First impressions

Boutique, luxury and country house are prefixes used abundantly by hotels and are often misleading, but in the case of the latest “townhouse hotel” to open in London, this synopsis is a fair description. Montagu Place occupies a Grade II-listed Georgian townhouse in the pleasant residential streets north of Bond Street tube station, where the bustle of Oxford Street gives way to quiet garden squares and mews. Many of the original features of the house remain, such as big heavy doors, elegant cornicing and tall ceilings.

Why it’s special

The owners have contrasted the original townhouse features with sleek modern décor to good effect. The muted cream, brown and beige colour scheme is attractive and features such as modern freestanding baths, counter-top basins, oversize table lamps and dark wood cabinets give a designer feel. The overall effect is welcoming, and this is further enforced by the friendly staff, who seem to be kept to a minimum (we only saw three staff members during our stay), which makes you feel like you’re a guest in a private home.

Hitting the sack

The 16 rooms come in three different styles – “comfy”, “fancy” and “swanky”, which are priced, and sized, on an ascending scale (from £99 to £149 per night). My swanky room on the first floor had a huge bed, oversized bed-head and attractive Georgian features including the afore-mentioned high ceilings and tall windows overlooking the quiet square in front of the hotel. All rooms have high-speed internet access (£2 for one hour or £9 per day), air conditioning, flat-screen televisions, tea and coffee making facilities (fair trade organic tea and coffee) and in-room safes. DVD and CD players, with a choice of DVDs and CDs can be borrowed free-of-charge from reception, although when one was brought up for me, there was nowhere to put it as the television was wall-mounted, so I dragged the desk chair over to sit it on. The bathroom had a great drench shower, and in my book Molton Brown toiletries are always a winner.

Sampling the fare

The hotel serves only breakfast, but given its location close to Mayfair, Marylebone and Soho there’s no need to offer a full-service restaurant. Breakfast is served in the drawing rooms adjoining the lobby (7am-10am Mon-Fri; 8am-11am weekends), with guests seated at comfy chairs, which were great for reading the paper but a bit low to eat at the tables. There’s no hot food, apart from toast, but the buffet is ample, with fresh juices, yoghurt, cereals, pastries, fresh fruit, compotes and freshly-ground coffee, and much of the produce is organic and fair trade. The only shame is that it’s not included in the room rate, and costs £12.95. The bar is open 24-hours and is staffed by the receptionist. The man who checked me in didn’t know how to make a Bloody Mary, but he was apologetic and helpful when I talked him through it.

Access all areas

There are no rooms on the ground floor and no lift so the hotel is unsuitable for wheelchair users.

Added attractions

Guests have the use of a nearby gym and room service is provided between noon and 11pm by Deliverance, a well-known London takeaway service that offers a range of cuisines; plus there’s a 24-hour turnaround laundry service.

What we think

The hotel is intimate and fun with a friendly atmosphere and a top location for shopping and dining in town. The only shame is that services like breakfast and newspapers are charged for.

Bottom line

Room-only from £99 excluding VAT and breakfast.

Need to know

Montagu Place, 2 Montagu Place, London, W1H 2ER, tel. 020 7467 2777, www.montagu-place.co.uk

Times recommends

• New York's top 10 new hotels
• A Scottish monastery retreat
• Welcome back to Rwanda