Charlotte Street Hotel review

So if you follow me on Instagram, you'll know I recently went for a short stay in London (if you don't follow me on Instagram, follow me here: @gracemellor). I generally attempt to try out new hotels when I go down to London (even though I do have a few favourites) as I like a change and so I have finally decided to start writing reviews of them. My gap year travels are soon approaching and hoping to continue my blog throughout this period, I want to shift some focus onto travel posts. My blog is currently more focused on my personal style and collection reviews and although I will be documenting traditional dress in various countries I'm visiting on my travels,  I'm sure elephant pants and a cropped vest top style posts will be progressively boring (as that is all I'll be wearing haha) so I will be trying to mix my fashion and travel posts a bit more from now on. Here goes... my first hotel review. On this trip to London, I stayed at Charlotte Street Hotel. 

On entrance, you are met by smiling faces and employees who are only happy to help with luggage or anything else you need. The lobby certainly is homey and inviting, welcoming you to relax in either the guest drawing room or library. 

Charlotte Street Hotel is a part of Firmdale Hotels, a collection of 8 boutique hotels in London (1 being The Soho Hotel, another being Covent Garden Hotel and another being Knightsbridge Hotel) and 1 in New York (another one is planned!) which is found on Charlotte Street - go figure! This hotel is situated in a great location for getting around central London, being in the media neighbourhood just north of Soho (perfect for me and the others I was with because we were going to a screening in that very hotel!) and therefore, walking distance from the theatre district. It's a few minutes walk from the lush Soho Square, perfect for a little picnic (Regent's Park is close by too!) and surrounding that, you're greeted with Oxford Street, Regent Street, Convent Garden & Carnaby Street - shopping central! Surrounded by London's best cafés, bars and restaurants, this destination is great for food lovers, like myself. However, if you want to stay even closer to home and eat at the hotel's restaurant, you're not missing out either! 

(this image is taken from the Firmdale Hotels website)

Charlotte Street has an array of different rooms to choose from, but all 52 of them are uniquely designed with an individual style by Kit Kemp (who is the design director, as well as the owner!) whilst all maintaining the essential luxury items. Although the interior design theme wasn't exactly my favourite (I usually stick to black, white and grey, whilst the interior of this particular hotel is based on the Bloomsbury Set), I did love the wacky and bright, patterned approach of this room. This is completely in line with the beliefs of Kit and Tim Kemp (the other owner of Firmdale Hotels) who states that "hotels should be living things not stuffy institutions".  Most importantly, the bed was super comfy and lead to a well-needed great nights sleep! 

(this image is taken from the Firmdale Hotels website)

I went to a BBC screening for the Syndicate 3 (airing on 2nd of June at 9pm on BBC 1) for the evening. It was a great venue, with 75 seats and a great adjacent room for prior and post screening drinks, chats and snacks!

I'd advise going to the sophisticated Oscar's bar for a cocktail or 2 too! I had a tasty french martini. 

In the morning, we ate breakfast at Oscars Restaurant and it definitely did not disappoint. There was a table on entry with freshly prepared food on it, buffet style, all presented fabulously and everything looking absolutely delicious. Something that really caught my eye was the granola and natural yoghurt pots... yum. The walls in the brasserie were decorated with a busy and colourful (much like the style of the rest of the hotel) mural "reflecting scenes of contemporary London life" and got people ready for the exciting and fast paced day ahead. I opted for the freshly made banana, berries and pineapple smoothie and the English breakfast which was so scrumptious and definitely filled me up for the day (it would include a lot of rushing around, so a big breakfast was essential.) The other options ranged from avocado on toast with poached eggs (I was very close to ordering this!) and wild mushrooms on brioche to crepes and banana bread. The choice was a difficult one. 

Following that, I decided to enjoy a mocha in the morning sunshine on the outdoor table and chair sets. What a lovely start to my day. 

Have you ever been to Charlotte Street Hotel, or any of the other Firmdale Hotels venues? What were your experiences? 

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