Charlotte Street Hotel

Charlotte Street Hotel opened in 2000 as one of the earlier properties in Tim and Kit Kemp’s Firmdale collection, and Kit Kemp’s design work, heavy on pattern and colour rather than minimalist restraint, is still the reason it gets recommended over more corporate Fitzrovia hotels nearby with far less personality.

Oscar, the ground floor bar and restaurant, functions as a genuine local meeting point rather than just a hotel dining room, with mural lined corners that regulars treat as their own for quiet business meetings and long lunches rather than tourist trade passing through.

Downstairs, a 75 seat screening room with orange leather seats hosts a Saturday film club that draws people from outside the hotel entirely, a rare case of a hotel amenity building its own independent following separate from overnight guests.

Rooms are comfortable and quiet given the very central location, though because each one is individually decorated in Kit Kemp’s style, the room you get can vary noticeably in size and outlook from the photographs used on the booking site, and prices sit at the upper end of what Fitzrovia hotels charge more generally for a comparable size of room.

It suits guests who want personality over predictability, and who are prepared to pay a genuine premium for design and character rather than simply the largest possible room for the money.

The hotel is one of several Firmdale properties within walking distance of each other in this part of London, and guests who enjoy Charlotte Street’s style often go on to try Ham Yard or Covent Garden Hotel on later visits, since the Kemps’ design language carries across the group while each hotel keeps its own distinct character. Fitzrovia itself is quieter than neighbouring Soho after dark, which suits guests wanting easy access to the West End without the noise of staying directly inside it. The hotel’s small gym and treatment rooms are modest compared with larger luxury chains, so guests prioritising extensive spa facilities over character and design may be better served elsewhere in central London. Breakfast at Oscar is taken seriously rather than treated as a routine hotel buffet, with a proper à la carte menu that draws in outside guests as well as residents each morning, which adds to the sense that the ground floor functions as a genuine restaurant first and a hotel amenity second.