This luxurious, eccentric hotel, next to the Royal Albert Hall, is full of surprises - not the least of which is how the cognoscenti have kept it a secret for so long.
Perhaps that's because the Gore was intended to be a "secret" all along. Originally, when this area was developed in the mid-19th century,the landowner prohibited hotels north of London's Cromwell Road. As a way around, two great houses, at 189 and 190 became Queen's Gate Mansions, discreet, serviced apartments for wealthy visitors and a hotel in everything but name.
Later, at the turn of the 20th century, two sisters, Misses Ada and Fanny Cooke, turned it into a genteel hotel. Today, the public rooms, with their polished wood, etched glass and brass, their massive crystal chandeliers and their dark walls covered with framed pictures, recall that era.
This boutique hotel is particularly handy for visitors to Imperial College, the Victoria and Albert and other South Kensington Museums as well as those planning day trips west of the city. It is also ideally placed for a night at the Royal Albert Hall attending a concert or the famous BBC Proms.
Inside the Gore Hotel
From the entrance, framed on one side by a buzzy bar and on the other by a smart but relaxed bistro, a corridor leads through to a magnificent staircase. One can imagine Lily Langtree, or perhaps Dame Nelly Melba - who was a regular guest - making a grand entrance on it.The staircase - and a small lift or elevator - lead to 50 individually decorated, romantic rooms.
Essentials
- Where:190 Queen's Gate, London, SW7 5EX
- Telephone:(from the USA add 011)44 (0)207 584 6601
- Price Band:$$
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