Belmond Cadogan Hotel
"Set the scene.The doorman in a bowler hat; the receptionist in a smoking jacket and dickie bow; the avuncular GM greeting what seem like old friends, guiding them from the airily marbled lobby into the tearoom for afternoon tea. This new-old elegance—on a quiet corner between Knightsbridge and the King’s Road—feels like a refreshing departure from the recent slew of Soho House-ish openings in East London. The 53-room Belmond Cadogan is all about heritage and cosy service, like a smaller, re-tooled Claridge’s. What’s the story?The second U.K. opening from the swishy, increasingly ambitious Belmond brand (after Oxfordshire’s Le Manoir) is a reimagining of a London classic, which opened in 1887 and whose red-brick walls have quietly seen it all. The American actor and royal mistress Lillie Langtry lived next-door, Oscar Wilde was arrested in Room 118, and through much of the 20th century it was where rock stars and supermodels would flee the King’s Road blur for a quiet cuppa. Belmond’s painstaking four-year restoration of this tired petite dame wasn’t just about merging five Queen Anne townhouses and getting rid of all that asbestos—but planting a flag, and bringing some much-needed energy to the corner of Sloane and Pont Streets. What can we expect from our bedroom?Clean, mod-classic, shades of a Sloaney Peninsula. Heritage is done subtly: old cameras and Victorian hardbacks on the shelves; a framed butterfly in the minibar cupboard, a nod to the botany of Sir Hans Sloane, who founded the now-vast Cadogan Estate in 1712. Otherwise, expect cream, marble and mod-cons: slick, one-touch lighting, a TV in the bathroom wall, Bang & Olufsen speakers. Oscar Wilde’s room is now part of the Palace Suite (the bedroom is marked 118). Indecency is optional. How about the food and drink?Adam Handling, the rising star chef, helms the eponymous restaurant and bar, as well as the Cadogan’s tearoom, which slyly morphs into a Japanese whisky bar come nightfall. The food and afternoon teas are classic local British with a twist, a bit like Handling, who trained at Gleneagles before breaking out with a series of splashy London restaurants. Expect veal sweetbread or Highlands wagyu, but also Mother, a salt-baked celeriac starter with an egg yolk and truffled cheese. The strawberry version of the Old Fashioned comes with a homemade Jammie Dodger; theatrical afternoon teas also feature tea cozies knitted by Adam’s mum in Dundee. Anything to say about the service?Uniformly excellent with most of the staff, most of whom are Belmond vets. Take impeccable bartender Josep Font, who looks like a Pyrenean Joseph Fiennes and talks just as engagingly about his family truffle-hunting business as he does the classic bar’s 50-year-old Glenfiddich (yours for five grand a shot). What type of person stays here?People who read broadsheets rather than iPhones; sophisticated Europeans seeking a genteel English refuge; an older crowd who moved to the country but remember when the King’s Road was London’s beating heart. At the bar and restaurant, expect 30-something Sloanes in Chanel, but no sign of the Made In Chelsea crowd. What’s the neighborhood scene like?There’s one pub on Sloane Street, and a slew of faintly sepulchral designer stores, embassies, car showrooms and grand Georgian piles. This is a refuge rather than a scene, with access to the lovely Cadogan Place Gardens and tennis courts. It’s only a short walk north to Knightsbridge or south to the King’s Road. Anything we missed?The general vibe may be marbled classic, but there’s also lots of Saatchi-ish modern art around the place—including, in one corridor, a Swarovski-encrusted peacock called Oscar. There’s also a side entrance on Pont Street so you can pretend this really is your townhouse. Is it worth it—why?It sets itself apart from other grand London hotels by its intimacy. It’s half the size of all the other important ones, so the staff here will know not just your name but how you take your Earl Grey tea." - Toby Skinner
