Hot tip: when you come to book a room at Bertrand’s Townhouse in Bloomsbury, swing for the Philosopher’s Quarters. These junior suites, with walls of deep ochre and striking carved wooden wardrobes, are sizeable and each comes with a standalone clawfoot bathtub, super king-sized bed and capacious bathrooms with double rainfall showers. For the bookish, they offer plenty of spots to curl up with a tome – fitting, as this newly opened hotel is moments from the cluster of bookshops (think the London Review Bookshop, Maggs Bros and Jarndyce), that have continued Bloomsbury’s legacy as a literary hub into the 21st century.
“Bloomsbury felt like the perfect place for Bertrand’s Townhouse to flourish because it has always been London’s neighbourhood of ideas – Georgian squares, literary addresses and a long tradition of independent thinking,” says the hotel’s manager Gabriele Palumbo.
Bertrand’s Townhouse – named after Bertrand Russell, the philosopher who influenced the 20th-century Bloomsbury Group of writers, artists and intellectuals – opened on a quiet street off Russell Square in December. Its 43 rooms sweep across three Georgian townhouses and exude the eclectic charm of late 19th and early 20th century London.
Each room boasts a walk-in rainfall shower and a king-sized or bigger bed, and is awash in colours and patterns that reference what Palumbo calls “the colourful lives of those who lived and loved in Bloomsbury” – people like author Virginia Woolf, her sister the painter Vanessa Bell and writer EM Forster. Bathrooms are stocked with Diptyque amenities and the bespoke minibars – designed as pieces of furniture in themselves with stone tops and brass framing – are filled with complimentary snacks and drinks.
Studio Moren (Hyde London City, 1 Hotel Mayfair) is behind the design, and it looked to the townhouses’ past residents and the area’s history to inform its approach. The original 200-year-old staircases have been repaired and retained, while animals are embroidered on the curtains in the suites and lion faces sit in the architraves in a nod to a zoologist who resided in one of the houses.
On the ground floor is Ottie’s Salon, a nod to the intellectual gatherings Bloomsbury was famous for. This opulent cocktail bar and lounge harks back to the grand drawing rooms of the 19th century, with gilt-framed paintings and mirrors, plush sofas and a handsome bar behind which staff blend on-point Martinis. The space is also used for light snacks and breakfast, and leads onto a garden terrace that will host live music and barbeques once the weather warms.
“We wanted the hotel to feel like guests were staying in someone’s home,” says Palumbo. “Safe, warm and comfortable, with a touch of elegance and tradition.”
