Charlotte Street Hotel, London

IT WAS A VERY FIRMDALE BIRTHDAY!

I finally did it. I spent the night in a Firmdale hotel—the Charlotte Street Hotel to be exact. It was my birthday, after all. For years, I have drooled over Kit Kemp’s boutique hotel masterpieces, but (and I know this shocks you), could not bring myself to splurge for the occasion until now. All Firmdale hotels except one are located in London (the Crosby Street is in New York and one of my favorite places for a cocktail) and they make all my interior design dreams come true.

The Charlotte Street is located in Fitzrovia, just blocks from bustling Oxford Street. The neighborhood is very different from my beloved Kensington, but still extremely nice with lots to see and do within walking distance.

But…the burning question I had to get answered was… ‘Is staying in a Firmdale hotel worth the extra moolah?” I have found them to be several hundred dollars more than other luxury boutique hotels. Let’s all gasp together.

The first night, we entered our small ‘Queen’ room and could hear the pub outside as if the party had come to us. Not. Good.

The next day, we were so graciously upgraded to a Deluxe room, which was absolutely perfect in every way. I’m going to state what might seem obvious, but there can be a very big difference in a hotel experience depending on what room you get. Our rooms here were so drastically different in size and overall feel, not to mention sound, that it has changed the way I will book hotel rooms from now on.

So, the conclusion I drew was… if you can splurge on a Deluxe room or better, this hotel is worth the experience.  I was very disappointed in our standard room the first night, especially for the price, but the Deluxe made up for it (lots of space, gorgeous decor + a luxurious bed all with a London townhouse feel)—in addition to the very apologetic front desk who went above and beyond to make my birthday special.

The bathroom was spectacular. Double vanity sinks, a soaking tub AND a shower. Not easy to find and certainly not cheap in a city like London. I also LOVED the new RIKRAK bath products by Kit Kemp. I saved a little soap to use in my guest room at home and my friend even commented on how amazing it smelled! The scent is ‘Gardenia Greenleaf’ and is described as a pure white floral scent of gardenia, rose and orange blossom lifted by green leaves, fresh lilies and bergamot zest and heartened by amber and vanilla. You can buy them here >

     

Our last night, we had reservations at a hot spot about 45 minutes away from our hotel, but we had eaten so many big meals on this trip, I just didn’t need another.  So, I settled on a late afternoon tea with champagne that came complimentary upon check in.

I was immediately drawn to the teacup and would recognize that pattern anywhere. Kit Kemp (of course) has a new china collection w/ Wedgewood and I had yet to purchase myself a teacup on this trip (I collect them on my trips to London). We were told Harrods had them for sale, so after tea, we booked it over to Knightsbridge before closing and pre-ordered a little travel souvenier.

Happy birthday to me. And to you too… you can buy your own here>

*Please note that this was not a sponsored piece in any way. I’m just a really big Kit Kemp fan.