Henrietta Experimental

Henrietta Experimental sits on Henrietta Street at the southern edge of the Covent Garden piazza, occupying two Georgian buildings that the Experimental Group, the French hospitality brand behind hotels in Paris, Menorca and the Cotswolds, has brought into its orbit. The interiors are by Dorothée Meilichzon: terracotta tones, botanical prints, custom furniture with rounded 1970s references, hand-painted details that nod to Covent Garden’s market arches. The 40 rooms and suites range from 17 square metres to generous suites with private terraces. Henri, the ground-floor restaurant, arrived with Jackson Boxer at the helm in its latest iteration.

The experience

Henrietta Experimental works as a hotel that has been thought about carefully rather than assembled from a boutique template. The Experimental Group’s portfolio gives it a design and hospitality sensibility that is specific to the group rather than generic to the postcode. Service is consistently praised in guest reviews for warmth and responsiveness; staff are noted for going out of their way when things need adjusting, such as moving guests to quieter rooms when requested. A complimentary shoe-shine service from Joseph Cheaney & Sons is the kind of considered touch that signals attention to detail without making a fuss about it. The sun-drenched terrace is one of the neighbourhood’s better outdoor spaces.

The rooms

The 40 rooms and suites are individually designed, combining fabric panels, marble, hand-built bedheads and custom furniture in Meilichzon’s warm palette of terracotta, botanical prints and shades of green. Entry-level rooms begin at 17 square metres, so compact but well-considered with Egyptian cotton sheets, premium bedding, minibars stocked with house-made cocktails, rainfall showers and room service throughout. Suites step up to 31-35 square metres with private terraces, freestanding baths and views of the London Eye or the rooftops of Covent Garden. Rooms facing St Paul’s Church can pick up noise; courtyard-facing rooms are the quieter choice.

Food and drink

Henri, on the ground floor, is now helmed by Jackson Boxer, the British chef known for his work at Cowley Manor, whose menu takes Parisian bistro cooking as its reference point. Dishes run from carrot râpée with black olive and sesame to roast duck with blood orange, fried pig’s trotter and a raclette burger au poivre. Open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and pre-theatre dining, with an outdoor terrace for warmer months. Bar open throughout.

The neighbourhood

Henrietta Street is steps from the Covent Garden piazza and the Royal Opera House. Covent Garden Underground is a three-minute walk on the Piccadilly line. Leicester Square is five minutes, Charing Cross ten. The Strand, Somerset House and the Courtauld Gallery are all within comfortable walking distance south. The surrounding streets — Floral Street, Neal Street, Long Acre — contain some of London’s best independent shopping and a concentration of pre-theatre restaurant options.