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Condé Nast Traveler

The Other House, South Kensington

Why book? Because there's nothing quite like it in this part of town, where visitors are usually looking for a comfortable stay to combat museum fatigue after ticking off the V&A and other big hitters. The Other House South Kensington promises all the inside-track benefits of a private members' club combined with the convenience and autonomy of having your own London crashpad. For this it leans into tech, offering an app which means guests can plug into the services of the hotel, and be as engaged—or not—with staff as they want. Set the scene Although this place strives to be different in its apartment-living-meets-hotel-stay concept, it is also still very much rooted in its surroundings. The main feature of the lobby is a gilded whoosh of a chandelier mimicking a garland of leaves. Commissioned from Cox London, it is designed to echo the leafy private gardens found in this well-heeled neighborhood. The decor throughout is rainforest-opulent, with signature owl and monkey wallpaper in the bar of the same name, along with velvet cushions with bejeweled panther heads and gilded parrots perching on lamp stands with fringed parlor-worthy shades. The animal motifs continue throughout the public areas—from the peacock-stalked jacquard jackets worn by front-of-house staff to the tropical waistcoats of the mixologists. There's even strokable armadillo-print wallpaper in the ladies' bathroom on the club floor. Here you'll also find three spaces open to residents and members: the Keeping Room—clubby and cool with armchairs and sofas in richly textured and toned fabrics, and a baby grand for impromptu singaloangs, plus three little curtained nooks that invite ordering afternoon cocktails; the Hogsmire, a light- and tree-filled atrium with a courtyard feel where Panama hats hang on pegs fashioned like twigs; and the Owl & Monkey, which is open during the day to members and residents as a coworking space. Beside the lobby, there's also the library, where the book selection was curated by Pandora Sykes, and includes titles from Gilly Cooper to Candice Carty-Williams via Charles Dickens. And look out for the brightly daubed disruptor art: elaborate frames bought around Europe then smeared with pops of oil paint. On our visit, the crowd consisted of arty Euro couples, local friends sussing out the scene in the bar, and families with teenagers hanging out in the vibrantly decorated library. The backstory Naomi Heaton, CEO and founder of The Other House, made her name in advertising and property development before launching this hospitality brand. She transferred some of the learnings from her residential background to the design of the hotel, for example she didn't want a lobby that was too formal or staid and created the Club Flats (the name for the property's 200-plus guestrooms) so they resemble urban studios, with sitting rooms and kitchenettes. The renovation of the property was extensive as it spans 11 grand Victorian townhouses, which at one point had been converted into a hotel. After a complete reconfiguration of the buildings, the new incarnation now includes four sky-lit atriums, a café, cocktail bar, private meeting and dining rooms, a pool, gym, and a wellness space. Next up, Heaton plans to launch Other Houses in Covent Garden and Belgravia. The rooms Ranging from studio-feel Club Pros and vaulted-ceiling Club Turrets to three-bedroom Club Vaults, the choice of stays here is expansive. While for some guests, a compact apartment with a fully kitted-out kitchenette and deep-orange velvet sofa and TV will tick all the boxes of a neat London pied-à-terre, larger groups or families can take over a 'combo,' a group of apartments connected by a covered private courtyard for riad-style living. The moody aesthetic uses wood and leather panels with a focus on wool and tweed in the soft furnishings. To enhance the neighborhood feel, each floor is named after famous one-time-local residents. Our room was on O'Brien—after singer Dusty Springfield. Food and drink All-day street café The Other Kitchen is open to the public as well as residents, serving breakfasts of green smoothies, granola, berry compote, and Clarence Court eggs on fun monkey-motif china by William Edwards, and lunches of giant sandwiches stuffed with chicken, pickled vegetables, and kimchi mayonnaise, or salads of butternut squash and crispy bacon. Come evening, the vibey Owl and the Monkey cocktail bar turns up the soundtrack and turns out great cocktails and satisfying small plates. Especially impressive here is the choice of non-alcoholic concoctions—try French Kiss 0%, with plum and rhubarb elixir, grapefruit soda, and Everleaf Mountain, or for something boozy, the Monkey See, Monkey Do for a rum, yuzu sake, and clarified milk experience. Among the small plates are halloumi bites, sausage rolls, and broad bean, pea, and feta arancini. The spa The hotel's Other Space does wellbeing with a spiritual and holistic twist—from a wellbeing concierge offering one-on-one experiences to astrology and tarot card reading. There's also a vitality pool for laps, with sexy black tiles and a light installation, plus a sauna, steam room, and seriously kitted-out gym with Peloton bikes and hi-tech rowing machines. Group sessions of body work such as yoga take place three times a week. The neighborhood/area The shopping of Knightsbridge, leafy paths of Hyde Park, and local-haunt restaurants of Chelsea are on the doorstep. The idea behind The Other House is to bring the fun-loving members' club set-up to a new part of London while still rooting it in the area. The service The young and upbeat staff strike up a rapport with you from the minute you walk in the door, and are equally friendly right through to making sure your pre-dinner drinks are as stiff as you like them. This is all part of the traditional hotel service here, but for guests who are treating it as their London apartment for longer stays, there are extra bells and whistles such as a separate post room for Amazon deliveries and an area off the lobby for Deliveroo drop-offs. You can even take up a residence for a year, leave for a few months and return to pick up where you left off. The in-house app allows you to have the run of the place: order food, see how busy the gym is, or book The Den screening room for a film night with friends. Eco effort Sustainability is one of the brand's pillars, so materials with a low environmental impact were used in construction, and products from verified eco-friendly suppliers have been sourced for the hotel's day-to-day operations. For example, you won't find any limes in cocktail garnishes at the Owl and the Monkey (they are among the fruits with the biggest carbon footprint, according to Heaton). Furniture and fabrics throughout the property are from British design houses. Accessibility All floors are accessible via the elevators, and there are accessible rooms available from the ground to the fifth floor.