In short… Six adjacent Georgian townhouses were joined together to create a beautiful, homey 68-room hotel with thoughtful details and a gorgeous garden.
The surroundings… The Bloomsbury neighborhood is not one I’ve spent much time in—I’d only walked around it a bit when I was at the British Museum ages ago—and I love how local and lived in it feels. It isn’t filled with global luxury stores or flashy cars in front of private clubs—there are independent bookstores and cafes, and lovely parks all around. The British Museum entrance is just around the corner, and you’re looking at it from the back garden of the Zetter, or from your room, should you have a garden-facing one. I joked with the front desk team that it’s a perfect place to stay if you’re planning a heist. It’s a short walk to Covent Garden, Soho, Lamb’s Conduit Street—and plenty of nearby tube stations.
The vibe… I’d stayed at the very maximalist Zetter Marylebone a year ago, which I loved. It feels very much like someone’s home—if that someone has very good taste and loves bold English style. I assumed this Zetter would stylistically be the same, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. Yes, this also feels very much like the home of someone with discerning taste, but it’s more of a well-traveled modernist—lots of North African decorative touches juxtaposed with Danish/French modernism. It’s also a place with great daylight—large windows in all the rooms and public spaces (of which there are so many places to sit for a chat, work outside your room, or have a meeting), and the dining area is within an atrium surrounded by their garden.
The rooms… Comfortable and warm—this is where the hotel nods to its English heritage with its furniture and wool blankets. Very tasteful, with enough design cues (canopy bed) for it to be very photogenic, but it also isn’t designed in that Instagram thirsty sort of way. The design feels very confident and timeless. Our room had a great enamel steel tub in it and a huge shower, with products from UK brand Verden. My only critique is there wasn’t much closet space.
The food & drink… Breakfast was included in our stay. They have a buffet with lovely glutinous things, but as I’m not eating those at the moment, we ordered eggs off the menu. They do a great poached egg with a nice gluten-free toast, as well as an avocado toast they’ll put an egg on. Matt loved their full English breakfast. One day when I was working through lunch, they brought me some pickled vegetables and a charcuterie board, which was just perfect. I loved that they remembered my dietaries and made an excellent suggestion. They also make great drinks—we had a late-night Negroni and martini, both of which were perfectly executed. They anticipate that by the summer their outdoor kitchen and pergola will be open, and they’ll have outdoor BBQs amongst other garden activations, like Wimbledon screenings on the outdoor screen.
The gym/wellness… We were there within two weeks of their opening, and the gym had just been completed. We were very impressed with it—loved the cork floor and the matching cork mats, and the very chic Nohrd equipment. Apparently yoga will be offered soon.
Is it family-friendly? Yes, very much so. There are large elevators perfect for strollers, and a back garden which is nice on warm days, if your baby is napping and you want to get out of the room. Russell Square just across the way has plenty of space to run around, and nearby Coram’s Fields has a large and well-shaded playground. And if your child is into history, the location is just golden.
Be sure to… I love that they have postcards in the room and encourage you to write on them, which they’ll mail for free. I also think that if you have a lot of work to do, definitely go to their Drawing Room and work off the dining table. I had it all to myself one day and it was just the best place to work from, but it would also be a great place to have meetings.
Date of stay… April 18-21, 2026
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.