The third in this arty hotel chain is a welcome model of craft and creativity offering great value and a warm welcome very unusual in central London
• And while you’re there, follow this walk around Pimlico
As I walk through Pimlico, it appears to be a neighbourhood of overpriced B&Bs and never-as-cheap-as-you’d-hoped budget hotel chains. The garish signs jar with the Regency architecture. I know these places: small rooms, standard breakfasts, minimal attention. They serve a function, nothing more.
When I arrive at my hotel, it immediately stands out for its grander facade, smart red-and-white awnings and – most obviously – its name: Artist Residence. Opened in September 2014, this is the third hotel of that name: the others are in Brighton and Penzance. The building was originally designed by Thomas Cubitt, who built a lot of the finest houses in Pimlico and nearby Belgravia, and its ground floor was for many years a pub, the Clarendon.
Continue reading...