Ham Yard Hotel, London

Just a couple of streets away from lively Piccadilly Circus is the equally energetic Ham Yard Hotel. Designed by Kit Kemp in a style which is completely unique this hotel is filled with colorful artwork collected from around the world, meaning that every glimpse around every corner peaks your curiosity. Its fantastic restaurant and rooftop bar have become frequent hang-outs of well-heeled Londoners, making this fabulously quirky hotel, with its 91 stylish urban rooms and suites, an attraction in itself. No one would blame you for spending hours examining its exciting use of textures and design pieces.

Location

50 minutes from Heathrow Airport in the heart of London’s Soho, Ham Yard is the best place to explore the city from. With Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square both only a five minute walk away, and top tourist attractions such as Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park and the London Eye easily accessible by London Subway or on foot you will be able to tick all the spots on your bucket-list off effortlessly, even if you only have a short weekend stay planned.

Your room

The 91 bedrooms and suites have been designed in Ham Yard’s modern British style and no two rooms are the same. However, all have contemporary floor-to-ceiling warehouse style windows showering them in light which accentuates their colorful and playful artwork. The bathrooms are beautiful mixtures of granite and oak or marble and oak. With views over the tree-filled courtyard or London’s skyline, these rooms are luxurious urban living spaces in one of the world’s most vibrant cities.

Why we like it

Two words. Bowling. Alley. Head down the stairs to the basement and you will be greeted by an original 1950s bowling alley all the way from Texas. The Croc, as it is called, is part of a large, colorful basement space that is also home to a movie theater and The Dive Bar. In keeping with the rest of the hotel Kit Kemp has given the area a fantastically fun and kooky vibe decorating the bowling alley walls with a collection of over 70 old bowling shoes and gigantic floor to ceiling Howard Hodgkin paintings. The Dive Bar is just as theatrical with vintage lights and a spiral art installation that contains 397 oranges for the barmen to use to make your evening Screwdriver with. The fun never ends at Ham Yard.