2019-03-01 Business Traveller

businesstraveller.com MARCH 2019

95

BACKGROUND This striking Grade

II-listed building, which first opened as

the Hotel Russell in 1900, recently had

a £75 million renovation and opened

under the Principal brand in April last

year. That identity proved short-lived,

with Intercontinental Hotels Group and

joint venture partners Fonciere des

Regions buying Principal and reopening

the property under upscale brand Kimpton.

They have undertaken “light renovations”

to put a new stamp on it. It is the first UK

property for Kimpton, although this year

will see openings in Edinburgh, Glasgow

and Manchester.

WHAT’S IT LIKE? After arriving

through large wooden doors on Russell

Square, the foyer is an imposing sight, with

marble walls, pillars and a marble mosaic

floor. The hotel is softly lit and tastefully

decorated throughout. Features include

free bike use, a promise to provide any

toiletries or other items you may have

forgotten, and a daily “social hour” with

complimentary wine and beer served from

5pm to 6pm. Pets can stay for free.

WHERE IS IT? In Bloomsbury, two

minutes’ walk from Russell Square Tube

station (useful for the Piccadilly line to

Heathrow) or ten minutes’ walk from

Euston (for the Victoria and Northern lines).

ROOMS The property has 334 rooms,

which range from 11 sqm singles and

22-32 sqm doubles to 68 sqm suites.

The design in all is similar, simple but

inviting, with a colour scheme of cream

and taupe with dark detailing. All rooms

come with free wifi, Nespresso machines

(except for City Singles), Perfumer’s Story

bathroom amenities, Bluetooth speakers,

mini fridges and smart TVs. Business

travellers should note that many rooms

lack desks, including the one-bedroom

suite I stayed in.

The stand-out facility in my suite was

the large bathroom, which was finished

in marble. With its two sinks and big

freestanding tub, it was so inviting I could

have happily spent a whole day in it.

I did at some point leave, and happily

found the bed to be extremely comfortable,

with 300 thread-count linens and a mound

of pillows. Copies of classic books were a

nice touch. However, one gripe was that the

many light switches weren’t very intuitive.

It seemed that not all could be controlled

from the bed, and I had to scour the room

to work out how to turn off one particularly

persistent light coming from the wardrobe.

Kimpton Fitzroy

London

BEST FOR

Events – the meeting rooms and public

spaces have been beautifully done up –

or a luxurious bath in a Corner suite

DON’T MISS

Celeb-spotting over free drinks

during social hour at Fitz’s

PRICE

Internet rates for a flexible midweek

stay in April started from £299 for an

Urban Double room

CONTACT

Kimpton Fitzroy London,

1-8 Russell Square; tel +44 (0)20 7123

5000; kimptonfitzroylondon.co.uk

menu and afternoon tea in a bright, plant-

filled space in the centre of the hotel.

MEETINGS The ballroom has been

restored and fits 400 people for a banquet,

while eight additional event spaces can

accommodate gatherings of eight to 80.

LEISURE There is a 24-hour gym and

complimentary bike hire.

VERDICT The hotel meets its aim of

laid-back, unpretentious luxury. The design

is classic and tasteful, and the staff young

and friendly. Jenni Reid

The foyer is an imposing

sight, with marble walls,

pillars and a mosaic floor

FOOD AND DRINK Fitz’s Bar is a dimly

lit ground-floor hideaway that seemingly

wants to attract a cool crowd (as well as

City types in suits, I’m pretty sure I spotted

a very famous actor). On a dark velvet sofa

beneath a disco ball and silk-tented ceiling,

I tried a tasty and fairly lethal Negroni, as

well as the delicious salmon Tolstoy and

croquettes from the snack menu. Tragically,

I arrived too late for social hour.

On the other side of the building is

Burr and Co café, where a breakfast

buffet is served. This is fairly standard but

will cater to all tastes, with “health shot”

mini juices and chia puddings as well as

pastries, cheese and cold cuts, and hot

options. The vibe is somewhere between

a hipster coffee shop and a farmhouse.

Guests who buy bed and breakfast

packages can choose between this and

an à la carte breakfast at Neptune, which

for lunch and dinner becomes a seafood

restaurant. I didn’t try a meal there, but

its pink and cream décor (plus more

marble) looks like something out of a Wes

Anderson movie.

There is also the impressive Palm Court,

which serves drinks, an all-day dining