable but the gardens make up for things. It’s not really one thing or another though so I think there’s better value on the market for boutique hotels. That said, it’s got a good reputation for service and it’s funky so it should always be considered as an option.

This is my second attempt to do justice to the Hempel. I decided to upgrade it to 5 stars.

10 years ago, it must have been really cutting edge. In 20 years time, it probably would be ultra cool. Now, the really good basic design is sometimes a bit worn.

You can enjoy real 5 star feel in a very good contemporary design at a 3-4 star price, so it deserves 5 stars on Qype.

The rooms I had were all different, but always modern and elegant in a nice way. No carpets, but solid wooden floors. Wallpaper magazine at the bedside, some design elements of the hotel would still look good in the magazine. Bathrooms are large, Windows can be opened.

The location is the best possible location for me: in a very quiet street in Bayswater, right inbetween Hyde Park and Paddington station, both 8 minutes to walk.

There are some drawbacks, however:

Both times I visited, the room was overheated. Yesterday I tried to open a Toblerone Chocolate bar, but it had melted in the room.
I woke up twice at night, because the doors of the rooms are extremely heavy so they close with a loud bang.
The lobby still does not turn me on. Last time I complained that the air was stuffy because of the candles burning here day and night, this time, maybe because of my review, the left the front door always open and hence it was quite cold.

I guess all this comes with being a “boutique hotel”, but I can’t help to think they could improve with just a little bit more effort.

This clearly is the best hotel in London. Tucked away enough to not feel like London but central enough to be close to the hotspots. Beautifully simple, romantically special and extremely relaxing atmosphere with impeccable customer service. The garden is stunning and suprisingly quiet for its location. The price is very reasonable. If you are looking for a boutique hotel that feels intimate and not hostile or too corporate for a break away, then this is the one to go for.

The Hempel Hotel seems to have lost a bit of its edge and is clearly not regularly fully booked but so much the better if you are looking for a place with great design, central location (half way between the centre/Mayfair and Notting Hill, and walking distance to both Hyde Park and Paddington). There are some good deals available online so make sure you check them (min £150-180 per night). It’s close to my home so I use it regularly for quiet business breakfasts and the bar is also small and very cosy in an area where there are not so many places for drinks. In the summer their communal garden is great, so quiet and pretty, right in the middle of London. They also have good weekend package deals which are perfect for a “romantic” weekend in London.
The restaurant is too big and too minimalist to my taste, with average service recently, so I would stick to breakfast and a good hotel recommendation for friends looking for a design/boutique hotel in London.