Kimpton Fitzroy: All Dolled Up And Somewhere To Go

There are not many hotels that boast one of London’s famous blue plaques, but Kimpton Fitzroy, overlooking Russell Square in London’s charming Bloomsbury area, is one. At first, you might not notice it. It’s found tucked away around the corner of what is an ornate and imposing entrance of a sprawling hotel – the terracotta façade comes complete with prancing cherubs and four formidable statues of former British monarchs. Here, English Heritage’s blue plaque scheme, which started in 1866 and links the people in the past with the buildings of the present, marks the site of what was once the home of Suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst.

In fact, this is not the only architectural ‘wonder’ at the hotel, for it is bursting with gems. Designed in 1898 by Charles Fitzroy Doll, who also designed the famous (and ill-fated) dining room on The Titanic, the hotel is the epitome of flamboyant Victorian design. Think: soaring pillars, lofty ceilings and polished marble panels. Indeed, Fitzroy Doll’s level of grandeur and detailing was so great that his style launched the phrase ‘all dolled up’.

Hotel Russell, as it was then known, first opened in 1900, and was indeed ‘all dolled up’, becoming notorious as the first building in London to have en suite bathrooms – a marvel at the time. While this attention to modernity is one that continues today, under the Kimpton brand, a sense of the building’s original lavish interior design is still in evidence. It can be best soaked up in the lobby with its opulent marble features, oversized chandeliers and giant stone pillars – it’s obvious that no expense was spared. As a result, it is palatial in feel, with a stunning mosaic floor, with zodiac symbols and a winking sun, adding to the awe-striking first impression.

The Kimpton brand was launched some 30 years ago and, in doing so, it caused a stir in the hospitality industry. These days it is part of InterContinental Hotels Group, but Bill Kimpton’s inaugural hotel in San Francisco was one of the foremost boutique hotels in the US – in fact, the first of its kind – and its ethos became a blueprint for small, characterful hotels the world over. His idea was to reimagine historic and interesting buildings into “beautiful, liveable and stylish” homes, rather than large, impersonal hotels.

The London outpost, Kimpton Fitzroy, may be big but it is no exception to this tenet. Having reopened in 2018, as the UK’s first Kimpton, it remains a showcase for what the brand does so well: thoughtful hospitality. While the public areas are all-singing and all-dancing, the bedrooms and suites – and there are 334 of them – ooze ‘quiet luxury’.

With its separate living room and charming features – such as an original fireplace and cosy dining area tucked within a window nook – the corner suite, for instance, is one of the largest and most elegant suites in town. Velvet sofas, a canopied bed and roll top bath found in the bedroom, are just the type of features people love in hotels. The spacious marble bathroom, with its 1920s-style ribbed glass lights and shower doors and ‘his and her’ sinks, is also impressive. Factor in the bespoke range of full-size ‘Master Vetiver’ toiletries, made by perfumer Azzi Glasser, and it feels bang on the money.

But, Kimpton also excels in the details. So, there’s a complimentary soft drinks and snacks bar (other five-star hotels, take note – this should be standard at this level). There are pops of colour, with vivid silk cushions by textile designer Kit Miles and a lipstick-red retro dial phone, while piles of curated books give a nod to Bloomsbury’s literary roots. There are also plug sockets and charging points in all the right places (so you can charge your phone by the bed if you want, or dry your hair in front of a mirror – surprisingly overlooked in many hotels, new and old). What’s more, if you’ve forgotten something, then there’s no issue – there is a long list of things that you can phone down to reception for – anything from tweezers to airport security liquid bags; humidifiers to hair straighteners. Tick, tick, tick.

Guests will also find a selection of potted plants dotted around the room. A homely touch, it’s all part of Kimpton’s ‘Plant Pals’ scheme – whereby plants have been chosen in relation to Bloomsbury and inspired by the area’s notable artists and writers, including Virginia Woolf, Clive Bell, Roger Fry, EM Forster, Dora Carrington and Duncan Grant. The scheme is part of the hotel’s wider wellness offering, with studies showing that plants have the ability to boost moods, increase productivity, encourage relaxation and reduce stress.

In keeping with this, there are also in-room yoga mats, bikes that guests can hire and a new Time to Tarot package, which offers a unique take on self-care with a bookable Tarot card reading. The experience has been curated in partnership with Bloomsbury’s iconic Treadwell’s Bookshop and occult expert Dr Christina Oakley, who will be providing the tarot reading service. Meanwhile, London-based illustrator, Ari Wisner, has designed a unique, Tarot deck inspired by the magnificent architecture of the hotel.

While the hotel feels cavernous, it nonetheless manages to remain welcoming, partly due to the attentive staff as well as Tara Bernerd’s glamorous design touches, which work in tandem with the lavish architecture.

There is a 24-hour gym and a café, Burr & Co, which has a cool neighbourhood feel and where you can tap into readings from new and established authors. Entering the glamorous cocktail bar, Fitz’s, on the other hand, is like actually stepping into the pages of The Great Gatsby, with its scalloped velvet seats, black-panelled walls and shimmering mirrored bar.

Designed by Russell Sage, known for his decadent aesthetic, there are plumes of ostrich feathers, potted palm plants, a giant mirror disco ball and original 18^th-century stained-glass windows. For something inventive, its new cocktail menu – The Theory of Colour – features 14 crafted drinks inspired by the world of colours and, in particular, a 1660 piece of art by Dutch artist, Jan Davidsz de Heem, called Vase of Flowers. The rum-based Bodice Ripper is a highlight, laced with passion fruit, kumquat liqueur, tomato wine and pomegranate.

For an early evening complimentary glass of wine (another nice touch), head to the Palm Court, which is light-filled due to the soaring glass ceiling. It’s an area that gives a nod to the Victorian heritage of the building, with lots of greenery and an outside courtyard. The buzzy space is ideal for a glass of bubbles or an afternoon snack and has something of a continental feel about it.

Perhaps the hotel’s piece de resistance, however, has to be the Galvin Bar & Grill, which calls in Londoners and tourists alike due to the Michelin-starred brothers, Chris & Jeff Galvin’s classic menu. A modern twist on a traditional British grill restaurant, the dishes celebrate ethically-sourced produce and draw on the city’s diverse cultures to represent modern Britain. From the Dorset crab and piquillo pepper croquettes to the wild garlic risotto, crispy courgette flower and black garlic puree, dishes are distinguished and refined. The menu, says the Galvins, is how they’d like to see Britain today: “ethical, generous and open”. It’s much like the spirit behind Kimpton Fitzroy itself.

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