Number Sixteen

36 Best Hotels in London for Design-Lovers, Spa-Goers, and History Buffs | Condé Nast Traveler

"A sister property to Knightsbridge, Number Sixteen offers a sanctuary in London where design, craft, and comfort converge. Victorian architecture meets bespoke interiors: thoughtful layering of color, texture, and art creates an environment that feels curated yet utterly livable. Book here if your ideal London stay is one where intention and aesthetic matter, where the architecture is domestic rather than institutional, and where you can feel both embedded in the city’s pace and also cocooned in calm. Just off a quiet South Kensington street, the white-stucco façade gives little away. With four early-19th-century townhouses in a row of upscale residences two blocks from South Kensington Tube station, the property is so discreet a hotel that I walked right on by upon my initial arrival. Once inside, though, the house-like scale and abundant natural light boldly reveal Kit Kemp’s signature aesthetic: fabrics in unexpected hues, harmonious antique and modern furnishings, and walls that display both colorful prints and whimsical art pieces. Plush seating invites you to pause, and patterned rugs and curated prints guide the eye from one room to the next." - Steve King