At Sloane

As a former professional hotel reviewer who got his start critiquing London's five-star hotels 20+ years ago, I was extremely curious how a Costes-helmed hotel would fare in the only other major European capital with a truly astounding/ridiculous collection of grand five-stars. I'm not a fan of the Parisian original: ever since I first reviewed it, I've had it near the top of my list of overhyped, overpriced, and massively snobby attitudes all around. (Not that unusual for Paris, but still.) To my considerable chagrin, At Sloane handily fits that description as well. And unlike Paris, London's other five-stars are mostly exceptionally welcoming, not haughty. The property's design has almost nothing in common with the Hotel Costes: it's quintessentially English, and I'm assuming intentionally far less "trendy" than its Parisian sister. Unfortunately it's just as snotty as well – and if there's any other London hotel that charges £600/night for an 18 sq m room (literally labeled as a "Mini" - you can pay £200 more for an extra 4 sq m), I'm unaware of it. Although literally every aspect of the decor is unambiguously stunning, that doesn't make it worth 600 quid a night on the *lowest* end – and that it is not. The hotel's staff in the reception area and restaurant/bar are best described as exceptionally attractive. Unfortunately they're also exceptionally incompetent, and based on a half-dozen stories I've heard from London friends who aren't white, they actively engage in racial profiling. Which is utterly absurd, both in this day & age and in one of Europe's largest melting-pot capitals, and appalling. As for the restaurant: the food is both terrible and absurdly overpriced (even by Parisian standards!), and they actively turn away locals with phony claims that the restaurant or bar is "full." (And said locals are quite posh, given that it's Chelsea, but apparently not hip or young enough for the front desk's standards. Several people I know who were turned away are members of one of London's poshest members clubs.) Almost bizarrely for a new eatery with subpar food, they ask you – quite literally – to move after X amount of time (seemingly an hour for lunch) because they "need the table," even if the restaurant is quite literally almost empty and it's already a prime lunch or dinner hour. This isn't *that* unusual for London – it's the norm at many clubs, and I think it's occurred every single time I've dined at the original Gordon Ramsay – but there's a rather obvious difference a Michelin three-star and a newbie eatery that mostly serves up pretension. The truly ridiculous part is that it's not simply London that has a bumper crop of five-stars; it's that the entire surrounding Chelsea & Knightsbridge area has TONS of them. Two of London's unequivocal best hotels are less than a half-mile away: The Cadogan and The Hari. The latter's the relative bargain of the two – about half the price of At Sloane – but The Cadogan has the type of style

We just had the best experience @ At Sloane. The decor is just wonderful with the most luxurious finishes. The food at the 6th floor restaurant is excellent. And most of all, the attentiveness of the staff is truly remarkable. Lola, Alexy and all the front desk staff is warm and solution driven.

Extremely charming and sophisticated hotel. Very rich in details. Excellent location. Amazing team. Great service and food. Incredible bedroom. It is as cool as Hotel Costes, in Paris, but at the same time it feels like home. Extremely cozy.

My family and I had a wonderful stay At Sloane. Their attention to detail and willingness to help made our stay amazing. I would definitely recommend to anyone as the rooms were great and the staff was even better.

Huge disappoin**ent. We have watched this hotel being built over the last few years and were looking forward to having a local bar we could frequent. We supported their planning permissions and licensing requests and even put up with their site office being located in the next door building to ours. Unfortunately when we tried to go for a drink in the bar for my birthday we were rudely told there was no space - even though there were clearly many empty tables visible through the window. They could not have been more unhelpful or unfriendly. They clearly don’t care about their neighbours. .

Loved my stay …At Sloan ! Not a detail has been missed in this hotel. Welcoming lobby that I could have spent hours in reading. Room had every convenience. Loved the huge basket of complimentary snacks & stocked bar in the room. Super cool bar in the basement. Each and every staff member couldn’t have been nicer. The location is second to none, Kings Road at your disposal and a short walk to Harrods & Hyde Park. Had a fantastic stay . Will definitely plan on staying again!

I loved this precious "pearl" in London. Stunningly beautiful with attentive and friendly staff. The dining room on the sixth floor is stunning as is the bar in the basement. The rooms are magnificent with thoughtful details throughout. It was so unique - staying in an elegant serviced luxury home in London. So much more distinct than a luxury hotel. Truly loved it and I will be returning.

The staff were friendly, helpful and attentive. The property is stylish and excellently maintained

Entertained a party of guests at this extremely fabulous hotel that is undoubtedly the best boutique hotel in London. The location is ideal, and the rooms peaceful. The service represented by the amazing interior and attention to detail. And, a special mention to the penthouse restaurant with my guests eating most of the dishes on the menu, it can be only rated as Michelin with an intense wine list. The management and all the staff are utterly thoughtful, exemplified by the room service button, “anything you want”.