The Ampersand made our first-time London experience very enjoyable and we would definitely return if this standard is maintained.

Pros:
1. Location - Steps from South Kensington station which has 3 different lines so we were able to reach all the desirable places (Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, London Eye, The Tower of London, Eurostar station, Harrods, ect.) on one of the lines without the hassle of changing lines. There also is a lovely little square with numerous places to eat when you exit the station.

2. Staff & Service - Very friendly and accommodating and we felt very welcomed every time we returned from a day out. They were very nice about accommodating an early check-in as my husband was not feeling well upon arrival. We were also not disturbed at all by housekeeping during our 3 night stay with our do not disturb sign. We tended to leave our room around noon after sleeping in and the room was always made-up upon return in the evening.

3. Decor - Clean, spacious, and beautiful interior/colors. We had the deluxe studio and the room was spacious with seating arrangements and a nice-sized bathroom with tub and shower. The shower had a lovely rainfall showerhead. The Miller Harris amenities was also a nice touch.
Another thing that worked for me was the fact that I was able to open the windows to air out the room. The room smelled nice but I'm quirky about being able to open windows so it was a huge plus for me.

4. Free Wifi and Computer/Printer Area and Library with ping-pong table and book selections - Had no trouble with wifi for both our phones and laptop in the room.

5. Complimentary drinks in the fridge that are restocked daily.

Cons: Not that many and nothing major honestly.
1. Slight rumbling from the underground tube during early hours but not very noticeable unless you are highly sensitive. My husband is on the sensitive side but he didn't have a problem at all.

2. Hotel Entrance - the entrance is merely a double door a few steps up from the sidewalk. We didn't know that it was the hotel at first as there is no driveway or doorman/bellboy outside. There is a friendly staff who is willing to help with luggage once inside though.

3. Closet space - There wasn't a lot of space to hang longer clothing such as coats and dresses in our room.


We have stayed at 3 different hotels that are part of the Small Luxury Hotel collection so far and this was our favorite. We didn't get to dine at the Apero but did have a cup of tea in the Drawing Room and it was simple yet tasty. Overall, I would recommend this hotel to my family/friends visiting London if they are looking into luxury boutique hotels.

We arrived at the hotel on Sunday 11/11/12 and was staying for 3 nights.The reception staff was very helpfull.
Only 1 room was ready for us so we left the cases in there and went for a walk.
The hotel is 10 min walk from Harrods.There is a bus stop, outside the front door, where you can catch the service or the tourist bus.
This is a new hotel with all the up to date gadgets available.
There is also a gym available.
The carpark if you have to use it is quite expensive.
The only disappointing thing was that there was still work going on in a room next to ours and the hammering and drilling started at 8.00 am.There was no notification of this at time of booking or on arrival.

A contemporary funky modern hotel. Always clean and the rooms are well furnished. Very comfortable beds, luxury bathroom with robes and slippers. The hotel is however directly build over a tube line which can be heard all over the hotel. But this would't put me off staying as I have stayed a few times.

I have checked in at the Ampersand Hotel on the official opening day 29-Aug for a very long weekend. Kept all arrangments (show tickets, museum entries, lunch + dinner reservations etc) to the hotel and they were great. All was very well arranged by Indira. Her colleague Salvatore spent over 30mins with me upon arrival to go through all the arrangements - that was great! The room was beautiful, especially the bathroom. The location of the hotel is the best! You have the tube station South Kensington less than 1min walk, making it easy to reach any point of interest within maximum 20mins as the most important tube lines are meeting in this station. It is about 10-15mins walk to Hyde Park/Kensington Gardens and Royal Albert Hall. V&A and Natural History Museum are about 4/5mins walk.
As I checked in on the offical opening day, there was still work in other rooms going on, but I did not hear anything, just saw some builders/carpenters walking around. All staff is very friendly and going the extra mile - especially Front Desk and Bell Captain.
Have booked already my next trip to London in February! :-)