Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts is widely regarded as one of the most luxurious and innovative hotel brands in the world. With more than 20 hotels in key locations across the globe, the brand’s five star Jumeirah Lowndes Hotel is perhaps atypical of many in the group. Hidden away in a discrete but central location and housed in a Belgravia mews house, it is worlds apart from the likes of the Jumierah’s famous Burj Al Arab Hotel in Dubai and has little in common with many other hotels within the brand, but for the group’s consistently keen eye for quality and careful attention to detail.
The welcome
From the moment I arrived and the doorman greeted me and offered to take my case, I was welcomed with smiles and instantly felt at home. This positive first impression continued as I was offered a hot towel and made to feel a valued guest by Neil on reception who dealt with the check-in process in a swift and efficient manner.
The room
My superior room was relaxing and uncluttered. The bed was very comfortable and the room had everything you would need for a true home-from-home experience.
The room looked out over a small square to the rear of the hotel, close to a number of eateries.
A turn-down service was offered each evening, with a sleep spray left on the bed and slippers laid out nearby. In-room reading material included a Jumeirah-curated magazine titled ‘The Beauty Issue’, Business Traveller, Belgravia and The English Home magazines. Complimentary newspapers were available at breakfast and a digital newspaper could be read on the in-room tablet (which also has info on concierge services, in-room dining and an A-Z of guest services).
On my first night, I did arrive quite late – and had work to do – so opted for the comfort and convenience of dining in my room. Executive Chef Martin Gabler has especially designed an in-room dining menu that offers an enticing selection of dishes. The menu highlights healthy and hearty options, as well as a number of signature dishes. The curries and beef burgers are firm favourites, but freshly made stone-baked crispy pizzas are also a speciality.
I had the prawn and avocado salad – sautéed king prawns with sliced avocado, mixed leaves and cherry tomatoes, finished with a sesame soy dressing that was full of flavour.
For my main I chose from the ‘Flavours from the East’ section of the menu and opted for the signature dish of chicken tikka masala with basmati rice, cucumber raita and warn naan bread.
The bathroom
The bathroom offered ample space with a bath with a shower over it, a single basin and WC. Thick, white bathrobes were supplied as well Temple Spa toiletries.
The facilities
Breakfast is served each morning in the Lowndes Bar & Kitchen between the hours of 7am and 11am, with a choice of Continental and cooked options that included the full English or lighter alternatives such as poached eggs and avocado on toast.
Dinner is also served in this brasserie-style restaurant, with the focus of the menu being on modern British cuisine.
When dining there I had the crispy duck and watermelon salad with cucumber, minted leaves, mint, coriander, toasted cashew nuts, sesame seeds and Hoisin sauce. New to the menu, this is a very refreshing salad, light but full of flavour, and with the duck still warm.
For my main, I had the grilled sea bass fillet, which had a wonderfully crisp skin, and was served with green asparagus and an orange hollandaise. Additional sides such as tender stem broccoli, buttered green beans and rocket Parmesan salad are available as optional extras. As well as the mains on the menu, there is a changing menu of weekly specials available from Monday to Friday.
I didn’t have space for dessert but diners could choose from temptations such as strawberry and pistachio nut pavlova with whipped cream and a raspberry coulis, warm chocolate fondant with Madagascan vanilla bean ice cream and apricot and almond Frangipane tart with a passion fruit coulis and crème Chantilly.
Guests staying at the Jumeirah Lowndes Hotel also have unlimited access to The Peak Health Club and Spa at the nearby sister property, Jumeirah Carlton Tower, which is just a two-minute walk away. It’s open 7 days a week (24 hours a day to guests) and is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, including a 20-metre indoor swimming pool which is something of a rarity for hotels in London. There’s also a spa offering a range of luxurious and exclusive treatments ton ensure you are feeling renewed and rejuvenated, as well as osteopathy and physiotherapy services available. However, please note that this facility will be closed for renovations from 1st September until the Summer of 2020.
Location
The hotel is just a 5-minute walk from Knightsbridge Underground station on the Piccadilly line. This is a busy and fashionable shopping area, close to the likes of Harrods and Harvey Nichols.
I was in area for a work event being held at Chelsea Football Club which was easy to reach by taking the Piccadilly line to Earl’s Court, and then the District line to Fulham Broadway.
Tourists exploring London will find themselves centrally located for exploring the city’s many attractions and museums, with Hyde Park and the West End within easy walking distance, and Buckingham Palace and the Victoria and Albert Museum both less than a mile away.
Other nice touches
In my room was a personalised welcome letter from General Manager Ian Richardson, along with some practical ‘need to know’ information. Complimentary water, chocolate-coated dates – perhaps a small nod to Jumeirah’s Middle Eastern routes – and a plate of fruit were all provided.
Finally, another nice touch is that they even have bespoke red, white and blue Belgravia bicycles that you can borrow during your stay.
Cost
Superior rooms start from £186 and suites from £314 when purchased in advance.
Guests staying at any Jumeirah property can join Jumeirah’s SIRIUS loyalty programme where you can collect points and redeem them against a variety of products and services.
The best bit
For me the location was both central and beautifully quiet; rarely do you find both at the same time and this suited me perfectly, particularly for a business trip.
The final verdict
With 88 luxurious rooms including 12 suites, this chic, contemporary hotel still feels intimate and personal, and retains the individual touch that is often lost by much larger hotels. High standards are carefully and consistently maintained throughout the hotel
Disclosure: Our stay was courtesy of the Jumeirah Lowndes Hotel.
Paul Johnson is Editor of A Luxury Travel Blog and has worked in the travel industry for more than 30 years. He is Winner of the Innovations in Travel ‘Best Travel Influencer’ Award from WIRED magazine. In addition to other awards, the blog has also been voted “one of the world’s best travel blogs” and “best for luxury” by The Daily Telegraph.
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28 Comments
I’m pleased to say that your experience reminded me of my stay at Burj Al Arab, Dubai. It was truly a world class experience. Well done to the Jumeirah Group. I’m now determined to visit every of their hotels to compare my stay.
Having stayed at both, I would say that the two are very, very different in character, but both exhibit the same excellent service that is synonymous with Jumeirah.
It’s a pity that you arrived late and ate in the restaurant. I stayed there around this time last year. Luckily the weather was great and I ate out in a charming courtyard garden that they had created with decking and using planters as walls. There was a real feel of the countryside in the heart of the city.
There were a few people eating outside when I dined there. The weather was just a little ‘on the edge’ though, with most people preferring to be inside! It is a lovely place to dine al fresco, though, if the weather is favourable!
Paul you need to go back to the Lowndes for another stay. Next time take your wife, plus a credit card, with no limits, and spend some time shopping in Belgravia. It’s a village with in London, surprisingly quiet and tranquil.
There is an outstanding range of cafes and shops. I remember a top range Pet Shop with designer bowls, coats and blankets for your pampered pooch. We bought some paw balm for our son’s dog to protect his paws from the hot summer pavements.
It’s worth queueing up for Peggy Porschen, not sure if I’ve got the spelling right, but her cakes are like works of Art. Plenty of boutiques for him and her too.
Belgravia is a very special place. Amongst all the hustle and bustle of London it is a real oasis of peace and quiet. I think most of the houses are Georgian which was a very balanced and elegant age for architecture.
If you are visiting London then Belgravia makes for a get away from it all base.
Yes, it’s largely Georgian and Regency architecture (there are nice examples also in Mayfair, Bloomsbury and Fitzrovia) which does give a very classy and elegant feel to the neighbourhood. I don’t know what the house prices are like in this part of London but I would imagine pretty high.
I always find the smaller touches are the most memorable and take a hotel experience from pleasant to exemplary, like the sleep spray they left on the bed and the slippers. The tablet shows how technology is changing every aspect of our lives! I actually really like that as a nifty feature, and it shows the company is keeping up with the times and the needs of the travellers staying at their hotels.
The food looks delicious! The last meal I had at a hotel was in the hotel’s restaurant and it was overpriced and barely edible, which put a damper on the stay. It’s brilliant they also provide you with use of the health club nearby, but it’s a good note not to anticipate visiting it when it’s closed for a refurb. Though, from looking at it, I can’t see why it needs renovating! The balance of being in such a good location but still offering a peaceful, quiet stay is quite rare, but it sounds like this hotel gets it spot on.
Yes, it does rather make you wonder what the new spa and pool are going to look like, post-refurb! Knowing Jumeirah, I’m sure they have very grand plans in place…:-)
I bet! It certainly seems that they are doing well as a business to invest in a revamp when we already think it looks stunning as it is. I would love to see it after the refurb, however long that will take.
The Jumeirah Carlton Tower hotel closes for refurbishment on 1st September 2019 and has a planned reopening date of summer 2020…
I travel a lot for business, perhaps too much for my health, and it is important that I travel with the maximum comfort and minimum disruption.
My commercial travel booking agent knows that my first choice is always a Jumeirah, their stands of service are impeccable and you know that you are getting a top-end product. It is just a pity that Jumeirah aren’t in more of the world’s top business destinations.
Watch this space on that front… they have quite a lot happening in the Middle East and Asia (China, in particular) at the moment, as well as a hotel opening in St. Petersburg…
Great review and great hotel too.
While I never stayed over, I did have the occasional lunch there and always enjoyed their service and the food.
Location is also great indeed.
Thanks, Kristof… I’m glad to hear you’ve managed to stop for a bite to eat at least. It is a very tranquil spot to enjoy lunch.
As they say, the most important thing when choosing accommodation is location, location, location! And as someone who’ve stayed in a lot of hotels, I can say that it’s not always easy to find good, value-for-money hotels with just the perfect location of the “removed but not remote” type. It seems that Jumeirah found it in Belgravia.
“Removed but not remote” is a very good way of describing it, Patti!
I’m not a great fan of London, a bit too big and loud for a country lad like me, so I’m fussy about where so stay.
If I have to go to London then I usually opt for Belgravia. It’s leafy and sometimes you can even hear the birdsong, there are not many parts of London where you can say that.
Thanks, Jim… I too am a country bumpkin at heart, living in Cumbria. If you enjoy Belgravia, give the Jumeirah Lowndes Hotel a try on your next visit – I’m sure you won’t be disappointed!
Stunning pix of the grub! It looks out of this world – awesome. Note to self – call in for lunch next time you’re doing business round Belgravia. Expenses will cover it!
The Lowndes is my favourite base for business trips to London. Although it is only a short walk from the tube station, it is a calming breath of fresh air that puts a space between me and the dramas of the day. I usually get a suite so that there’s plenty of space to do some work early next morning.
Ooo I like the rooms. It’s the small touches that can make a stay and I find those stay with me for longer too. Like the deep spray and slippers, neither really being needed but both being very much welcome. Sounds like the hotel is very up to date as well, more so than many I’ve visited n the UK, with the likes of the in-room tablet. Good to see they serve proper food in your room (I’m not one for tiny, fancy meals nor rushed fast food). I’ll keep this place in mind as I go to London semi-regularly, perhaps once the spa has been renovated as then I’ll have a good excuse for a massage so as to check out the facilities.
The welcome
From the moment I arrived and the doorman greeted me and offered to take my case, I was welcomed with smiles and instantly felt at home. This positive first impression continued as I was offered a hot towel and made to feel a valued guest by Neil on reception who dealt with the check-in process in a swift and efficient manner.
The welcome
From the moment I arrived and the doorman greeted me and offered to take my case, I was welcomed with smiles and instantly felt at home. This positive first impression continued as I was offered a hot towel and made to feel a valued guest by Neil on reception who dealt with the check-in process in a swift and efficient manner.
The room
My superior room was relaxing and uncluttered. The bed was very comfortable and the room had everything you would need for a true home-from-home experience.
The room looked out over a small square to the rear of the hotel, close to a number of eateries.
A turn-down service was offered each evening, with a sleep spray left on the bed and slippers laid out nearby. In-room reading material included a Jumeirah-curated magazine titled ‘The Beauty Issue’, Business Traveller, Belgravia and The English Home magazines. Complimentary newspapers were available at breakfast and a digital newspaper could be read on the in-room tablet (which also has info on concierge services, in-room dining and an A-Z of guest services).
On my first night, I did arrive quite late – and had work to do – so opted for the comfort and convenience of dining in my room. Executive Chef Martin Gabler has especially designed an in-room dining menu that offers an enticing selection of dishes. The menu highlights healthy and hearty options, as well as a number of signature dishes. The curries and beef burgers are firm favourites, but freshly made stone-baked crispy pizzas are also a speciality.
I had the prawn and avocado salad – sautéed king prawns with sliced avocado, mixed leaves and cherry tomatoes, finished with a sesame soy dressing that was full of flavour.
For my main I chose from the ‘Flavours from the East’ section of the menu and opted for the signature dish of chicken tikka masala with basmati rice, cucumber raita and warn naan bread.
The bathroom
The bathroom offered ample space with a bath with a shower over it, a single basin and WC. Thick, white bathrobes were supplied as well Temple Spa toiletries.
The facilities
Breakfast is served each morning in the Lowndes Bar & Kitchen between the hours of 7am and 11am, with a choice of Continental and cooked options that included the full English or lighter alternatives such as poached eggs and avocado on toast.
Dinner is also served in this brasserie-style restaurant, with the focus of the menu being on modern British cuisine.
When dining there I had the crispy duck and watermelon salad with cucumber, minted leaves, mint, coriander, toasted cashew nuts, sesame seeds and Hoisin sauce. New to the menu, this is a very refreshing salad, light but full of flavour, and with the duck still warm.
For my main, I had the grilled sea bass fillet, which had a wonderfully crisp skin, and was served with green asparagus and an orange hollandaise. Additional sides such as tender stem broccoli, buttered green beans and rocket Parmesan salad are available as optional extras. As well as the mains on the menu, there is a changing menu of weekly specials available from Monday to Friday.
I didn’t have space for dessert but diners could choose from temptations such as strawberry and pistachio nut pavlova with whipped cream and a raspberry coulis, warm chocolate fondant with Madagascan vanilla bean ice cream and apricot and almond Frangipane tart with a passion fruit coulis and crème Chantilly.
Guests staying at the Jumeirah Lowndes Hotel also have unlimited access to The Peak Health Club and Spa at the nearby sister property, Jumeirah Carlton Tower, which is just a two-minute walk away. It’s open 7 days a week (24 hours a day to guests) and is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, including a 20-metre indoor swimming pool which is something of a rarity for hotels in London. There’s also a spa offering a range of luxurious and exclusive treatments ton ensure you are feeling renewed and rejuvenated, as well as osteopathy and physiotherapy services available. However, please note that this facility will be closed for renovations from 1st September until the Summer of 2020.
Location
The hotel is just a 5-minute walk from Knightsbridge Underground station on the Piccadilly line. This is a busy and fashionable shopping area, close to the likes of Harrods and Harvey Nichols.
I was in area for a work event being held at Chelsea Football Club which was easy to reach by taking the Piccadilly line to Earl’s Court, and then the District line to Fulham Broadway.
Tourists exploring London will find themselves centrally located for exploring the city’s many attractions and museums, with Hyde Park and the West End within easy walking distance, and Buckingham Palace and the Victoria and Albert Museum both less than a mile away.
Other nice touches
In my room was a personalised welcome letter from General Manager Ian Richardson, along with some practical ‘need to know’ information. Complimentary water, chocolate-coated dates – perhaps a small nod to Jumeirah’s Middle Eastern routes – and a plate of fruit were all provided.
Finally, another nice touch is that they even have bespoke red, white and blue Belgravia bicycles that you can borrow during your stay.
Cost
Superior rooms start from £186 and suites from £314 when purchased in advance.
Guests staying at any Jumeirah property can join Jumeirah’s SIRIUS loyalty programme where you can collect points and redeem them against a variety of products and services.
The best bit
For me the location was both central and beautifully quiet; rarely do you find both at the same time and this suited me perfectly, particularly for a business trip.
The final verdict
With 88 luxurious rooms including 12 suites, this chic, contemporary hotel still feels intimate and personal, and retains the individual touch that is often lost by much larger hotels. High standards are carefully and consistently maintained throughout the hotel
Disclosure: Our stay was courtesy of the Jumeirah Lowndes Hotel.
I’m pleased to say that your experience reminded me of my stay at Burj Al Arab, Dubai. It was truly a world class experience. Well done to the Jumeirah Group. I’m now determined to visit every of their hotels to compare my stay.
Having stayed at both, I would say that the two are very, very different in character, but both exhibit the same excellent service that is synonymous with Jumeirah.
It’s a pity that you arrived late and ate in the restaurant. I stayed there around this time last year. Luckily the weather was great and I ate out in a charming courtyard garden that they had created with decking and using planters as walls. There was a real feel of the countryside in the heart of the city.
There were a few people eating outside when I dined there. The weather was just a little ‘on the edge’ though, with most people preferring to be inside! It is a lovely place to dine al fresco, though, if the weather is favourable!
Paul you need to go back to the Lowndes for another stay. Next time take your wife, plus a credit card, with no limits, and spend some time shopping in Belgravia. It’s a village with in London, surprisingly quiet and tranquil.
There is an outstanding range of cafes and shops. I remember a top range Pet Shop with designer bowls, coats and blankets for your pampered pooch. We bought some paw balm for our son’s dog to protect his paws from the hot summer pavements.
It’s worth queueing up for Peggy Porschen, not sure if I’ve got the spelling right, but her cakes are like works of Art. Plenty of boutiques for him and her too.
Thanks, Caroline… noted! (although we’ll probably pass on the paw balm – our dog rarely walks on pavements – it’s mostly just fields where we live!)
My memory is far from brilliant but I sort of remember something on Belgravia on A Luxury Travel Blog in the last year or two.
Am I right?
We certainly did, Steve… well remembered! One of our writers did a piece on Belgravia which you can find here: https://www.aluxurytravelblog.com/2018/08/01/belgravia-10-reasons-to-visit-the-village-thriving-in-central-london/
Belgravia is a very special place. Amongst all the hustle and bustle of London it is a real oasis of peace and quiet. I think most of the houses are Georgian which was a very balanced and elegant age for architecture.
If you are visiting London then Belgravia makes for a get away from it all base.
Yes, it’s largely Georgian and Regency architecture (there are nice examples also in Mayfair, Bloomsbury and Fitzrovia) which does give a very classy and elegant feel to the neighbourhood. I don’t know what the house prices are like in this part of London but I would imagine pretty high.
I always find the smaller touches are the most memorable and take a hotel experience from pleasant to exemplary, like the sleep spray they left on the bed and the slippers. The tablet shows how technology is changing every aspect of our lives! I actually really like that as a nifty feature, and it shows the company is keeping up with the times and the needs of the travellers staying at their hotels.
The food looks delicious! The last meal I had at a hotel was in the hotel’s restaurant and it was overpriced and barely edible, which put a damper on the stay. It’s brilliant they also provide you with use of the health club nearby, but it’s a good note not to anticipate visiting it when it’s closed for a refurb. Though, from looking at it, I can’t see why it needs renovating! The balance of being in such a good location but still offering a peaceful, quiet stay is quite rare, but it sounds like this hotel gets it spot on.
Yes, it does rather make you wonder what the new spa and pool are going to look like, post-refurb! Knowing Jumeirah, I’m sure they have very grand plans in place…:-)
I bet! It certainly seems that they are doing well as a business to invest in a revamp when we already think it looks stunning as it is. I would love to see it after the refurb, however long that will take.
The Jumeirah Carlton Tower hotel closes for refurbishment on 1st September 2019 and has a planned reopening date of summer 2020…
I travel a lot for business, perhaps too much for my health, and it is important that I travel with the maximum comfort and minimum disruption.
My commercial travel booking agent knows that my first choice is always a Jumeirah, their stands of service are impeccable and you know that you are getting a top-end product. It is just a pity that Jumeirah aren’t in more of the world’s top business destinations.
Watch this space on that front… they have quite a lot happening in the Middle East and Asia (China, in particular) at the moment, as well as a hotel opening in St. Petersburg…
Great review and great hotel too.
While I never stayed over, I did have the occasional lunch there and always enjoyed their service and the food.
Location is also great indeed.
Thanks, Kristof… I’m glad to hear you’ve managed to stop for a bite to eat at least. It is a very tranquil spot to enjoy lunch.
As they say, the most important thing when choosing accommodation is location, location, location! And as someone who’ve stayed in a lot of hotels, I can say that it’s not always easy to find good, value-for-money hotels with just the perfect location of the “removed but not remote” type. It seems that Jumeirah found it in Belgravia.
“Removed but not remote” is a very good way of describing it, Patti!
I’m not a great fan of London, a bit too big and loud for a country lad like me, so I’m fussy about where so stay.
If I have to go to London then I usually opt for Belgravia. It’s leafy and sometimes you can even hear the birdsong, there are not many parts of London where you can say that.
Never tried the Lowndes but it looks real classy.
Thanks, Jim… I too am a country bumpkin at heart, living in Cumbria. If you enjoy Belgravia, give the Jumeirah Lowndes Hotel a try on your next visit – I’m sure you won’t be disappointed!
Stunning pix of the grub! It looks out of this world – awesome. Note to self – call in for lunch next time you’re doing business round Belgravia. Expenses will cover it!
Thanks, Leo! Even if it’s not on expenses, the prices are not silly… in fact, I would say very reasonable – so you can justify it either way! :-)
Whenever I am staying anywhere on business I try to squeeze in half an hour of exercise. That pool looks as though it would do the job.
The Lowndes is my favourite base for business trips to London. Although it is only a short walk from the tube station, it is a calming breath of fresh air that puts a space between me and the dramas of the day. I usually get a suite so that there’s plenty of space to do some work early next morning.
Ooo I like the rooms. It’s the small touches that can make a stay and I find those stay with me for longer too. Like the deep spray and slippers, neither really being needed but both being very much welcome. Sounds like the hotel is very up to date as well, more so than many I’ve visited n the UK, with the likes of the in-room tablet. Good to see they serve proper food in your room (I’m not one for tiny, fancy meals nor rushed fast food). I’ll keep this place in mind as I go to London semi-regularly, perhaps once the spa has been renovated as then I’ll have a good excuse for a massage so as to check out the facilities.
I’ve never stayed in a Jumeirah Hotel in London though I’ve always been fantastically impressed by those I have stayed at, mainly in the UAE.
Nor do I know the Belgravia area at all. Next time I’m heading for London maybe basing myself at the Lowndes in Belgravia would tick two boxes.