Ember Locke Kensington

We only needed a place for one night, and it suited us well. The decor is really beautiful and feels intentional. Would I stay? Yes. Would I expect everything to be perfect? No. I’d been drawn in by the look of the place, then read the Google reviews without knowing quite what to expect. I had a good experience overall, though some details felt below par for what we paid: chipped paint and bits of dirt in spots that seemed to have been missed in a rushed room clean. It’s evident the place is owned by private equity, and the owners seem out of touch. The front desk staff looked chronically stressed, and I got the sense staff aren’t given the support they need to do their jobs.

The Ember Locke felt far more like home than the other Kensington hotel we tried on vacation, a five-star place that felt uncomfortable and out of touch for an ordinary person. Here, the rooms are warm and inviting, more like your own place than a copy-paste corporate room. The staff were amazing across the board, from front desk to waitresses and baristas. The Cafe/Restaurant was great for all three meals. We liked the matcha, pancakes, and pizza. We also knew from the website that rooms aren’t cleaned every day, which seems to come up in some negative reviews. That wasn’t an issue for us over our three nights, and if you’re already a clean person, looking after your own room should be fine. The price per night is good value. The location helps too: about 25 minutes by cab to the airport, a 10-minute walk to High Street, and a short tube ride to downtown. We’d stay again and again.

Spent a long weekend at Ember Locke in Feb 2025 and absolutely loved it. The room had loads of space and a kitchenette, and the decor was lovely. There were really nice guests, too. It’s handy for the museums and Earl's Court tube. I’d go back.

The room worked for the five nights, but I’m split on this stay and doubt I’d come back. My Husband and I were in a city studio - garden view. It was a very small room, though we managed with the dresser and hanging rack. There were useful surfaces in the room and bathroom, which can be hard to find, and we had 2 hand towels, 2 very large bath towels, and 1 floor towel. The bed was so close to the wall on one side, with only 10” beside it, that getting in and out felt unsafe. The mattress was completely hard with a thin pillow-top, and honestly the pillows sucked. After five days in air bnbs, I’d been looking forward to a hotel-quality bed, but this wasn’t it. Having a kitchenette was handy. I liked the fridge, utensils, and microwave, and could keep breakfast groceries there. We could walk to Notting Hill, Kensington, and Chelsea, and the tube was a short walk away. The location is good, and it’s nice to have a kitchenette, but service was sub-par and cleaning and maintenance need some TLC. A few things went wrong with requests. The kitchen caddy, sponge, kitchen towels, and dish towels were under the sink, all wet and smelly when we arrived. They did replace them after I asked, but it was a hassle. On day 2, we were told they don’t service rooms, though you can request towels and other items. We asked for towels and toilet paper because the rolls are small and thin. When we got back, there were bath and hand towels, but no floor mat or toilet paper. The desk gave us toilet paper when we went back, but there seemed to be a language barrier about the bath mat or floor towel. They brought a bath robe and another bath towel instead. On day 3, we found the shampoo, conditioner, and body wash were empty. We asked to have them refilled while we were out, but they weren’t. When we asked again, they brought body lotion. The room felt clean overall, but the velvet couch was stained, there was mildew in the shower, and the shower heads and jets had rust on them. There was no fan or AC. If there is AC, the temperature range is very small; it didn’t run, and seemed to only heat. I picked this place because it looked like good value, but it definitely isn’t 4 Stars. I genuinely can’t see how it qualifies as four-star. Better service and a more thorough clean would make it better value.