Point A Hotels are a group of ‘budget boutique’ hotels. Currently there are seven of them in London: Canary Wharf, Kensington, King’s Cross, Paddington, Shoreditch and Westminster. Plus one each in Dublin, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
My son and I stayed in the Kensington hotel on a sunny May weekend. I’d just returned from a trip on the Eurostar to the Netherlands and he had a London college to visit from Cardiff, so we met at the hotel on a Friday afternoon.
For me, it was a short hop from King’s Cross to Earl’s Court underground station, then less than a ten minute walk to the hotel door. And for my son, it was an even shorter walk from the National Express Earl’s Court drop-off point on the West Cromwell Road.
Off the busy front road, the reception area of Point A Kensington (which doubles up as the breakfast room) is a pop of colourful charm. Staff are cheery and helpful at check-in, there are tvs and plenty of seating in what feels like someone’s Scandi stylish (with a hint of modish opulence) front room. Everything is clean, fresh and, despite the fact that the area is obviously used by scores of people daily, there’s no hint of wear, tear or tiredness.
Upstairs on the first floor, our room was compact but not poky or cramped. Instead, a series of clever space-saving techniques (including a drop down desk and ‘floating’ storage cupboard) meant that any more floor-room might actually have actually felt wasted.
There’s plenty of room under the beds for storing your cases and, though there’s no wardrobe, you can keep clothes crease-free on wall-mounted hangers.
Beds are super-comfy; sheets are crisp and pristine, decor is chic minimalist whites and greys with tall cushioned headboards decorated with two-tone coloured buttons that bring a subtle design-twist to the understated room.
There’s a nod to hi-tech, with futuristic touch-pad controlled lighting, heating and cooling controls by the door entrance and bed-sides. And you can play with the colourful mood lighting – should you be in the mood to do so.
The bathroom is small but sparkly clean and perfectly formed with a super power-shower.
There are no tea and coffee-making facilities – maybe that would count as clutter. So if you need a hot drink, then you must hot-foot it downstairs to reception where you must pay for the privilege.
Breakfast isn’t included in the room price, but it’s £9 to take your pick from an array of potted-up fresh fruit like grapes, melon, watermelon and pineapple; yogurts with compote, muesli and dried fruit toppings; cereals; plenty of sweet pastries (and some savoury pastries too); sausages and boiled eggs. There’s also fruit juices and a choice of teas and coffees.
We took a walk to High Street Kensington for a spot of shopping – it’s just over a km and 15 minutes away. Then, as the sun was shining, we headed to Hyde Park and Kensington Palace for a leisurely stroll in the city.
Exiting the park at Marble Arch, we trekked Oxford Street, then had a cold drink stop-off, by which time it was time to head to our seats at The Noel Coward Theatre for a spectacular showing of Dear Evan Hansen.
Point A’s Kensington Hotel makes for a super reasonably-priced short-stay in the capital and we’d highly recommend it. It’s comfortable, conveniently placed, nicely designed with chic, modern and clean interiors. We’d definitely head back and look forward to visiting more of their offerings in the future, too.
Point A Hotel Kensington is at 42 W Cromwell Rd, London, SW5 9QL.
Nearby tubes are Earl’s Court, Gloucester Road, High Street Kensington and South Kensington.
Photos by Point A Hotels, Amy-Leigh Barnard , V2F and Paolo Nicolello on Unsplash