The Credentials
A member of Starhotels Collezione, a group of 13 ultra-chic properties mainly based in Italy, Knightsbridge’s 53-room The Franklin is one of three of the collection’s hotels based in the British capital, alongside The Gore and The Pelham, both in Kensington.
This five-star townhouse hotel is based on a calm residential street (overlooking the well-tended Egerton Gardens) in a Grade II-listed building that dates back to the 1840s and was the one-time home of artist and philanthropist Joseph Hermann, whose monogram can still be spied throughout. The location is nothing short of perfect, within stumbling distance of Harrods and the V&A.
Sleep
In the world of luxury travel, hotels love to claim to be a “home away from home” for guests. The Franklin manages to, in fact, feel just like a home away from home—provided you’re a moneyed Italian aristocrat with impeccable taste in interior design, food, and wine (and really what Italian isn’t?). The design, which comes care of high-end designer and hotelier Anouska Hempel, is on-the-mark with matte black walls, a double-height ceiling swathed in ikat fabric, and black-and-white limestone and marble floors. Common areas feature little snugs throughout, perfect for an intimate negroni-fuelled tête-à-tête or a quiet breakfast.
Bedecked in opulent mirrored accents and shades of grey, the rooms, of which there are 35, have a similar theatricality with vast, floor-to-ceiling windows staring out into a leafy private garden crescent. My room, 102, was not only beautifully decorated but also bigger than most one-bedroom flats in Zone 1, with a beyond-spacious walk-in closet that led to the palatial sand-hued bathroom.
A moment for that bathroom: The freestanding soaking tub was big enough to fit a rugby player (or my 6-foot-three husband), and the generously sized Penhaligon’s products did not go unnoticed (I loved the fact that there was even a luxurious bath oil). The shower was also massive and fully equipped with a steam setting.
The bedroom was fantastic, with a wrought-iron four-post bed overlooking the quiet garden, which guests are welcome to access. The lighting scheme was thoughtful and intimate; however, the illuminated lighting panel on both bedsides was quite bright for this nocturnal creature who likes a pitch-black room. Waking up to the private, sun-splashed garden was just dreamy though, not to mention that well-stocked Illy coffee machine.
Other major pluses? A small gym and a subterranean Moroccan-style hammam. How delightfully spoiling!
Dine
The Franklin has a cosmopolitan restaurant and bijou bar on the ground floor that’s perfect for guests and locals. The restaurant by Chef Alfredo Russo really feels like a secret hideaway. The menu is exciting, as is the wine list, both of which are centred around Italy. I’d return for dessert alone: an unmissable Zuccotto al Limone (white chocolate sponge with Amalfi lemon cream). The house-made pastas were also fantastic, especially the tortelli with rich oxtail and punchy parmesan fondue, though the tonnarello cacio e pepe, served table-side swirled in a pecorino wheel of cheese, was regrettably quite cold.
Taking place in the same room, the breakfast followed suit: top-end ingredients, but some elements of the dish so cold that it was inedible (see: sausages and black pudding of an otherwise fantastic full English). The avocado toast hit the mark though, and the poached eggs were piping hot. It is worth noting that the price on the menu (£27 per dish, which is not included in the hotel rate below) is supposed to include a continental breakfast (pastries, fruit, cereals, breads, charcuterie, etc) but I am supposing these items need to be ordered separately, as they were not present or offered.
Other things of note for breakfast, the Richard Ginori porcelain tableware is just stunning and the coffee was perfection. Service was top-notch too.
Who Goes There?
The Franklin is the spot for style-focused, in-the-know clientele. There was also more than one molto elegante Italian.
Out & About
Fantastic location: this is London at its best. Quintessential British townhouses but then right in the buzzy heart of Knightsbridge and near to South Kensington.
The Worst Thing
Food was fantastic but sometimes slightly cold.
The Best Thing
The décor: an expert blend of English garden with Italian chicness and far-flung notes.
The Details
Nightly rates at The Franklin start from £400.
The Franklin, 24 Egerton Gardens, London SW3 2DB
