The Ampersand Hotel

The Ampersand Hotel was our home away from home during our London trip and it could not have been better. Our room was sizeable, with a very large and plush bed, vanity, large closet with small refrigerator (complimentary still and sparkling water) and plenty of space to store bags and other items. The bathroom was also nicely sized and, best of all, had heated floors.
Staff members were very kind, welcoming and helpful in every way. We arrived absolutely exhausted from the trip, and it was still hours before check-​in time. Fortunately, we were checked into our room early which greatly helped us to relax and enjoy our day.
The location of the hotel is just steps from the tube in South Kensington, and there are tons of restaurants, bars and other shops to peruse nearby (grab some of the best coffee ever at Roots & Bulbs). I’d be hard pressed to stay elsewhere on a future London visit.

A very nice place to stay. The hotel was clean, the staff was exceptional and it is close to the South Kensington tube.
There are many nice restaurants nearby, so I did not eat there.

A stylish, chic retreat in South Ken.
I stay here every time I visit London and it just gets better every time.
Situated just across from South Kensington tube station, it’s a perfect location for The Natural History Museum, The V&A, The Royal Albert Hall and The Science Museum — all within walking distance.
The rooms are spacious, comfortable and luxurious, the décor inspired by Botany, Music, Geometry, Ornithology and Astronomy with a nod to the local attractions listed above — a great touch.
The breakfasts at Apero are fabulous and so is the Afternoon Tea in the Drawing Rooms, a real work of art by pastry chef Ji Sun, you must book this during your stay.
All the staff are brilliant with such a warm welcome you feel like you’re visiting old friends — I can’t rate this hotel highly enough.

This was my second stay at the Ampersand after a very brief visit back in 2013. This hotel is an absolute gem. Located in a really great neighborhood, near a tube stop, the V&A, the Natural History Museum, Harrods and tons of great restaurants and coffee shops. The décor is very cute, the entire property is extremely clean and well run and the tea room in the lobby is, to me, the hit of the hotel Was so great having tea there each afternoon after a long day of walking and sightseeing. I spent a week in London alone just to sightsee and have some peace and quiet and this hotel really felt like home. The only downside is the hotel is located above a tube station so you can hear the trains coming in and out at times… but being a former New Yorker, that little bit of noise doesn’t bother me — you’re going to have city noise in any major city worth visiting. I highly recommend this hotel and will definitely stay there again if my travel plans take me back to London.

What I liked:
. Very convenient location opposite the South Kensington underground station.
. Original yet elegant design of the public spaces and rooms.
. Egyptian cotton bed linens.
. Two types of pillows: firm and soft.
. Radiant heat and rain shower head in the bathroom.
. iMacs and color printer available at all times.
. Fast Wi-​Fi.
. Very friendly and professional staff.
. Lunch in the drawing rooms.
. Night-​time quiet (although there is a noisy school behind the hotel).
What I didn’t like:
. Teeny size of the room.
. Very confusing over-​designed light controls.
. Electronic do-​not-​disturb sign that can be turned on accidentally, resulting in no cleaning of the room that day.
. Creaking floors.

Amazing hotel, staff and most of all… The room.
While I’m sure my room is better then some in the hotel I assure you if you make it your goal you can get it for little more then the standard.
It’s worth the extra 50 pounds a night.
Not only will I return, but I’ll recommend it to everyone I know.

We came for the Science Afternoon Tea in the Drawing Rooms and I was blown away by the hotel and would love to come back and stay in one of the rooms in the future. The hotel had a games room and a reading room in the communal areas, and the afternoon tea itself was incredible — come for the dry ice and chocolate dinosaurs, stay for the incredible lighting in the foyer and a game of scrabble.

I booked this hotel as a last night in the UK splurge before we headed home to the states and am happy I did. This hotel is RIGHT NEXT TO south Kensington which makes it incredibly easy to get to via tube and it’s just beautiful. We stayed in a baseline room and it was large with a true king sized bed. The room itself was beautifully decorated in a black and white motif but it was the details that really delighted me.
1. The bed is very comfy.
2. The pillows are filled with fresh, fluffy down.
3. Heated floors in the bathroom.
4. Little toiletry kits including eye makeup remover.
5. Complimentary soft drinks.
6. Yummy selection of teas in room.
7. A charging dock in the desk with usb plug options.
8. Sweet little gym.

Awesome location right next to tube and the museums. Hotel service is fantastic they are friendly and helpful. The rooms are vey nice and comfortable. As a landmark look for the flags as soon as you get out of the south Kensington station.

Had the most amazing time in The Drawing Room at the hotel. We had gone along for the limited-​time Science Afternoon Tea. Oh my goodness! It was incredible, I love, love, loved it. The staff were so unbelievably warm and enthusiastic and the tea was delectable. The sandwiches were served in a brioche type bread, and just melted in your mouth; both normal and vegetarian options were available. Moving up a layer to the scones. Now I don’t even like scones, but there were mere crumbs left once I’d finished with them! Genuinely crumbled in your mouth with delicious home-​made jam and clotted cream if you like it. Finally we’d reached the top, the masterpiece, the crème de la crème! It was as if we’d stepped into a sci-​fi film. Liquid nitrogen was bubbling, cascading down the 3-​tiered stand. Through the mist appeared a mango volcano on an almond, walnut and hazelnut chocolate slice, a pistachio macaroon with a raspberry pipette sauce followed, then we indulged in a cake planet; a white chocolate disc sandwiched between a vibrant red and yellow sponge. We washed it all down with a delicious green potion (a citrusy cocktail) and two little chocolate dinosaurs just incase the rest wasn’t enough. I cannot recommend this enough, even if the science tea is not on, the standard tea is well worth a visit, and who knows another style might even be on when you pop by!

Nice spot! Really convenient to the South Kensington tube station. You can take the Piccadilly line to/​from Heathrow with no changes and get there in about 45 minutes. The hotel is less than 5 minutes walk from the tube stop.
Our room was nice, though very small. It’s not a cheap neighborhood by any means, but it was nice to arrive in London and stay somewhere somewhat luxurious our first night. The bathroom was seriously tiny, and the shower’s temperature control was EXTREMELY sensitive. Once you get the temperature you want, DO NOT TOUCH IT. :)
The hotel is very close to the V&A Museum as well as many others. We felt totally safe walking around at night for a late reservation at Evans & Peel Detective Agency, which was a 15 – 20 minute walk from The Ampersand.
We had afternoon tea here after arriving, which was nice, but the open-​face sandwich format can be hard to eat without spilling food everywhere. The whole place seems to be run by fashionable Italians. The front desk staff was very cheeky — I think a couple of them must be an item, because as we were checking out one guy was playfully patting one lady on the bum. Laid back style, you could say! But they were very friendly (OBVIOUSLY, heheh) and helpful during our stay.
Breakfast downstairs in Apero was really nice. It’s kind of funny, due to the proximity to the tube station you can hear the trains rumbling by every few minutes when you’re down there in the basement. It’s nice and bright, though, and the breakfast buffet option was perfect for my jetlagged self.
I would stay here again due to the niceness of the rooms, not-​too-​exorbitant price, convenience to the tube, and maybe if you want to get a pat on the bum. :-o :)

Went for afternoon tea and it was wonderful. Décor is fun — not stuffy — and gluten free tea option was the best I’ve ever had.

Wonderful wonderful… slept like a baby… really really clean… really hot water… treated like royalty… ate & ate. Off to the station… jumped on the bus… nice for a walk.
What a great find! I shall return.

Wonderful hotel, I have stayed twice in the last couple of months… First time stay the room was small, though it is London, I got an email from hotel asking how my visit was, told the about the smaller room and when I arrived I, without any fuss, got a larger room .very happy indeed, the crown jewel of this hotel is it’s staff, young and genuinely friendly, they make your stay a breeze…

A 5 star 4 star hotel
I really enjoyed my stay at the Ampersand. The staff go out of their way to be friendly and helpful but not cloying. I don’t think of this as a pretentious 5 star place that nickels and dimes you for every small amenity. There is free wi fi and some free nonalcoholic drinks provided in the guest fridge. There’s a paper at the door in the morning. The light fixture in the stairwell is arty and classy. My superior room was small but comfy. There were nice touches like a robe and slippers.
There are public rooms available such as a library, bar and game room. I love the South Kensington location. Step out the door and there are buses, cross the street and you are at the Piccadilly and Circle line stops. Close to the Natural History Museum, the V&A, the Science Museum, Harrods and more nice shopping and restaurants than you will have time for.
I hope to return.

From the moment you enter this hotel till you leave the staff make you feel like a king/​queen, and as though you are the only one they serve. Impeccably maintained hotel, with really gorgeous lobby and tea/​café area. The room I stayed in the smallest room I have ever stayed in (and I have stayed in in tiny hotels in Italy and France), but it had all the luxuries I wanted. The room is very intelligently designed which is how they fit all that luxury in that tiny room! The bathroom is clean with high end toiletries. The afternoon tea is absolutely worth doing! The location of the hotel is awesome — right next to the south kensington tube station. Tons of cafes, sushi and Indian restaurants. One could walk to Harrods and to many museums. Absolutely a gem of a hotel, and cannot wait to go back and stay there!

We stayed here for a week during our last holiday in London. The hotel is just across the street from the underground so it’s convenient. The staff are friendly, attentive and on par with the best 5 star hotels in the world. Every detail was addressed from getting us Afternoon Tea reservatons at The Goring (which is near impossible) to stocking our room refrigerator with only the type of soda and juice we like. The room was cozy (code word for small) but the bed was VERY comfy and the rain shower was a welcome relaxation after a long day in the city. Ask for a room in the back on a higher floor as it is quieter. We will return!

We just stayed here for three nights at the end of a three-​week vacation. It was definitely our favorite hotel room during our entire trip.
The Ampersand kindly upgraded our room to a deluxe room. Each of their room categories has a theme — astronomy, music, ornithological, botanical, geometry. When we were deciding on a hotel, this made me a tiny bit nervous. The photographs looked like the themes were well done, but we often find hotels to be over-​designed with lots of artwork and clashing patterns even if they look simple online. We were relieved to discover The Ampersand is classy as hell, and found the theme in our room subtle and charming.
The bed was extremely comfortable, the bathroom was stunning, everything was SO CLEAN. The details they thought of were great — ice in your ice bucket, eye makeup remover in your bath kit, complimentary soft drinks in the mini-​bar.
Best of all, we found every staff member we encountered to be charming, friendly, and kind/​patient enough to answer any questions (we had lots about the Tube). The location is great — literally a crosswalk away from the South Kensington station, and a short walk away to Hyde Park or Chelsea.
I wish there were more Ampersands in the world — we’ll definitely be staying here every time we return to London!

Excellent afternoon tea. Great champagne, premium teas and coffees, and home-​made pastries in the Ampersand Hotel’s Drawing Rooms. Delicious ingredients, striking artwork and, a stylish setting: it’s the perfect afternoon!