The Gore hotel in Kensington, London, is like no other. Indeed, it should probably be prescribed as a remedy for hotel-phobics, allergic to bedrooms so anonymous that you don’t know which city you are in, let alone which hotel.
The Gore has personality, warmth and individuality. Stuffed with Victoriana, there are no fewer than 5,000 oils, watercolours and engravings, while rooms feature antique furniture and objets d’art.
The bedrooms are all different, with venerable chests of drawers, gilt mirrors and items that would draw gasps from experts on The Antiques Roadshow. Beds tend to be grand four-posters, while the en suite bathrooms have the kind of basins and clawfoot baths that our great-grandmothers would have thought state of the art. The oak-lined Tudor Room deserves special mention — surely the only bedroom in London with a minstrel gallery.
On the ground floor is a buzzing bar where celebrities such as Jude Law have been spotted, while the all-day bistro does a roaring trade. Its fresh, delicious style of cooking is a magnet to the neighbourhood so it is essential to book.
Corporate facilities are not exactly run of the mill. The Green Room — actually painted red — is grand and library-style, used for private receptions. On the lower ground floor are Mulberry and Tapestry, stylish meeting rooms that could double for private dining.
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Just a couple of minutes’ walk from the Albert Hall, the Gore is seductively comfortable, eccentric and friendly — and strictly between you and me, a national treasure. After all, we don’t want too many people to find out about it.
Good for: Superb cuisine, service and comfort
But: Will make minimalists come over all faint
Sample rates: £75 day-delegate rate including room hire
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The Gore, 190 Queen’s Gate, London, SW7 5EX, 020-7584 6601, www.gorehotel.com