Apex Hotels has officially opened its third property in London, located off Fleet Street within the capital’s Inner Temple area.
The hotel saw its soft opening at the start of March, with introductory rates of £140 during March and April, and a 50 per cent guest discount at the property’s Chambers Restaurant and Bar.
Apex Temple Court Hotel is located at 1-2 Serjeant’s Inn, with the main entrance situated within a quiet courtyard off Fleet Street opposite Fetter Lane.
The Fleet Street frontage is listed so at present Apex has not been allowed to place a prominent flag or sign outside the building, so guests should keep an eye out for the large green elephant that sits in the courtyard outside the entrance, a nod to the group’s corporate social responsibility commitments for which it has won several awards.
The hotel is the first to be housed within an Inns of Court building in London, and can also be accessed from the rear of the property, through the warren of alleyways and arches that run between the north bank of the River Thames and Fleet Street, through the Inner Temple and past the historic Temple Church.
Approaching from this side of the building guests will arrive into another courtyard, a large part of which is at present taken up by construction equipment for the redevelopment of the headquarters of private bankers C Hoare and Co, which is located next to the hotel. These works should be completed later this year.
Inside the hotel the public areas are bright and modern, with an orange backdrop behind the reception desk, and red partitions dividing off two PCs for guest use.
The ground floor comprises Chambers Restaurant and Bar, serving modern European cuisine (menus can be seen here), as well as free entry to the club lounge for Deluxe, Junior Suite and Master Suite categories, while the basement houses a generously sized gym with technogym equipment. There are no meeting rooms at the hotel.
The property has a total of 184 rooms and suites, some of which feature balconies, and selected rooms have views of the London Eye and Big Ben. Entry level City rooms start from 25sqm, with Superior rooms averaging 30sqm and Deluxe rooms 33sqm.
Facilities in all rooms include free wifi and local phone calls, 40-inch LED TVs with Sky Sports channels, Bose iPod docking systems, tea and coffee facilities, Teleadapt Media Hubs, fridge, separate bath and shower, and Elemis bathroom amenities.
All rooms also feature 3D HDTVs - Deluxe rooms and above have dedicated Sky boxes showing 3D content, however the BBC is planning to offer some of its London 2012 Olympics coverage in 3D, so all guests will be able to take advantage of this via free 3D glasses available at reception.
Apex Hotels is a family-owned chain, and chairman Norman Springford was keen to emphasise the role played by other family members in the new property, with his sons being responsible for the architecture and interior design of the hotel, including intriguing blurred photography of London landmarks in the rooms, and the group’s recently redesigned logo.
The new Temple Court hotel is the third under the Apex brand in London, joining the existing Apex London Wall near Liverpool Street station, and the Apex City of London close to Fenchurch Street station. The group also operates five properties in Scotland – four in Edinburgh and one in Dundee.
For more information visit apexhotels.co.uk.
Report by Mark Caswell
