Hazlitt’s

Hazlitt’s opened in 1718 as the London home of essayist William Hazlitt, and the hotel that now occupies his three Georgian townhouses on Frith Street has made a considered decision not to improve on the basics. 

There is no restaurant, no gym, no lift… and no apology for any of it. What there is instead is thirty individually named and decorated rooms, a library with a working fireplace and signed first editions left by guests over the years, honesty bars, and Victorian baths. It remains one of the most singular places to stay in London.

The experience

Checking into Hazlitt’s involves a tour of the building that doubles as an introduction to the hotel’s eccentric personality: guests are shown the library, the two honesty bars, the drawing rooms and the particular quirks of their room before being left to settle in. 

The signed first editions in the library include two Harry Potter books gifted by J.K. Rowling, and the resident cat, Sir Godfrey, adds to the sense of a private house rather than a hotel. 

Staff are consistently praised for warmth and knowledge of the area. Breakfast is served in the room: consisting of freshly baked croissants, smoked salmon bagels, bacon sandwiches, and is one of the pleasanter ways to start a morning in Soho.

The rooms

All 30 rooms are individually decorated and named after figures from the building’s literary and political history. Expect panelled walls, antique furniture, carved wooden beds and Victorian bathroom fittings including freestanding clawfoot baths in most categories. 

Land & Water toiletries are standard throughout. The Baron Willoughby junior suite has a carved-oak bed and a large roll-top bath; the Duke of Monmouth suite adds an outdoor terrace with a retractable roof and a bronze eagle water-spout on the bath edge. 

No two rooms are alike, and the creaking staircases and wonky landings are part of the point. 

Food and drink 

There is no restaurant, but for breakfast, a hearty ensemble of freshly baked croissants, pastries, smoked salmon bagels, berries and granola is delivered to the room or served in the library each morning. 

Two honesty bars, one in the library and one in the drawing room, are well stocked and available to guests at any hour. Soho’s considerable range of independent restaurants, bars and cafes is on the doorstep.

The neighbourhood

Frith Street sits at the centre of Soho, between Soho Square to the north and Old Compton Street to the south. Tottenham Court Road Underground is a three-minute walk, giving access to the Central and Northern lines. Leicester Square is five minutes on foot, Covent Garden ten. 

Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club is at the end of the street. The West End’s main theatres are within comfortable walking distance in every direction.