The Hempel Hotel

( 5 stars , London , United Kingdom )

Set in a row of traditional white Georgian townhouses, the Hempel Hotel in London, England, provides a chic boutique hotel experience a short walk from the well manicured lawns of Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. The fashionable West End, home to a plethora of theaters and shops, lies less than two kilometers away. London Heathrow Airport is 24 kilometers from the hotel. The Hempel Hotel is home to its well known Zen Garden, a large ornamental garden in front of the hotel. This beautifully sculpted garden is for the exclusive use of guests and has played host to various celebrity weddings and photo shoots. The Hempel Hotel's interior boasts an original conceptual design. The sparse, dreamlike lobby features a Portland stone floor, sunken seating areas with Indonesian ox cart tables and two wide fireplaces. Simple, natural colors and a lack of signs and door handles adds to the sense of tranquility. An atrium provides natural light to the interior, and suspended walls increase the feeling of space. Although commonly associated with the fashion and media industries, the hotel also attracts corporate and leisure guests and offers a range of meeting facilities. Wireless Internet access helps guests stay connected throughout the hotel, and visitors can enjoy the hotel's library and television. Guests can enjoy Italian influenced Thai cuisine in the polished, monochrome I Thai restaurant, and they can also relax or host events amid the Zen Garden's herb filled borders. The 35 minimalist guestrooms at the Hempel Hotel are individually designed and combine Eastern influences with luxury linens and down pillows. Guestrooms include wireless Internet access, satellite television, in room safes, turndown services, designer toiletries and sunken, stone or free standing bathtubs.