April 24, 2007

Europe | England | London

The Heat of the Haymarket

By Mark Jolly

With six celebrated sisters, the newest Firmdale hotel has a lot to live up to.

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Not many hotels are anointed among the hottest in the world before they’ve opened. But then not many hotels are part of the Firmdale stable of boutique boltholes created by Tim and Kit Kemp. The seventh in the couple’s celebrated portfolio of exclusive London properties, the Haymarket opens May 1, and it is — regardless of the hype of UK Conde Nast Traveller’s Hot List — poised for great things. Located in the heart of the West End, the 53-room hotel is near Buckingham Palace, Regents Park and Trafalgar Square — all of which were designed by John Nash, who also happened to build what is now the Haymarket. Set in three restored Georgian townhouses, and remodeled with Kit Kemp’s contemporary British flair (think: oversized marble-and-oak bathrooms, striped wallpapers), every single room is large, individually designed, and flooded with natural light. Oh, and there’s more grandiosity blending the antique and modern: one of the houses stands as its own separate villa; a former shooting gallery has been reborn as a private dining room; and a 60-foot basement pool will soon dazzle to the installation of light artist Martin Richman.