Like many Londoners before us, my fiancé and I chose the Chelsea Old Town Hall for our recent London wedding. The area surrounding the hall offers bountiful choice if you’re looking for a knees-up, post-ceremony meal, but it’s less forthcoming when it comes to high-end hotel options in the immediate vicinity.
For the sake of helping those – like us – looking for somewhere spoily to stay, I set out to find the best options within striking distance for (i) the night before the wedding and (ii) the night of the wedding. The Other House South Kensington was the standout choice for the former, replete with spa, swimming pool, two restaurants, and a newfangled approach to putting people up.
The credentials
The hotel-cum-members’ club has well and truly arrived. And it’s easy to see why it’s such an alluring prospect. A revolving door of regular visitors creates a community feel that’s nigh on impossible to replicate or mimic at hotels of the more traditional variety. The Other House South Kensington – no relation to The Soho House Group – is a recent addition to the hotel-club, well, club.
Set in a impressive building in the heart of South Kensington, it’s challenging the orthodoxy of the predominantly old-fashioned hotel offerings in the area. Describing itself as a Residents’ Club, the hotel caters for a wide selection of those looking for places to stay in London; from the single-night trippers right through to residencies lasting several months.
While that concept might sound like a slightly convoluted way of describing every hotel that’s ever existed, the real-world impact is mainly felt in the lay out and structure of the rooms. They’re more akin to small apartments than they are traditional hotel rooms, each consisting of the master bedroom, kitchenettes, separate living room areas, and even an entrance hall.
Eat
The Other House has two restaurants. The Other Kitchen is a daytime joint where residents are offered a well-executed selection of breakfast classics and a decent lunch spread. The Owl & Monkey is a cocktail and sharing plates destination, where regular residents mingle with external guests in a glitzy but relaxed setting.
The bar sits below a sprawling bank of high-end booze that’s masterfully manipulated by a competent, engaged, and friendly bar team. We tried some of their classic cocktails and challenged them with some off-script requests – all of which were delicious and never too much trouble. The familiarity between the bar team and some of the longer-term residents at the hotel created a very convivial, friendly atmosphere.
While perched at the bar, we sampled a few of the sharing dishes looking for something to soak up some of the very delicious cocktails but not fill us to the brim the evening before the wedding. The food wasn’t overly complicated but was really good, nonetheless.
Sleep
The room complexes are probably the most outstanding element of The Other House.
We stayed in a Club Apartment – one of the more premium room categories – and it was absolutely ideal for our needs, comprising a separate bedroom, bathroom, hallway, and living room/kitchenette. Other room categories range from hotel junior suite territory (still with kitchenettes) to apartments, duplex ‘Mezz’ flats, turrets and sprawling vaults.
The division of space in our apartment meant I could put the final touches to my speech in the living space while my soon-to-be-wife organised the component parts of her wedding outfit in peace. She was joined by her mother and sister the morning of the wedding to get ready with a bottle of champagne and plenty of space, as I made use of the hotel’s pool and spa facilities.
Like the interior décor throughout the rest of the hotel, the flat is very tastefully done in a moody spectrum of velvety dark greens and golds. The décor makes you feel like you’re in a swish New York apartment block.
Who goes there?
From those we encountered on our escapades to the bar and the gym, fellow guests ranged from wealthy longer-term guests — likely in town on a business project — to younger crowds making the most of the hotel’s multi-faceted facilities.
Worst bit
The layout is a little confusing. While the lack of distinct signage must be nice for those well-acquainted with the place, it makes it tricky to navigate for the uninitiated.
Best bit
Particularly in the pre-wedding context, the layout was perfect. Plenty of space for a gaggle of women to get dressed in the room, alongside an understated but still celebratory vibe down at the bar for a few sharpeners.
The Details
The Other House, 15-17 Harrington Gardens, South Kensington, London SW7 4JJ
