This independent four-star deluxe hotel is owned – like the nearby Ritz – by the Barclay brothers (although they recently put it up for sale), but is separately managed and run.
There has been a hotel on the site under different names for nearly 200 years – it featured in Evelyn Waugh’s novel Vile Bodies as Shepheard’s hotel. It has been called the Cavendish since 1836 but the present construction dates from the sixties.
It is located on Jermyn Street, just off Piccadilly in the West End, and minutes from Regent Street and Covent Garden, yet much quieter than those locations. There are entrances both from Jermyn Street and the side road, Duke Street St James’s.
It is a modern hotel that, while making much of its history and location, is contemporary in style. I stayed during extremely cold winter weather yet the property was very warm without seeming stuffy, the staff were friendly and, despite being full, it gave the impression of being a well-kept secret.
The 230 rooms are on floors two to 15 (there is no 13th level) with the suites on the top floor. The view starts to play a part from about the fifth, as you clear the surrounding roofs, so it’s worth asking for a room on the higher floors.
Entry-level Classic rooms (there are about 95 of these) average 18-20 sqm. All have double beds and are decorated in earthy tones, though there are plans for all rooms to have a soft refurbishment this year. They have Philips LCD flatscreen TVs, wired and wifi internet access (£15 per 24 hours), air conditioning, laptop safes, minibars, tea and coffee-making facilities and Prija toiletries in the Villeroy and Boch-designed bathrooms (Executive rooms and above have Taylor of Old Bond Street amenities).
Superior rooms are slightly larger, at about 20-23 sqm, and have a choice of queen beds or twins, while Executive rooms average 27-35 sqm and have Nespresso coffee machines and separate bath tubs. Junior suites are 30-40 sqm and also feature iPod docks.
Petrichor restaurant is on the first floor on the corner of Jermyn Street and Duke Street St James’s. It serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, and has some good-value set meals, with seasonal British cuisine from head chef Nitin Padwal. When I ate there the food was excellent and the service friendly, but it was also disorganised, with courses and side dishes arriving at random times. In one case, the wrong starter was delivered. Breakfast the next morning was better.
On the ground floor, just inside the Jermyn Street entrance, is the Lobby bar, which feels a little exposed and suffers from being close to the door. There are plans to redesign it this year. The first-floor Lounge is more comfortable, and even if you are not staying at the hotel, is a great place to have an informal business meeting over tea or coffee – sandwiches and light snacks are served too.
There are five small meeting rooms, the largest of which holds 80. There are no fitness facilities, although the hotel can arrange for temporary membership of a nearby gym (a charge applies). There is quick and easy access to the Royal Parks for jogging.
The hotel also promotes local shopping, and has good relationships with local retainers such as bespoke shirt maker Harvie & Hudson, cheesemakers Paxton & Whitfield and cigar and men’s accessories specialist Davidoff. It also stages talks from local historians such as the excellent Anthony Adolph, author of the biography of Henry Jermyn – “Full of Soup and Gold”.
VERDICT Good value. On the surface and in terms of service this is a five-star hotel in a central location, yet the prices are surprisingly affordable.
PRICE Internet rates for a midweek stay in April started from £227 for a Classic room.
CONTACT 81 Jermyn Street; tel +44 (0)20 7930 2111; thecavendish-london.co.uk
Tom Otley
