Draycott, London, United Kingdom
Draycott 5 Stars
Comfortable and quintessentially English: a five-star townhouse with seven-star service, bordering a leafy Knightsbridge square
Hotel Overview
Review of Draycott, by Isabel Clift
A stately triple townhouse conversion just off Sloane Square, The Draycott offers heritage-inspired accommodation in a plum Chelsea postcode. Attractive and polite rather than ostentatious, the hotel treats families in particular with real care. Intimate interiors, a 'bespoke' concierge service and the large private garden make for a real central London gem.
The facilities
Downstairs, public rooms are smart Edwardian classics: light, chandeliered and filled with polished antique furniture and fresh flowers. The snug drawing room is the heart of the hotel, with striped sofas, an original fireplace and wide views of the garden. Perhaps less familiarly (unless you're very lucky), tea and biscuits are served at four, champagne at six and cocoa at nine thirty, every day for free.
For those after a square meal, Draycott's eccentrically-named Peter O'Toole breakfast room provides a scrummy Full English as well as continental options. There's no restaurant for lunch and dinner, but the pick of London's finest eateries are a stroll away. An extensive, seasonal room service menu can take care of cravings if you don't venture outside, and garden-facing oak panelled meeting rooms are available for private dinners.
The rooms
35 rooms and suites are well-to-do, Jane Austen-style fantasy quarters. Individually-decorated rooms are populated with grand, ceiling-high wardrobes, charming writing bureaus, ornate mirrors, original fireplaces and supremely comfortable king-size beds on raised platforms. Mindful of appearance to the last, modern techy bits like LCD TVs and DVD players are screened behind cabinet doors. Free WiFi is also available.
Following the hotel's heritage theme and West London location, larger suites are named after English theatre and entertainment stars. I saw the Alan Bennett suite, with its powder blue bed, garden views, regal lounge set and photo of the man himself, but all named suites offer lots of space and dapper, dandified decor. Another neat addition to these suites are modern kitchenettes, which provide yet another dining option. Great for stylish family holidays, two-bedroom, two bathroom Draycott Suites are available; and bigger broods can rent out the entire No.22 townhouse as a private residence.
Facilities
Rooms
35Who stays here?
Boardroom tycoons, big-name celebrities, average Joes—anyone seeking discretion, a home-from-home feeling, and impossibly English atmosphere
Come for...
- The cherry trees in Cadogan Gardens
- Wonderfully spoiling service and one of the city's most can-do concierges
- Family holidays in London
Not Suitable for...
- Those who worship at the altar of minimalism
Children
Babysitting and extra cots available on request; the interconnecting rooms are too. Hotel staff will stock rooms with toys and books, with advanced notice.
Eating in
Luxurious room service only, though you can have fully-catered parties or business lunches in one of the private dining rooms. Afternoon Tea with biscuits baked by the owner's wife, champagne and nibbles in the evening and late-night hot chocolate are all free to guests
The Press Say
"Once inside, the Draycott is rather like the splendid home of a rich uncle. It’s three Edwardian houses knocked together to create a very English hotel: all antique prints, squashy sofas, silk pleated lampshades and real fires." The Times 05Reviews
Review of The Draycott, by Angela Moore
It's a bit tricky to find, tucked away as it is in the maze of roads behind Sloane Square called Cadogan Gardens. But The Draycott, once you're there, is as welcoming as the fatly overstuffed sofas in the utterly charming sitting room, which opens into a green and lovely garden square. Take your tea here; the hotel serves it free to all guests at 4 pm every day, in pretty china pots, with scrumptious biscuits-and without any tail-coated Ritz-esque formality. This is followed up with champagne, served to residents at drinks time, and hot chocolate, served before bedtime.
The facilities
The tone at The Draycott is traditional English with an emphasis on comfort and personal service. Sofas are covered in Laura Ashley prints; walls are hung with pleasant landscapes. There's gallery-quality furniture scattered throughout the hotel - here an enormous polished walnut dresser, there a leather wing chair. The full-service full concierge desk (run by an employee of 15 years' standing!) prides itself on personal, 'bespoke' service.
The rooms
The Draycott has 35 rooms, of which 11 are suites and six are singles. Most are named after famous British characters connected with the stage, from Sheridan to Carroll to Gilbert and Sullivan. Suites are spacious, high-ceilinged and extremely well-appointed in traditional style and soothing colours and fabrics. Some have separate sitting rooms, some come with kitchenettes; many have fireplaces. There are beautiful Edwardian features; high, handsome windows; and, in some cases, even balconies overlooking the gardens. The Draycott is an excellent choice for families, offering both kitchenettes and single rooms with bunkbeds which adjoin either doubles or suites.