By James Wilkinson in London
InterContinental Hotels Group’s (IHG) boutique luxury Kimpton brand has a new global flagship, in the form of the Kimpton Fitzroy London hotel, which recently made its debut to much fanfare.
The property was originally opened as The Principal London, a flagship for that brand that was owned by Barry Sternlicht’s Starwood Capital until it was bought along with 11 other properties by Foncière des Régions in 2018 under a partnership that saw the properties move to IHG brands and management.
When the hotel was opened as The Principal London, it quickly became one of the city’s hottest new hotels. Now under the Kimpton brand, that’s set to be taken to even greater heights by IHG.
In fact, the hotel is so impressive from a design, product and service perspective, that it has become the prime example of what a Kimpton hotel should look, feel and operate like.
Located in an iconic Grade II listed, late-Victorian heritage building dating back to 1898, Kimpton Fitzroy London features 334 luxurious rooms and suites, a stunning ballroom, several restaurants and bars, modern meeting rooms and a 24-hour fitness centre.
To find out more about the property, Aussie expatriate and Kimpton Fitzroy London General Manager, Paul Walters, recently spoke exclusively to HM and sister publication WAYFARER about the new hotel.
GETTING TO LONDON
HM flew to London with British Airways. BA flies to London via Singapore and the author recommends flying in Club World (Business Class), which features flat-bed seats, hundreds of hours’ entertainment on demand, a recently enhanced world-class selection of food and wine, and some of the best bedding in the sky thanks to The White Company.