Brown's Hotel, London, United Kingdom
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Exterior: Brown's Hotel in London, United Kingdom -
Albemarle Presidential Suite: Brown's Hotel in London, United Kingdom -
The Dover Suite: Brown's Hotel in London, United Kingdom -
Executive Room: Brown's Hotel in London, United Kingdom -
Classic Suite: Brown's Hotel in London, United Kingdom -
The Albermarle: Brown's Hotel in London, United Kingdom
Brown's Hotel 5 Stars
“The Georgian townhouse conversion is classic Olga Polizzi: luxurious, understated English elegance near Buckingham Palace.”
Hotel Overview
Review of Brown's Hotel, by Isabel Clift
Brown's is a distinctly British hotel in the heart of Mayfair. Converted from eleven Georgian town houses, it's been popular with London's elite since it opened as the city's first ever luxury hotel in 1837.
This five star hotel has been transformed by Olga Polizzi into a contemporary space that remains respectful to its historic origins: elegant original features sit alongside trendy furniture and state of the art technology, evoking a real sense of present-day luxury in a classic setting.
The facilities
If you're after a top class afternoon tea, Brown's should be your first destination. The English Tea Room attracts guests and locals alike with its delicious sandwich, tea and cake selections and welcoming service. Unlike other London hotels, guests may stay as long as they like past tea service, and in winter, a log fire keeps out the cold.
As well as The English Tea Room, there's a separate bar and restaurant, which both present their own modern take on British entertaining. The buzzing Donovan Bar keeps the cocktails flowing (including the special Box Brownie, a mix of champagne and strawberries), while at The Albemarle restaurant, head chef Lee Streeton serves up an outstanding classic British menu using only seasonal British produce.
Brown's also boasts a business centre and a well-equipped gym, to keep both mind and body in good condition. For an extra indulgence, guests using the spa can have a massage, or body treatments using seasonal, edible ingredients.
The rooms
The 117 air-conditioned guestrooms are all equipped with high-speed internet access, flat screen TVs and ipod docking stations. Most rooms have a photograph of Winston Churchill - a nod to his patronage of the hotel during world war two (Churchill took lunch at Brown's so often he had his own bunker there). The rooms are individualised in other small ways, with different prints in each room and bookshelves full of classic English novels. Literary lovers will delight in staying at the Kipling Suite, so called after the author finished The Jungle Book there.
From the standard rooms to the Royal Suites, guests enjoy comfortable king size beds, lots of space and natural light, as well as complimentary fruit and bottled water. The décor is traditional but trendy, with nude-coloured carpets and pale beige and olive furnishings. The bathrooms are spacious and clean, with large shower roses, and deluxe rooms and suites get separate bath/showers.
Rooms can easily be converted to cater for families, with options to interconnect and gifts left for the children upon arrival and at bedtime. Honeymooners enjoy the suites' luxury touches, such as Bang and Olufsen flatscreen TVs in the lounge and in the bathroom; plus his'n'hers twin sinks. Overall, Brown's' guestrooms are classically British, making them perfect for anyone after a historic location with contemporary comforts.
Facilities
Awards
"Top UK Leisure Hotels" Conde Nast Traveller
"World's Top Hotels" Forbes Traveler USA
Who stays here?
Haile Selassie, Agatha Christie and Rudyard Kipling (who finished The Jungle Book here). In recent years the hotel has welcomed Beyonce and Jeremy Irons.
Come for...
- Afternoon tea
- The supreme service
- The sumptuous suites
Not Suitable for...
- Fans of grand spaces and grand decor - this is a contemporary classic
Children
Brown's is very accommodating to children, providing young guests with their own check-in cards and dressing gowns. The turn-down service will also leave a special gift in the room each evening for children. Separate cots are available for the room, and interconnecting rooms are also an option for families. There is not a regular nanny service, but the concierge can arrange a babysitter if needed.
Eating in
Trolley service, silver tureens and British roasts at The Albemarle; The Donovan Bar is relaxed, fun and 80s in style (as the Terence Donovan pics on the wall testify).
The Press Say
"Its appeal is its ability to tastefully combine its older charm with modern appeal."The Washington Post 06
"There are hotels and hotels, and then there is Brown's."Travel + Leisure 06
Reviews
Review of Brown's Hotel, by Angela Moore
Checking into Brown's Hotel in London is good for the ego. Doors swing open before you, the staff murmur greetings as you sweep past, the reception desk staff look delighted to see you, in an unobtrusive sort of way. As I arrived, a wagging, fatly friendly chocolate brown Labrador was going into the lift (attached to a long, thin lady.) Clearly, this is a hotel that's kept its sense of dog-loving Englishness intact. How reassuring.
The facilities
In fact, the new look Brown's Hotel exudes is 'reassuring'. Colours are soothing and subdued. Shapes are gentle - little clusters of cup-shaped chairs in the Donovan Bar and the Tea Room, rows of white linen-covered tables in The Albemarle. It's all impeccable and understated - muted English chic.
There is some beautiful original panelling in warm, rosy wood and a few lovely ornate ceilings which have been retained in the building. The refurbishment has added some striking details, like the smart mosaic tile-work in the halls and lobbies.
Brown's Hotel is elevated by its service, which is close to divine. Everyone is unfailingly polite, knowledgeable, attentive and charming. Like the Labrador, you'll want to wag your tail and grin.
The rooms
Take a look in one of the suites and Brown's Hotel suddenly makes sense. There is a fresh English ethic at work here, with none of the gloomy, ponderous Edwardian splendour or chintzy Victorian clutter that characterises so many of London's great 'English' luxury hotels.
Kipling is a Royal Suite on the first floor (all Royal and Presidential suites are first floor, to take advantage of the soaring ceilings). It's ravishing, from its stripped wooden floors to its marble fireplaces. Floor-to-ceiling windows line both rooms. On the walls hang enormous, simple line paintings of seahorses, and an even bigger gilt-framed mirror wreathed in cherubs, which return guests will remember hung here before.
Every room is unique - different paintings, lamps, fresh flower arrangements. In terms of amenities, though, each is a variation on the same luxurious theme. All rooms have the same beds and linens (and, whether you're in a suite or the merest double, you can choose to have cotton or linen on your bed). All rooms have flat-screen TVs and all bathrooms have under-floor heating and the same oversized shower roses.
As with all Rocco Forte hotels, the genius is in the detail. Books in the rooms play the English theme: a biography of Churchill, PG Wodehouse, Shakespeare's comedies. In the suite with the double walk-in shower, there are two showerheads and two sets of temperature controls, so you won't argue or get cold. All bathrooms have heated mirrors, which won't steam up. Lighting is adjustable, wardrobes are enormous and toiletries are generous. Artwork is by established British artists and emerging talent. We could go on and on.