Excellent!...but breakfast a let down...

Stayed at this hotel with my girlfriend just before Christmas 2004. This hotel is beautiful, warm and cosy and very tastefully furnished. The staff are generally polite, overly helpful and cheerful (a bag of good qualities) and the location can't be beaten. They just let themselves down on breakfast which I thought was a real disappointment. The service was unattentful and the choice was a little limited. I understand it is described as a continental breakfast, but I have had far more imaginative continental breakfasts in Scandinavia for example (and I'm not Scandinavian by the way, no bias intended). However, just a small gripe, if they sort the breakfast out they would get five stars from me in future (hint...hint)...

Outstanding Hotel in London

I recently returned from a 5-night vacation in London. I booked my reservation for the Number Sixteen based upon the reviews on this website. Everything you read here is true! The hotel looks exactly as it does on their website (finally truth in advertising)! I was traveling alone, so I stayed in a standard single room on the fourth floor (third floor in Europe). The room was small, but who spends all their time in the room anyways. The room and bathroom was impeccably clean, as was the rest of the hotel. The library was a nice place sit and read while enjoying a drink from the honesty bar. The staff was extremely polite and helpful. The room service food is also good. As a woman traveling alone, I never felt unsafe in the hotel or while walking in the surrounding neighborhood. The hotel is about 2.5 blocks from the South Kensington Tube stop. Anything you could imagine that you'd need is along that walk (bank, post office, pharmacy, restaurants, cafe, etc). I would definitely recommend this hotel to anyone planning a trip to London. No hotels are cheap in London, and if they are you have to wonder why. The Number Sixteen is a bargain for the level of accommodations and service it provides.

Friendliest staff anywhere! Great location; immaculate!

These are the friendliest hotel people I have ever met in my travels to over 40 countries! So take a bow, Nadine, Andreus, Manolo, and all the others whose names I didn't get. You guys are the best! Hotel Number 16, with its excellent location several minutes walk from the South Kensington tube stop, is that rarity in London: great site, nice rooms, homey touches, and incredibly quiet. The hotel provides The Times every morning outside your door, a welcome note from the general manager, a tour of the hotel's facilities, a map of the area and complimentary bottled water. My single room was big enough (by London standards) and a good value for the money. The ensuite bathroom, with shower, was small but immaculate and looked newly redesigned. I cannot imagine staying elsewhere in London than at Number 16.

Comfortable, Chic and Friendly

Truly a charming, intimate (39 room) hotel, that you feel right at home in. We had several different rooms during our 7 night stay last week and all of them were spotlessly clean. Beautifully and tastefully decorated with a staff that makes you feel at home the moment you arrive. They are friendly, helpful and never too busy to ask if you need directions, or call for tickets, etc. There is a small kitchen which specializes in 24 hour room service.

The rooms are small but elegant and no smaller than any other European hotel. Beds were very comfortable. Try to get rooms on the first or second floor as these are a bit larger than the third floor. Also the third floor does not have a lift.

The hotel is situated along a beautiful upscale street, one block from the South Kensington tube stop, and from there you can explore every part of the city.

We travel to Europe often and are picky when it comes to hotels. Number 16 is a gem in all respects.

Conventional and just OK

This hotel is superfically attractive, but lacking any real character of its own. Decorative accents, such as piled wooden garden baskets, feel self-consciously chosen--somewhere between quaint and "good design".

When we arrived, the desk clerk was unhelpful and curt, bordering on rude. The first room we were given was in the basement, not where we like to be, but we were told we could not have a room on another floor. We accepted the room, but while unpacking noticed a large, wet stain on the bedspread--about 10" x 20". I lifted the cover back and the sheets were damp as well. When told, the desk clerk grudgingly directed us to another room which was fine. Her attitude suggested that she thought we might have been responsible for the wet spot ourselves.

Other staff were friendly. Breakfasts were pleasant.

The V & A is nearby.

Wonderful and cozy

The hotel could be best described as a bed and breakfast. The staff let us check in early because our flight arrived around 7:00 in the morning - they were most friendly. The area is very quiet, it is a residential area but close to a market and coffee shops for convenience. The room was fantastic and comfortable. Nothing bad could be said about this hotel. Relaxing and beautiful. We enjoyed our first stay in London. We will return to this hotel again!

Wonderful!!!

Number Sixteen was a wonderful place to stay. It was conveniently located near major museums, delicious restaraunts, and the tube (5 minute walk). The staff was very friendly and they went out of their way to make you comfortable. The rooms were charming and clean and very well done. The overall appearance of Number Sixteen was very eclectic with interesting art pieces displayed in the common areas. They also had a beautiful outdoor garden patio where you could sit and relax after a day out. I would definitely recommend it to anyone I know who is going to London.

Pleasant stay!

All staff was so pleasant and helpful.

Very convenient location to great museums and excellent restaurants.

My room was small but lovely and very clean.

Highly recommended!!!!

Understated chic in South Kensington

I arrived at Number 16 after a short trip. It is very well located, a short walk from the South Kensington tube station, in fact, it took only 5 minutes to get to the hotel. It has been described as a Bed and Breakfast probably because it has no 'on-site' restaurant. I found it to be very understated but very classy. It is the best bed and breakfast that I have ever had the pleasure of staying in. We even had our own marble bathroom, no sharing of facilities in this place. The room was lovely; it was well sized and although quite a masculine decor, and was delightfully cosy and rather romantic, aided by the placement of an extremely large mirror (for closet voyeurs!) on the wall opposite the bed, which was a very nice touch!! The staff were very courteous. The only thing that I could complain about was the very light breakfast, which was a little too light for a grown man! The place had the air of a country hotel, but the decor was extremely tasteful, with objects d'art and original paintings all over the place.

I would not hesitate to stay there again. It was about 15 mins walk to Knightsbridge, very convenient for the Natural History Museun, the V & A and the Science Museum, just a 10 minute walk away, and situated in one of the classier parts of London. I will most definitely return in the future.

Excellent value

This hotel is now part of the Firmdale group, an upscale small luxury hotel group. So the rooms are furnished to a very high standard, housekeeping is immaculate. Number Sixteen is the least expensive of the hotels in the group, although not inexpensive. London hotels are ridiculously overpriced so this is a good deal relatively. The only negative is the very meager continental breakfast that is included in the room rate, although it is nicely served. The location is just the best...right around the corner from the S. Kensington tube station. And a very nice residential area near the French school, so there are many French cafes nearby. Staff is very helpful and polite. This is our second visit to this hotel and probably would not stay anywhere else.