More about The Hempel Hotel
The Zen of the Hempel
by TripAdvisor Member Onewriter
I stayed at the Hempel for four nights on a business trip, and I thought it was superb. As the taxi pulled up to the doorway, it looked like an ordinary row of Georgian terraced houses. But looks are deceiving! The lobby, which is a study in cream, has many intimate little seating areas, and it was a great place to meet up with colleagues. The black-clad desk staff were efficient and pleasant.
My room which was very large, had pristene stone floors. I had a comfortable sofa opposite an ample bank of closets, with a built-in TV, stereo receiver and cd player.
The bed, which was fabulously comfortable, was in a smallish adjacent room, which had a generous window, which I could open to get a little breeze.
The large bathroom, which had plenty of shelf space for all my stuff, plus some small drawers, which I used to keep things of sight. The bathtub was very large and had a regular shower head, as well as a hand-held. It was set into a two foot wide black granite shelf, which was perfect for sitting upon and giving my tired feet a warm soak. There were many thick white bath towels, replenished twice daily and a white terry robe with a pair of beige espadrilles. And on the frosted glass windowsill was a lovely potted orchid with a small puck sized light over it. Zen.
Breakfast was served in the lower-level Thai restaurant, reached by descending an extraordinary glass slab staircase. The breakfast was good and cooked to order, served by a vey pleasant waiter.
One afternoon, I took a little stroll to the hotel's private garden across the street, which is very well-manicured and, dareI say it, zen!. Suddenly a waiter appeared with a tray of champagne flutes, and offered me one. I accepted and enjoyed it as I contemplated the garden. I believe I had unwittingly crashed a wedding reception, but was the first "guest" so no harm done. I thanked the waiter and left!
I booked though a corporate travel agent, so I got a deep discount on my room, which I believe added little to the enjoyment! It's a little walk to the bus stop or the tube and it's not very far from Paddington station. But the area is very quiet, and the walls don't seem to tranmit sounds.
I'd happily stay here again.
Change of use
by planxty about I Thai restaurant
Whilst grouping and researching restaurant tips, I discovered that the I Thai restaurant at the Hempel Hotel, 31-35 Craven Hills Gardens, London W2 3EA is no longer there. the restaurant has been remodelled as Mo. 35 and offers a menu I would describe as Modern British.
I submit this tip to prevent anyone having a wasted trip.
Beautifully Minimialistic
by kixon about I-Thai
This restaurant has a minimalistic interior, with alot of black and white, but with details of purple and pink. It's a very special restaurant. It's in the lower groundfloor of a hotel, The Hempel. The Hotel also has a restaurant in a beutiful garden,(where 4 weddings and 4 funerals was filmed) The I-Thai is a lovely fusion of italian mixing with the far east, japanese and Thai food. The food, arriving on the table is almost to beautiful to eat. The personnel are very friendly, even though the place looks at first like a "only V.I.P" place. The courses are really big, so don't take a starter to try to fill you up. But for first course try the soft crab shashimi or any other sushi's. I had a pasta for main course and it was wonderful, but I had a starter and a first course so I was already almost full :)
A Real 5 Star
by A TripAdvisor Member
Arrived late on a Sunday night when normally the service in some hotels is slow....but not at the Hempel,in fact it was the best service I have had in all my travels.Matthew the manager was so accommadating,nothing was a problem,food, cocktails and service second to none.They even made me porridge the following morning which was not on the menu.I did think £70 for a transfer to Gatwick was a tad expensive on Monday afternoon.
Big dissapointment
by TripAdvisor Member Lifestyletraveler
I have always admired the concept of the Hempel so I was excited to experience the product on site. Upon arrival at 4 pm our room was not ready which upset me a little but I was told it should be ready in 20 minutes. In the meantime I was offered coffee which I gladly accepted. Then they charged me 5 punds for the coffee - it put me off!
Then to the room - it had a nice layout with a stair and lovely but small bathroom. However it was in major need of repair. The interior is so worn and tired and it's not acceptable for a 5 star property which charges such high rates.
The service level at reception was below acceptable - language problems was apparent and frustrating. The staff was unwilling to help. At one occassion we asked to use the phone at the front desk for a local call to the hotel we stayed in the previous night in London where we had forgotten som items behind. Front desk reluctantly passed over the phone and told us make it short.
Breakfast service was sleepy and not very impressive. A minimalist buffet with not much options.
Verdict
+ good concept from the beginning but decayed after Anoushka Hempel has left the building.
- Rude staff
- worn property
- Mobile A/c unit which was noisy and extremely ugly - cheap
oasis of cool
by A TripAdvisor Member
Hempel is definately my favourite hotel in town. I have been there 3 times by now and will definately return. Some say that the hotel business is primarily about service - how very right they are. I have never had a request to the staff which wouldnt be met quickly and, not the least important - with style. Last time I was absent minded enough to forget my homekeys and the passport in my room and noticed it only on my way to airport. The staff reacted to my phonecall with what I could only describe as speed of light - I received everything in Gatwick and made it to my flight. They notice details and care about you. And that is a rare thing these days. I wouldnt even mention the property and design - the minimalist masterpiece by Anouska is something of the league of its own.
What a place!!!!!
by A TripAdvisor Member
I have just returned from a stay at the Hempel and what a wonderful place it is. I read the reviews on the hotel before my arrival and some I feel was not justified.
I was greeted at the door by a very polite gentleman who showed us through to the reception area. Greeted by huge smiles and a friendly greeting it was great to be in such a five star property.
The reception staff was very helpful, when asked of a good place to eat in the evening I was kindly offered their own restaurant, they provided a menu to look at, too good to be true we decided to reserve a table. Fantastic service & food in the restaurant, very friendly and helpful.
To end the perfect day we went to the bar for an after dinner drink, to my astonishment we was asked if we would like to take the drink in the garden, an opportunity not to be missed.
I will be recommending this to all my friends and family and I will definately be back.
A Wonderful Hotel
by A TripAdvisor Member
London: The Hempel, Bayswater. "A wonderful hotel"
Date: 2nd June 2006
Reviewer: A couple from Sidcup, Kent, England.
For our 30 wedding anniversary my husband arranged a surprise night to stay at this wonderful hotel. From the moment we arrived the very smartly dressed staff were excellent and very attentive, especially the head barman Joel, who was extremely friendly, cheerful and helpful. The whole atmosphere was excellent, in fact we have stayed in many hotels over the years and we rate this as one of our top selections.
The design of the bedroom made a nice change from the normal traditional style you get from other hotels.
Breakfast was calm, relaxing and the food was most enjoyable, again the staff were very friendly and helpful.
It was unfortunate that we were unable to stay another night I only hope that one day we will be able to return for a longer stay.
We will certainly be recommending this hotel to all our friends and family.
I would like to think that the staff get the chance to read this review, as I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their service.
Let's not go overboard...
by TripAdvisor Member Roaming12
I stayed here for one night at the end of a business trip to London.
The hotel looks like any other terrace house from the outside but once you walk in you realise that it's a very zen place, the foyer is very cool and leaves quite an impact.
However, the staff were not overly attentive in checking me in and out of the hotel and were not overly friendly either. I would normally expect to be at least asked whether I enjoyed my stay and a simple "goodbye" would of been a nice touch!
My room was very quiet and deocorated in the minimalist style in keeping with the hotel concept, but I am afraid they haven't pulled it off that well, because it sort of looked a bit cheap. The creeky wooden floorboards had been painted white. The bathroom was quite small and really didn't feel like I was getting value for money.
The hotel is well situated in the West of London, and easily accessible to Heathrow Airport. The hotel is only a 5 minute walk from Paddington Station, from where you can catch the Heathrow Express train service.
While I can't say I had a bad stay, I don't think I received value for money and would choose to stay elsewhere next time.
Wonderful World
by A TripAdvisor Member
I stay here all the time and I feel as though I have to share my thoughts on this fantastic property.
I stay here on business all the time and on each occasion I am made to feel welcome from the moment I walk through the door.
On first name basis with many of the staff members I am still impressed to see how the service just keeps better and better.
Joel makes a mean cocktail, Juan always finds me a great place to eat in the evening and the breakfast crew helps to make a good start to my day.
My friends and work colleagues have also stayed and are also raving about the hotel to their family and friends.
Keep up the great work.
Photos
The Blue Post pub - London
Interior (1)
Model of Algeciras Container Terminal
exo-skeleton
Forum Posts
Transportation in London - Travelpass/Oyster
by rafscab
Hi,
I'll spend 3 days in London in May and I found different options for transportation tickets: Oyster card; Travelcards, London Pass...
I'll arrive on Saturday and will stay until tuesday so I have a mix of off-peak days with working days. A 3 day travel pass looked fine at first sight but then I found that off-peak day passes are cheaper.
Later, adding more confusion, I found the Oyster card and then the London Pass with atraction tickets included; so, now I'm very confused about wich is the best option (cheaper).
I hope somebody can give me the best advice regarding this situation. I will stay at Earl's Court, so areas 1-2 tickets are ok.
Thanks in advance and regards,
Rafa
Re: Transportation in London - Travelpass/Oyster
by leics
You might find this link helpful:
http://www.londontoolkit.com/briefing/travelcard_oyster.htm
Off-peak does mean weekends, but it also covers travel after 9.30am Mopmday to Friday, so an off-peak travelcard might be worthwhile.
Oystercards are 'capped'at 6.70 per day peak, 5.10 per day off-peak.
Therefore much depends on how many journeys you anticipate taking.
The London Pass is probably only worthwhile if you intend to take full advantage of its free/discounted entrances. These are listed here:
http://www.londonpass.com/attractionsFullList.asp
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