Franklin Hotel London - Starhotels Collezione

Franklin Hotel London - Starhotels Collezione

Egerton Gardens in Knightsbridge is a row of quiet red brick townhouses, and Starhotels turned one stretch of them into The Franklin, a hotel of just thirty five rooms across five floors, small enough that reception never fills with tour groups. It reopened in 2016 after a full renovation that kept the Victorian shell and filled the rooms with Italian details, classic furniture, premium linens, a pillow menu, so the interiors feel more designed than decorated. The Franklin Restaurant is run by Alfredo Russo, a Michelin starred chef, which is rare for a hotel this size, and there is a separate bar and cafe on site. The hammam floor is the amenity that stands out, a full steam and treatment space alongside a spa, massage room and an on-call doctor, not a single treatment room tacked onto the gym. Rooms run from Superior at 194 square feet to Deluxe at 269, each with air conditioning, blackout blinds, and a bathrobe waiting on the bed. The Victoria and Albert Museum is a walk away, Harrods about seven minutes on foot, Hyde Park a kilometre. Families get a playroom and babysitting on request, and dogs are welcome for a 40 pound fee, so this is not the address for anyone wanting a strictly quiet, pet-free floor. It suits a traveller who wants a serious kitchen and a proper spa without the scale of a much larger hotel, less so a large family gathering that needs several connecting rooms on one floor, since layouts vary. Check-in starts at 3pm, checkout is 11, and a 100 pound daily deposit is taken at the desk, worth knowing before a late arrival. The Franklin keeps to thirty five rooms and five floors in Knightsbridge, with a Michelin starred chef in the kitchen and a hammam floor rare at this scale. It suits a traveller who wants that attention without a big lobby, not a group needing conference space.