100 Queen’s Gate Hotel – London (imagery: © Chris Orange)

A TOPHOTELDESIGN exclusive, we look at the recent conversion of a prominent hotel near the Natural History Museum from Doubletree by Hilton to Curio Collection.

Morrison Design oversaw the architecture and served as design team leader for the transformation of 100 Queen’s Gate Hotel, while DesignLSM reworked the interior design for the F&B and front-of-house areas.

Mapping the architectural opportunities

The site now occupied by this hotel, successfully converted from Doubletree by Hilton to Curio Collection in 2019, was once the home of Victorian aristocrat and lawyer William Henry Alexander.

For this project, Morrison Design was tasked with renovating and rebranding the property to fit Curio Collection’s approach of offering upper-upscale hotels with character, while also retaining elements of the Victorian-period mansion. To achieve these goals, the designers mapped out the property’s key areas and how they interconnected, helping identify unused spaces that could be utilised more effectively with improved architectural design.

Through this process, Morrison Design decided to reposition the guest entrance, creating an airy and welcoming reception area, and turn an unused central courtyard into an atrium and orangery.

Underused meeting rooms were then converted into space for 25 new guestrooms, as well as 11 new suites named after famous historic residents of Kensington. The installation of new lifts also improved connections between the dining and reception areas and the kitchen and back of house.

Creating an interior design narrative

Complementing this architectural makeover, DesignLSM came onboard to overhaul the hotel’s restaurants and other public areas, while creating a unique narrative and strong sense of place for the property. It promptly delved into the archives, drawing on the persona of Alexander, known in the 1800s as a patron of the arts and an avid collector from his travels.

Individually designed spaces reflect this narrative, from the large, light and airy reception area with three bespoke timber desks to the two main lounge areas divided by a cabinet of curiosities.

More lounge seating is incorporated throughout the space leading out to an atrium terrace, which takes guests down to the ESQ cocktail bar, where the design was inspired by a Victorian parlour room, combining a warm colour palette with bold decorative fabrics.

The Botanica tearoom, meanwhile, is housed in the hotel’s new double-height atrium space. Abundant greenery distinguishes this Victorian-style orangery, featuring pendant lighting and elegant marble finishes.

This space is then joined by The W/A Kensington restaurant, with objects and artwork adding visual interest to a space comprising yellow velvet banquettes and round booth seating overlooking the streets of Kensington.

The property, which is owned by independent hotel company Crimson Hotels, continued to run throughout the programme of works with minimal disruption to guests.

For more info about this scheme, and to view an extensive gallery of hi-res images, check out 100 Queen’s Gate Hotel’s project page on the TOPHOTELDESIGN website.

Many TOPHOTELNEWS articles draw on exclusive information from the TOPHOTELPROJECTS construction database. This subscription-based product includes details of thousands of hotel projects around the world, along with the key decision-makers behind them. Please note, our data may differ from records held by other organisations. Generally, the database focuses on four- and five-star schemes of significant scale; tracks projects in either the vision, pre-planning, planning, under-construction, pre-opening or newly opened phase; and covers newbuilds, extensions, refurbishments and conversions.

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