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A romantic town-house hotel built in 1890 and emanating all the grandeur that is associated with the 19th century, the Draycott Hotel is one of the finest hotels in Kensington. A sight to behold and renowned in the area, this red-brick Edwardian hotel has been lovingly restored and provides an opulent home away from home for guests. Conveniently located for those who wish to undertake an excursion around London's boroughs, just around the corner from the hotel you will discover Chelsea’s fashionable Sloane Square and the beautiful borough of Kensington. Combining traditional, timeless elegance with quintessentially British luxury and hospitality.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to TheAA: The Automobile Association.
HOTEL STYLE
Hidden Gem
Quaint
Languages Spoken
English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese
Location
26 Cadogan Gardens, London SW3 2RP England
The Chelsea Townhouse
4.5 reviews
Getting there
Great for walkers
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travelers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
Wonderful stay with a work colleague whilst attending an awards evening in London. The Rooms are well equipped with everything you might need including a full range of toiletries, the fluffiest bathrobes and one of the most comfortable beds I’ve ever slept in. The hotel staff were incredible welcoming even when we came back to the hotel in the early hours.
Breakfast is served in a room overlooking the garden, I ate homemade granola followed by eggs served with chorizo and spinach all delicious. Highly recommend.
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Date of stay: September 2024Trip type: Traveled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Samantha Rieu, General Manager at The Chelsea Townhouse
Responded Oct 15, 2024
Dear The15milefoodie Thank you for such a wonderful review and the high recommendation. We are over the moon that you had a fantastic time with us at The Chelsea Townhouse while planning to attend an award evening in London. We are happy to read that you enjoyed the full range of toiletries, bathrobes, bed and our breakfast served in the garden room. On your next visit, you may want to visit the Chelsea area and Pavilion road with lots of foodie experience and art to look at. We very much look forward to welcoming you back very soon. Warm regards Samantha Rieu
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Nice hotel, friendly staff, great location. Lovely gardens accessible from the restaurant. Perfect to enjoy in good weather.
Problem is my room wasn’t great. I booked a Cosy Chelsea single. Size of room was fine for one person (though bathroom was much bigger!) but problem is that the generator for the building is right outside the window of this room (on top floor). So the humming noise of that is audible at night. Plus the blind covering the window is stuck on with Velcro so to get natural light in you have to pull it off. No easily accessible / free power points, you have to unplug lamps / radio etc in order to charge your devices. The plug for the Nespresso machine would not engage with the power point in order to provide power to it unless I pulled out the table it was on to stop plug being dislodged by knocking against the wall. Also, no biscuits in the room to go with the tea & coffee! However, bed was very comfortable.
Breakfast (not included in room rate, it was an additional £30) was nice. Buffet could have been a little more extensive but all good quality.
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Date of stay: August 2024Trip type: Traveled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Samantha Rieu, General Manager at The Chelsea Townhouse
Responded Aug 18, 2024
Dear AnnaC801 Thank you for your recent review on Trip Advisor. Overall I was happy to read that our hotel was pleasant and that the team was friendly and that our location was right on point. Thank you for your comment on our Breakfast offering where quality holds an important part of our Food and Beverage offering at the Chelsea Townhouse. I was however disappointed to read that some aspects of this particular room fell short of your expectation. Rest assured that this will be followed up with the team. We do hope to welcome you back in the near future . Please do reach out to me on samantha@11cadogangardens.com to perhaps arrange a higher room category and perhaps also arrange some extra choices for breakfast should you wish. Warm Regards Samantha Rieu General Manager
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This was an absolute dream of a hotel. As someone who has worked both in hotels and now with hotels, I can tell you that the level of service and attention to detail is absolutely fantastic.
The gorgeous smell as you walk into the hotel sets the scene for the type of understated luxury that you are going to experience. The staff are polite, kind and attentive without crossing that dangerous line into obsequious.
Our bedroom was beautiful, the bed was delightfully comfortable and the pillows were incredible. It was a wonderful touch to have classical fm playing as you entered the room and again, the room scent was amazing. Everything had been thought of and we were loathed to leave the room to attend the black tie event that we had travelled to London for.
The building is labyrinthian, but that adds to the overall charm and character of The Chelsea Townhouse and reminds you that even though you are privvy to all the mod-cons in this hotel, it is an old London building, hidden away in the heart of Chelsea. A hidden gem of stay, to be sure.
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Date of stay: September 2024
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled on business
Room Tip:You will need to go elsewhere for dinner, but the breakfast is lovely
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Samantha Rieu, General Manager at The Chelsea Townhouse
Responded Sep 26, 2024
Dear M7233JXkatew Thank you for such a glorious review of our hotel The Chelsea Townhouse. We are delighted to read that our team made you feel special in your new home away from home. Our property has been recently refurbishment and we are so proud of our little haven in London, Chelsea. We are so happy that you choose to stay with us for your black tie event in London and look forward to welcoming you back soon. Warm Regards Samantha Rieu
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Wonderful staff, fine service and a fabulous location close to the Sloane Square tube stop with Ottolenghi around the corner for breakfast. One walks up an MC Escher stairway, which is amusing the first day but grows tiresome after several days of wandering around the streets with limited mobility. The main room is lovely, a settee, good desk, wonderful bed. Down a small hall is a closet masquerading as a bathroom. How anyone larger than my 160 pound, 5 foot 8 inch frame gets in the shower boggles the mind. Benny Hill would have had a field day. The small hallway between the bath and bedroom is kept a full 10 degrees cooler as the cold air from the condensing cooler blasts down from above. The designer and architect should be taken before their peers and punished by standing naked in the middle of the night groping for a light switch. This may be a quaint remembrance of Britain at the beginning of the last century, when one had to dash from the water closet through draughty halls to a warm bed, but it is 2023. So next time a frightfully cheery well-scrubbed face gazes into your jet-lagged fog and says, “Your room here at the Cadogan Gardens is taken, but we have a lovely room for you just around the corner down the street in our sister hotel. Will you take it?” Don’t.
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Date of stay: December 2023Trip type: Traveled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I wish I could write a really positive review about this hotel because I had such high expectations based most all other reviews. Unfortunately, it did not live up to those expectations. (I wish I had remembered to write my thoughts sooner as some memories about our stay are no longer vivid.)
We stayed here for 10 nights in June 2022 in the Shaw Suite. I would expect that 10 nights in a small hotel and staying in a large suite on the same floor as the reception that someone would remember our names but we had to tell them almost every time we went to the reception desk. Sometimes it seemed like we were annoying them which is odd since it't the hotel that requires you to leave your key with them. There were several very nice employees in particular the older man of color who often worked in the evening. He was always so positive and happy. (I'm feeling a bit hypocritical for not asking/knowing his name).
The Shaw Suite is big and comfy. The bed was comfortable. We loved to put on the fireplace at night. There is a door in the suite that leads out into the lovely courtyard. The bathroom is big but needs better lighting. Note that the step into the shower/tub is high and could be dangerous for anyone who is physically challenged.
The breakfast room has a good amount of food but really needs to change it up a bit. Eating the same thing for 10 mornings gets boring and asking for different options seemed a bit of a hassle sometimes to those who were working (maybe the person who was supposed to be cooking was the issue?). There were some lovely workers in the breakfast room though with several going out of their way.
There is a great pedestrian street just around the corner with restaurants, a bakery, patisserie, coffee shops, cheesemonger, retail shops, a convenience store, etc.
There are two things to note. You often have to ring the bell to get in the hotel. This is great for safety but not great at night or when it is raining or hot since there is no cover at the front entrance. Because the hotel is small and not heavily staffed, you might have to wait for someone to buzz you in. Also note that if you are physically challenged, this steps up the entrance might be difficult.
Even though this is purely esthetic, the carpets in the main areas are old and stained and rather gross looking. I know it's expensive to replace carpet but they really should have replaced it during the Covid downturn. And some of the furniture could definitely be replaced or reupholstered. While those pieces might make it seem like you are stepping back in time or at your grandmother's house, they are a bit too shabby for what is supposed to be an more upscale hotel.
In general, The Draycott is not a bad choice and it makes me sad to not rave about it but I doubt we will stay again.
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Date of stay: June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This location is just the best for getting around London and having some of the best food in town. The apartment was so cozy and had everything we could have wanted, super comfy bed and view out to the pretty garden. Front Desk staff went out of their way to make our stay the best, especially Alex, he was on top of everything, as they all were. I cannot fault this lovely location, and so quiet....we slept like babies. Tea coffee and drinks available in the beautifully decorated sitting rooms, even a fire glowing in the grate. Just book here and you will not have a care in the world. You will be pampered here not doubt.
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Date of stay: October 2024
Value
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Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:This location is fantastic, and so quiet and near to everything. We were so close to everything...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Samantha Rieu, General Manager at The Chelsea Townhouse
Responded Oct 20, 2024
Dear DarcyPapaikouHI Thank you for your wonderful review! We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the cozy apartment, the peaceful surroundings, and the convenience of our location. It's great to know that Alex and the team made your stay extra special. We're glad you felt pampered and relaxed during your visit, and we hope to welcome you back again soon! Warm regards Samantha Rieu
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Stayed here for two nights this week. Lovely old building with lots of period features. We had a deluxe double which is one of their mid range rooms but it was big with period furniture, huge bed and decent en suite. Staff are very friendly and helpful. They are only doing room service for breakfast due to the breakfast room being small and COVID precautions but there is a huge choice of items and you can book a time slot to suit, up to 10am. Free afternoon tea at 4pm, free glass of fizz at 6pm and free hot chocolate at 9:30pm. Plenty of bars restaurants etc on nearby King’s Road. It’s not a cheap option but for London it’s reasonably priced and would definitely stay there again
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Date of stay: September 2021Trip type: Traveled with friends
Room Tip:No parking but taxi rank 2 minutes walk on King’s Road
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I cannot recommend this hotel highly enough. The welcome and warmth of every member of staff was exemplary, and the level of comfort was truly 5 star. My bedroom was beautiful clean and well presented. Breakfast in the morning was just fantastic served by a very professional and friendly team member. It is a must when you need to stay in London !!
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Date of stay: November 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled on business
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Samantha Rieu, General Manager at The Chelsea Townhouse
Responded Nov 18, 2024
Dear Lovetravel820768 Thank you for such a glorious review. I was delighted to read that received such warm welcome and that our team members were exemplary. Rest assured that your feedback will be passed on to them. Our breakfast and bedrooms are indeed fantastic. thank you for recommending us. We look forward to welcoming you back to your new home away from home In Chelsea, London Warm regards Samantha
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We recently visited the Mantis Draycott to stay in London to celebrate our wedding anniversary. It's tucked away behind Sloane Square, so a great location and a short walk (15 mins) to Harvey Nicholls, Mayfair (30 mins) and Harrods (20 mins). The hotel is a beautiful town house, with a very cosy welcoming feel. Our room was the Cliveden Club Room, and even though i mucked up the booking for choosing a room for one person, the room was big enough for two and importantly the bed was a Queen size, so i didn't have to sleep on the floor! It's not cheap to stay there, but i think it's worth it for a special stay. Our breakfast was only available as room service to to ongoing COVID measures, but this made it feel rather special actually!
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Date of stay: January 2022
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The level of service and comfort provided at The Chelsea Townhouse is second to none. We stayed for one night at the end of December 2024 while attending an event in Sloane Square. The service shown by all members of staff was deiligtful, our room was extremely well appointed and luxurious. We had a great nights sleep. Breakfast in the garden room was sumptuous and was served beautfully. We both found it difficult to leave the hotel in the morning and will defintely be returning very soon.
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Date of stay: December 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Samantha Rieu, General Manager at The Chelsea Townhouse
Responded Jan 9, 2025
Dear Tippertaylor Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We are absolutely delighted to hear that your stay at The Chelsea Townhouse exceeded expectations. It's fantastic that you enjoyed the service, comfort, and luxury of our hotel, as well as the sumptuous breakfast in the garden room. We strive to create an experience that makes our guests feel at home, and it’s great to know we succeeded in making your stay memorable. We can’t wait to welcome you back in the near future and provide you with another exceptional experience in the heart of Chelsea. Warm regards, Samantha Rieu
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Dear Kim M,
Thank you for your question our full English breakfast is £21.95 and Continental is £17.50.
We do have breakfast inclusive room rates if you wish to have it included.
You are welcome to contact me directly at if you wish to see menus.
Best
Melissa Stoman
General Manager
There are more places to choose from in the London area.
PRICE RANGE
$424 - $590 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
draycott hotel london
FORMERLY KNOWN AS
Draycott Hotel
LOCATION
United KingdomEnglandLondonChelsea
NUMBER OF ROOMS
35
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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