Royal Residence - Steps Away From Hyde Park

I’d be happy to stay here myself. A friend and former neighbour of mine in the US comes back every year and speaks very highly of the apartment and staff. The apartments look lovely and feel homely. Whenever I’ve visited, they’ve let me use the underground parking while we went out for dinner. It works in general, but parking is VERY tight and takes a lot of manoeuvring. There are some larger spots for SUVs, though many are reserved, so it may be worth checking in advance if one is available. The decor is classic and beautiful, and the location is great for culture, with the V&A and Royal Albert Hall both very close.

I stayed at Cheval Thorney Court last September, and the apartment suite gave me so much more room and comfort than a regular hotel room. Hyde Park is only a short walk away, which was perfect for me. A great choice.

This review is only about our second stay, from 18-27 Nov 2024, when we booked the Deluxe 3 bedroom apartment. The first visit, from 18-25 Nov 2023, was in a renovated, spacious luxury two bedroom apartment. The staff were helpful and polite then, which is why we came back. The Deluxe apartment was roomy, but badly in need of renovation. The floors creaked everywhere. Even getting water from the kitchen at night would wake everyone. The tiles and furniture looked like they were from the 1990s, some appliances, including the stove, didn’t work properly, and I experienced an electrical line cut for the first time at any hotel I’ve stayed in. Staff helped with bags, delivery orders and booking an airport ride, but checkout was awful. They reminded me at least six times during the day that checkout was at 11:00AM, repeatedly called our landline and rang the doorbell between 11:00 and 11:45, then sent two staff upstairs to essentially “kick us out.” They said housekeeping needed time to prepare the room for the next guests. Housekeeping was also a mess, arriving at inconsistent times, barely cleaning the rooms and regularly leaving us without the bottled water and tissues the hotel should provide each day. The location is a plus. The Kensington Park entrance is only steps away, with a couple of local restaurants and cafés nearby. Gloucester Road and Kensington Road aren’t far, either. The area is safe and mostly quiet, though visits to Oxford St or Knightsbridge mean taking public transport or a private hire. Our second stay was completely different from the first. The apartment disappointed, staff were rude at checkout and made us feel unwelcome, and housekeeping was unreliable. I’m extremely disappointed and will be escalating this to the managing director.

Kensington Park is right across the street, and there are several bus stops nearby, along with the High Street Kensington shops, the V&A and the Natural History Museum. The apartment itself was spacious and exceptionally comfortable, with lovely Hansgrohe showers, luxurious bedding and a kitchen welcome basket of tea, biscuits, croissants and jam. After five days in Madrid, having a washer and dryer was just what we needed. We were here for our silver wedding anniversary and felt thoroughly looked after. The staff were warm, professional and kind, and paid attention to the little details. We were so comfortable we didn't want to leave. Cheval Thorney Court is a real London gem, and we're already looking forward to coming back.