Haymarket
1 Suffolk Place, London, United Kingdom, SW1Y 4BP
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#16 of 80
expert-rated hotels in London- Recommended for:
- Business travellers, Culture vultures, Nightlife, Special occasions
Expert review of Haymarket
A huge Georgian building made newly chic with colourful, fashionable rooms.
The Haymarket is by far the grandest of the Firmdale Group’s impressive portfolio of London hotels. It’s in a huge building designed by John Nash (the architect responsible for Marble Arch and Regent Street), but co-owner Kit Kemp’s eye for fashionable, dramatic, witty interiors keeps the place from becoming overbearing.
Location:
Alongside Haymarket Theatre, a short walk to either Piccadilly Circus or Trafalgar Square, the Haymarket has a great central location. Haymarket itself is a busy road, unpleasant with traffic, but little noise makes it through the thick walls of this Regency edifice.
Bedrooms:
The Haymarket is so big Firmdale are able to rent out an entire townhouse within the premises! Mere mortals will have to settle for big double rooms with granite and oak en suites, and the typical décor from co-owner Kit Kemp: oversize headboards, decorative mannequins and bold combinations of modern colours with old-fashioned floral and stripe motifs. The rooms are spacious and well-appointed (Tivoli radios, internet, TVs with DVD, plenty of cupboard space).
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Public areas:
The fiercely colourful Brumus restaurant and bar are on the busy Haymarket side of the building, with the main reception opening from quiet Suffolk Place. Inside the hotel proper, public areas have plump sofas and easy chairs to flop into and winningly incongruous modern art: I liked the giant light-bulb over the chessboard in the quiet library, and the morbid papercut over the sofas where complimentary afternoon canapés are served.
Eating and drinking:
Served amid the bright colours of Brumus, breakfast is expensive (Brumus Breakfast, combining cooked, fruit, cereal and pastries, £24.50; eggs Benedict, £10.50) but wonderful, and fine cocktails (pineapple, pear and ginger martini, £10.50) are served in the bar area beside the entrance. There’s another bar in the bling swimming pool area downstairs.
Leisure facilities:
Head into the basement for a fun - if, for Firmdale, uncharacteristically Hollywood-style - swimming pool and bar. Here the loungers are shiny and the roof glitters with lights. The pool is sometimes closed to guests for private events.
Service:
On the ball and smartly turned out, without being too formal.
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Who stays there:
A cross-section of business, media and fashion types, with some older theatre fans here to see a musical.
Price advice:
If your stay includes a Sunday, that night’s room is available at a bargain half price.
Pros:
Lovely, comfy public spaces
Handsomely designed rooms
Glittery basement swimming pool
Cons:
Additional costs (internet, pricey breakfast)
More information on Haymarket:
- Price from:
- Type:
- Hotel
- Address:
- 1 Suffolk Place, London, United Kingdom, SW1Y 4BP
- Amenities:
- Fitness Centre, High-Speed Internet, Restaurant, Room Service, Swimming Pool
- Neighbourhood:
- Piccadilly
