Hotel 41

TL;DR

• Great Location: Steps from Buckingham Palace and overlooking The Royal Mews.
• Atmosphere: Intimate, luxurious, member’s club like.
• Design: Black-and-white Art Deco aesthetic with rich woods and leather.
• Vibe: Feels like a private royal retreat, elegant without being fussy.
• Check prices here

If you want to be close to everything royal, you can’t do better than Westminster’s handsome boutique hotel 41.

Steps from Buckingham Palace, in view of The Royal Mews, this hotel wins just on location.

Yet, there’s plenty more to praise.

Unsurprisingly, the Palace-adjacent hotel is top-notch in terms of luxury and service.

The intimacy of the place ensures personal attention, and each amenity feels hand-picked to please.

We like especially the space’s more masculine flair. We’ve got nothing against a bold floral or a soft, pastel velvet, but it’s nice to mix it up once in a while.

Here, they rely on rich woods and chic leather for a sophisticated, classic London members’ club like vibe, which we just love.

What are the rooms like?

• Rooms: 30 in total, each with black-and-white decor and a refined club feel.
• Highlights: Suites with fireplaces, jacuzzi baths, and skylights in Conservatory rooms.
• Extras: Champagne on arrival, snacks all day, and evening canapés for guests.
• See each room in detail here

The black and white flair continues through the rooms, and none of them feel particularly homey.

In some contexts, the place might feel on the side of style over substance, but in our opinion the service more than makes up the difference.

We think you’ll feel perfectly comfortable, and superbly chic, without any trouble.

Your smallest room will be a Double King, best for solo travellers who plan to spend most of their time exploring the city.

A King Single is not much roomier, but you can easily spend all your time in the exquisitely comfortable beds.

If you want to lounge around in style, we say spring for a Suite. The Split Level Juniors are lovely options, with ground-floor living areas and working fireplaces in many of the rooms.

Those with zero budgetary concerns should head straight to the top, towards the Conservatory Suites, which boast full skylights and a jacuzzi bath.

Whatever you choose, you’ll be well taken care of. Each room includes a TV, writing desk, marble bathroom, Nespresso machine, robes and slippies.

All guests enjoy a glass of champagne on arrival, constant snacks throughout the day, and an evening canapé session perfect for a good elbow-rubbing.

What are prices like?

• Check prices here

And what’s the food like? Any facilities we should know about?

• Dining: Access to restaurants at sister hotel Rubens at the Palace.
• Signature spots: English Grill, Curry Room, and bbar for casual dining.
• Perks: Complimentary snacks and cocktails exclusive to 41 guests.
• Downside: Limited amenities beyond food and lounge service.

The dining situation here is somewhat unique.

The Rubens at the Palace offers next door luxury accommodation as part of the same hotel collection as 41, Red Carnation.

The hotels have connected their common areas so 41’s guests have easy access to the dining options.

This adds to the kind of executive club feel of this hotel, like guests here are the chosen ones of the complex.

There is a steady stream of 41-exclusive complimentary snacks, and a single lounge exclusive to the smaller hotel.

When you’re ready to venture out, just pass through a hallway and you have multiple top-notch restaurants at your disposal.

Both the English Grill and the Curry Room are delightful places to enjoy a meal, perfectly suited to either a traditional or an adventurous palate.

For more casual options, there is Bbar next door, a chic bar with food closer to pub fare and sports on the TVs.

If your taste is more bass than balls, The New York Bar has some excellent live music to enjoy.

Our main critique is the lack of other amenities. You might expect more from a hotel at this price point.

How is the location? Anything interesting nearby?

• Neighbourhood: In the heart of Westminster, moments from Buckingham Palace’s gates.
• Nearby: Big Ben, St. James’ Park, and the Thames all within walking distance.
• Transport: Victoria Station just around the corner for trains and the Tube.
• Best for: Royal-watchers and culture lovers wanting easy city access.

The location is just impeccable if you’re here for Buckingham Palace. It’s just there, up the street.

The hotel overlooks the Royal Mews – you can hear the horses in the morning and the Changing of the Guard.

Many royally-oriented hotels in London require long walks through the park in order to get anywhere else.

While we love a long walk in the park, we like that only Westminster lies between this hotel and the Thames.

Park-strolling is an easy walk north, while southeast goes straight towards the centre.

Big Ben is 20 minutes along Birdcage Walk, perfect for views of Westminster Palace, the London Eye, and the Abbey.

From here we’ve easy access to Tate Britain, Downing Street (well, not easy access, but you know what we mean…), St. James’ Park, and plenty more of London’s top attractions.

For more attractions and revelry, you just have to bop through the Mall towards Soho, the British Museum and Angel.

For transport, Victoria Station is a hop, skip and a jump.

And what about the reviews? What did other guests think?

Some things guests liked:

“The service was amazing. Everyone we dealt with was helpful and friendly. We particularly loved the dining/lounge area, which was beautiful. We loved the central location to all of the important sights….”

“Absolutely superb, so attentive to their clients. The food was superb, the hotel was immaculate and clean. Just awesome….”

Some things guests didn’t like:

”Rooms a little dated but the buildings age and listing may depict how much can be done….”

”There’s too much furniture in the room. It’s difficult to maneuver around. The manager actually offered to remove a chair and also store some of our luggage downstairs so that we could have more room. I just don’t feel you need a desk in there not a trunk that serves no purpose….”

> Read all the reviews right here