The Adria: A Comprehensive Guide to Staying in One of London’s Boutique Luxury Townhouses
Stepping into the Adria Hotel in London is like embarking on a luxurious journey through time and elegance, where every moment promises comfort, charm, and an unforgettable experience. This is my review of The Adria Hotel; a stunning 19th Century 5-star townhouse boutique hotel located in South Kensington, London. The location was good and the townhouse afforded a small boutique atmosphere with only 24 rooms and suites across the upper four levels of this white painted Georgian house.
Having recently stayed at The Bürgenstock Resort in Switzerland a few weeks ago, I realised afterwards that there is also the Bürgenstock Collection, a small group of four hotels; three in Switzerland and The Adria in London. It was definitely a much smaller property than I would generally choose to stay in, but realising that it was now part of Leading Hotels of the World (a regular favourite collection of hotels) and having a last minute opportunity for a weekend stay in London, I decided to book so that I could try it out. You can find my review of the Bürgenstock Resort Lake Lucerne here.
The Adria London by Leading Hotels of The World
Fast Facts for The Adria
Address - 88 Queen's Gate, South Kensington, London SW7 5AB
Website - https://www.theadria.com/
Group website - https://burgenstockcollection.com/en
TripAdvisor ranking - #659 of 1,224 hotels in London
Contact - stay@theadria.com
Instagram - @theadriahotel
Nearest airport - London’s Heathrow (LHR) - 23 km or 14.4 miles (about a 45 min drive, traffic dependent) or London City (LCY) - 20 km or 12.5 miles (about an 1hr drive, traffic dependent)
Opened - 2022
Number of rooms / suites - 24
Number of floors - 6 (basement, ground and 4 accommodation levels)
Bars - None (but drinks served in multiple lounges)
Restaurants - Breakfast only, but multiple facilitated dinner options
Wellbeing - Private (dry) sauna, gymnasium, one spa treatment room (treatments bookable) and private yoga
Visited - September 2023
The Adria London Townhouse Entrance
Hotel Accommodation: Seamless blending of soothing design with every modern convenience
With only 24 across four floors, 6 on each floor with a similar configuration there’s a combination of single rooms (luxurious, but through size really only suitable for one person); superior, deluxe and executives; then both junior and signature suites. There was only one option by the time I booked, that being an executive and I was given a great room on the upper (4th level). Although I would have been entitled to an upgrade on arrival through Leading Hotels of the World membership, this wasn’t available.
What I absolutely loved (must be my logical financial brain) was that the lift (available to all floors) wasn’t set out with floors on the inside panel but an alphabetical board from A to Z set out across four rows and then a couple of extras of Lobby and -1 buttons. Top down, the uppermost level (4th) where I was located, had rooms with all names alphabetically, from Adria to Fortnum, all named after things specific to either London or synonymous with the UK. 3rd level was Globe to Mini, 2nd Nelson to Tea, and lastly 1st being Umbrella to Zebra. Of course, knowing there were only 24 rooms and suites and then 26 letters of the alphabet, I had to work out which letters they didn’t use. I worked out that both I and O hadn‘t been used, logically (presumably) because these could be confused with floor numbers.
“In the heart of exclusive South Kensington, The Adria is much more than a boutique hotel. Behind the stucco façade of our 19th-century townhouse, you will discover a contemporary style designed to meet every modern comfort.”
Facilities & Service at The Adria
As much as I loved my stay, unlike The Londoner where we stayed the previous weekend, the facilities here (as good as they were) were much more limited, but completely in keeping with 24 rooms and suites versus 350!
I’ve broken down the key facilities and services and shared my opinion on them below:
Rooms/suites
My room, Downing (after Downing Street, number 10, the official residence of the UK’s Prime Minister) on the 4th floor overlooking the street side was superbly appointed. There was a large entrance hall with en-suite bathroom off, really decent sized wardrobe space with safe, bathrobes and slippers (good for going down for a spa treatment), umbrellas, and the favourite of ‘Mrs’ ThePrivateTraveller an iron and ironing board. There was a built-in refreshment centre with Smeg kettle and a separate coffee maker, with a filled mini-bar underneath.
The room was a really good size, open plan with two large windows, with a large TV on one wall with a sofa facing, separate writing/vanity desk and then a huge king-size four-poster bed. Beautifully appointed with luxurious furniture and a super comfortable bed, it was a relaxing atmosphere with neutral colourings, white walls and light grey wooden panelling. Curtains were extremely heavy to block out any overnight light from the street, and I slept extremely well. Just an FYI, although it didn’t impact me at all (and I’m normally very noise sensitive) even on the 4th floor you would regularly be aware of the distant rumble of the underground trains. Not disruptive in any way, it just makes you aware of the labyrinth of underground tunnels that snake all over London. In the basement, when having my spa treatment, it was obvious there but again I actually found it quite relaxing, like that feeling of sleeping on an overnight train. In the breakfast room the next morning, on the ground floor, some of the light fittings etc. would shake a bit with the passing trains, but completely non-disruptive.
Levels of Comfort
Really good - the room was exceptionally well presented and of course is really new, with the hotel only having opened in January 2022 after a £1m refurbishment project. Apart from the distant train rumble, as above, there was no noise from the street as the local Kensington area, though still busy, was mainly residential. On arrival, there was a fresh fruit platter, a small box of union jack branded Charbonnel & Walker salted caramel truffles, LHW welcome note and large bottles of both sparkling and still mineral water.
Lighting and air conditioning controls were (in the main) easy to use, although I did have a bit of an issue trying to get the bathroom lights to go out and eventually had to use a pillow to block out the escaping light as the door wouldn’t remain closed. I did find out the next day that if you persevere with the two dimmer switches, the ceiling lights in the bathroom can be put out but there always seemed to be a single light illuminating a recessed shelving unit that remained on, as did a small LED overnight light remain on outside the bathroom door too.
Technology was evident, but not difficult or intrusive, with connected lighting switches at each side of the bed too, a great (simple) designer phone system with handsets by the bed, on the writing desk and in the bathroom too. The TV was connected too, and worked generally well, albeit on the second night it seemed to keep rebooting itself every so often. Air conditioning was very effective, really simple to operate, and extremely quiet.
Bathroom
Good size, fully Italian marble lined walls and floor, with a more impactful mosaic wall above the bath. Really nice white fittings, Victorian style with a large (but single) sink, which was absolutely fine being there alone (but I do normally prefer a “his & his” when travelling with my significant other). As well as the large bath (all marble surrounded too), there was a separate shower cubicle, not the biggest but did have a great overhead (and hand too) shower. As much as I tried to ensure the door was completely closed, and didn’t use the shower at full capacity, I did find that there was an awful lot of water outside. There were lots of pristine white fluffy towels, toiletries by Penhaligon's (Halfeti fragrance) with shower gel, shampoo, conditioner and body lotion; and it was pristinely serviced twice daily, like the rest of the room.
Breakfast
Although there was no restaurant in the hotel, next to the (small) reception desk on the ground floor there was a really light, airy breakfast room. Set out with tables for 2 or 4, seating a maximum of 16, but with a very generous timing of 7am to 11am daily, this was never busy. In addition, with most of the ground floor being dedicated to lounge spaces (multiple rooms including a long, narrow opening glass-roofed conservatory) there was also a large dining table in one of them. During my stay there was a large family staying and their breakfast was set up separately there each morning.
A continental breakfast was included within the LHW rate (yoghurt, fresh fruit salad, a croissant, tea/coffee/juice) but there were extra additionally priced options of various smoothies, with a massive selection of hot foods from a full English breakfast to Crushed Avocado on sourdough, omelettes to pancakes or waffles.
Service was good, albeit extremely slow on the first morning, with the explanation (more for the couple next to me who had been waiting for more than an hour for hot food) of there being a new chef.
Restaurant & Bars
Apart from the breakfast restaurant as above, and afternoon teas being available in the various rooms throughout the ground floor (Drawing, Games or Garden rooms) there was a large open plan kitchen area where drinks could be served from, throughout the day. I focussed on the gins, and they had a good selection including my go-to favourite, Tanqueray.
I knew in advance that the hotel didn’t have a (dinner) restaurant and instead they partnered with local restaurants to provide your chosen meal either in the comfort of your room or suite, or in one of the downstairs rooms. I thought I would have dinner in one night and eat out the next, but as it turned out I did this both nights. The concept was really good and they could have just passed this off as a normal room service menu (well in fact, a really delicious and extensive room service menu) but instead it was made clear that they were facilitating ordering from local restaurants. See below for the current choice.
Design & Architecture
I love staying in different places and locations, and trying our different hotel styles. The Adria was certainly very different to our recent stays at The Londoner, Four Seasons Ten Trinity or The Savoy (reviews all coming soon) but still really good. If you’re looking for a smaller boutique experience then this is the place for you. I read that over £1m had been spent on refurbishing this former dilapidated residential townhouse (Grade II listed building) and it shows - I’m actually surprised it didn’t cost more as it’s been done to an extremely high, luxurious standard and looks like no expense has been spared.
The design throughout is elegant and relaxing, clearly a lot of thought has been put into the project along with the style they’ve created with some incredible looking artwork on all floors. The bedrooms were comfortable and relaxing, yet perfectly in keeping with the origins of the townhouse, a wonderful mix of 1950’s glamour with all mod cons such as the integrated lighting and air conditioning systems.
What about The Adria’s location?
I came to the hotel via the London Underground (The Tube as it’s known) to Gloucester Street station, less than a 5 minute walk; as is South Kensington in the other direction, towards Mayfair and Harrods etc. Alternatively Kensington High Street (Tube) and also a main shopping and restaurant/bar area are within 25 minutes. It’s in the Queen’s Gate area, that being named by the nearest gate into Kensington Gardens/Hyde Park, which is a shorter walk away. Next to those gates are the Palace Gates themselves, and it’s a nice walk through the gardens if you’re headed towards Kensington High Street for a restaurant or shopping.
The Natural History Museum is literally round the corner, the Royal Albert Hall and Hyde Park are within 10 minutes. Wherever you are in London and the centre, you’re invariably always close to something, so this was a good central base. On my way to Kensington High Street for some shopping, I did pass two other favourite luxury London hotels of mine, nearest to the Adria is the Milestone, just opposite Hyde Park and a bit nearer to Kensington is The Milestone. Both amazing hotels, but larger than the Adria.
Some of the top activities I’d recommend doing at The Adria are:
Adria Spa
Once I’d booked my stay, I was then sent an email with a list of treatments available. There was a good choice of massages (Signature, Swedish, Deep Tissue, Sports and Reflexology) all available for 60 minutes at £140 each. I opted for a combined two-hour session with both sports massage followed by reflexology, which was expertly carried out by a female therapist who met me in their downstairs treatment room. Though small and simple, but beautifully appointed with an en-suite shower if required, and a relatively simple massage bed, the treatment was really good and extremely professional. Not that I’m overly tall, but it did take a bit of manipulation with the position of the bed for the therapist to be able to start the reflexology after the sports massage first. I often write male spa reviews, but with the facilities being relatively limited here (albeit the sauna, also with its own shower, and the gymnasium looked excellent) I’ll write nothing more than here.
As well as all the massage options, there were also manicures and pedicures, facials, hair and make-up options too. My therapist asked how I wanted the pressure of the massage at the start, with regular check-ins throughout as to whether more or less - I went for more and she expertly applied a bit more pressure, really working on my back as requested. The hour passed quickly and then it was over to the relaxing reflexology session. It was so great just being able to go down for the massage in my hotel bathrobe and slippers (surreptitiously with the direct lift floor to floor) and then just return to the room afterwards without having to get dressed and travel anywhere.
Food and Drink at The Adria
As I explained above, although it effectively worked like ordering room service, you would phone the butler and place your order. I hadn’t realised that I had initially chosen items across two different restaurants, but it was explained that this wasn’t a problem so I had the most delicious pizza from Cinquecento Pizzeria with rosemary & sea-salt fries from Hache Burgers, the following night I order a curry, rice and garlic naan from Dishoom. There were also full menus from Cacciaris (also pizzas and pastas) and Huo (Asian) available too.
On my first night (rather indulgently pizza and fries with a G&T) it was served quite quickly and came properly served on a trolley already expertly decanted to look exactly like normal room service. The second night (Dishoom) although the food was excellent I did have a very long wait as they had delivered it initially without the naan bread. As much as I love to eat out in London restaurants (and have quite a few favourites) at the same time as liking to try in-house hotel options, the options here were really good and if I’d had a longer stay there was no risk of running out of different options. As an alternative, though I chose in-room dining both nights, it could just as easily have been served anywhere else in the hotel, even the breakfast room if I had wanted a more traditional dining experience.
Highlights of our stay
There were so many highlights of the stay at the but here are just a few of the key points, which I hope you find a useful summary.
Location - very good with easy Tube options nearby and all the sites.
On site massage - very easy being in the basement, reasonably priced, and very well executed.
Food options in the room - worked well and plenty of choice.
Penhaligon's Halfeti toiletries - always a favourite brand.
Cleanliness - exemplary throughout and the hotel was clearly being very well maintained with a painter touching up white paint throughout the common areas during my stay.
It was a nice touch having all the rooms named alphabetically, and the unusual lift panel with letters rather than numbers.
Gym - although I didn’t use it during my stay, I did check it out and it was very well appointed. Good having the option for private yoga sessions too.
Having all the ground floor spaces - felt very luxurious and relaxing with the full choice of places to relax and perhaps have a drink or afternoon tea.
Booking was very simple online through Leading Hotels of the World, and very easy to request massage treatments in advance.
Such a relaxed check in in one of the lounges.
Design elements like all the room keys being stored in coloured ‘books’ as a feature behind the reception desk. Reminded me of a fantastic stay at The Fife Arms.
Areas for improvement
Wherever we stay, I do always like to look at the positives on any property we stay in, and airlines we fly with etc. but sometimes you can’t help but notice things that (for me, but I realise this is always personal) might have made for a better stay.
Rumble from tube - just an FYI, this was not disruptive to me in any way (and normally I’m very noise sensitive.
Breakfast was very, very slow on the first day - new chef apparently.
Bathroom lights - hard to switch off, had to wedge a pillow to block the light leakage.
TV kept switching off - seemed like the software kept rebooting.
The shower did leak despite trying to keep the cubicle door fully closed and not having the water pressure too high.
There was an intercom on the main entrance door, and with it being a boutique hotel it was always closed for security. While no issue always having to buzz to get back in, it did feel slightly unwelcoming (despite always receiving a nice welcome, if that makes sense) to not have your own means of entry. Not sure if it would be possible to explore options to be able to allow direct access through the room key system too?
Would I stay here again?
I definitely would if there was a specific reason to stay in that particular location, and of course I always do like making use of the Leading Hotels of the World membership. I would recommend it extremely highly to anyone and it is such a good experience in such a lovely boutique (and luxury) townhouse. The issue is there are so many great hotel choices in London (and more opening all the time like the recent Peninsula, another Mandarin Oriental in Mayfair, Raffles London at the OWO, The BoTree) it’s always hard where to choose. As much as I have my outright favourites, I do love trying out new locations like my recent trip to the Four Seasons at Ten Trinity Square.
One of many luxury lounges at The Adria London
My final thoughts on The Adria
Have you stayed at The Adria before? I’d love to hear your own thoughts and opinions on it as well as your impression of London as a holiday destination. I’m so glad I went after realising it was part of the Bürgenstock Collection, but (in a really good way) it’s so radically different and nothing like the Bürgenstock Resort hotels themselves that it’s good to see how the same company can have such different experiences.
Comment below to share your thoughts and opinions.
Let me know which hotel I should review next!
