Radisson Blu Edwardian Vanderbilt Hotel is a

boutique hotel Boutique hotels are small-capacity Hotel, hotels that provide more personalized service than typical hotels. They typically have fewer than a hundred rooms, and are considered more "trendy" and "intimate", often due to their location in urban ar ...

at 68–86

Cromwell Road Cromwell Road is a major London road in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, designated as part of the A4 road (Great Britain), A4. It was created in the 19th century and is said to be named after Richard Cromwell, son of Oliver Cromwel ...

in the

Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (often known by its initialism as RBKC) is an Inner London, Inner London borough with Royal borough, royal status. It is the List of English districts by area, smallest borough in London and the secon ...

, central

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. The hotel, located in a

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

terrace of white stucco

townhouse A townhouse, townhome, town house, or town home, is a type of Terraced house, terraced housing. A modern townhouse is often one with a small footprint on multiple floors. In a different British usage, the term originally referred to any type o ...

s, contains 215 rooms and is part of the Radisson Blu Edwardian chain. The Scoff & Banter Kensington restaurant is situated on the ground floor.

History

The hotel was purchased in 1978, and in 1993,

Edwardian Hotels Edwardian Hotels is a British hotel company, which was founded by Jasminder Singh in 1977. The company has 13 hotels, mostly located in central London, England. Notable properties include The May Fair Hotel, a 404-room building that was purchas ...

partnered with

Radisson Hotels Radisson Hotels is a multi-brand hotel chain with a worldwide presence. Its brands include several using the Radisson name, as well as other brands like Park Plaza Hotels & Resorts and Country Inn & Suites. In June 2022, Radisson Hotel Grou ...

to become the Radisson Edwardian Hotels group. In 1998, the hotel was completely refurbished, and it became a four-star hotel. Located in London's

, the hotel is from the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...

, and "less than five minutes’ walk from the

Natural History Museum A natural history museum or museum of natural history is a scientific institution with natural history scientific collection, collections that include current and historical records of animals, plants, Fungus, fungi, ecosystems, geology, paleo ...

and the

Science Museum A science museum is a museum devoted primarily to science. Older science museums tended to concentrate on static displays of objects related to natural history, paleontology, geology, Industry (manufacturing), industry and Outline of industrial ...

."Radisson Blue Edwardian Vanderbilt website
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Architecture

This Grade II listed building once served as a residence of the

Vanderbilt family The Vanderbilt family is an American family who gained prominence during the Gilded Age. Their success began with the shipping and railroad empires of Cornelius Vanderbilt, and the family expanded into various other areas of industry and philanth ...

American royalty American royalty may refer to American citizens who are members of royal families, through birth, naturalization or marriage; or American dynastic families that are given the epithet or moniker as American royalty. Former monarchies of the Uni ...

' during the

Gilded Age In History of the United States, United States history, the Gilded Age is the period from about the late 1870s to the late 1890s, which occurred between the Reconstruction era and the Progressive Era. It was named by 1920s historians after Mar ...

. The hotel consists of ten townhouses combined into one building, and it contains frescoes, richly adorned ceilings, wood panelling and stained glass windows. The decor is described as being "minimalist", with "neutral grey, white and yellow tones". The lobby has a marble fireplace with a large stone statue of a hare, and a black-and-white tiled floor. The bedrooms contain handcrafted Vispring mattresses. According to ''

Architect Magazine ''Architect Magazine'' is the successor to ''Architecture'', one of a series of periodicals published from before World War I by the American Institute of Architects. Overview This is the sixth iteration of a magazine about the field associate ...

'', a

retractable roof A retractable roof is a roof system designed to roll back the roof of a structure so that the interior of the facility is open to the outdoors. Retractable roofs are sometimes referred to as operable roofs or retractable skylights. The term o ...

was added to the hotel's

rooftop A roof (: roofs or rooves) is the top covering of a building, including all materials and constructions necessary to support it on the walls of the building or on uprights, providing protection against rain, snow, sunlight, extremes of tempera ...

terrace in 2015 by Ettwein Bridges Architects and Tony Hogg Design Ltd., with Tenara Fabric and Sefar Architecture.

Restaurant

The hotel contains the Scoff & Banter Kensington restaurant, formerly the 68–86 Bar and Restaurant, also known as Bar 86, an upmarket bar and restaurant that serves

British cuisine British cuisine consists of the cooking traditions and practices associated with the United Kingdom, including the regional cuisines of English cuisine, England, Scottish cuisine, Scotland, Welsh cuisine, Wales, and Northern Irish cuisine, Nort ...

with "

Pacific Rim The Pacific Rim comprises the lands around the rim of the Pacific Ocean. The '' Pacific Basin'' includes the Pacific Rim and the islands in the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific Rim roughly overlaps with the geological Pacific Ring of Fire. List ...

" influences. The interior has been described as having "wooden floors and unusual objects of art". The decor was refitted in 2014.Breaking Travel News investigates: Scoff & Banter, Kensington
(1 December 2014)

History

Architecture

Restaurant

References

Further reading