This diminutive, 38-room, boutique hotel is situated at the edge of leafy Dorset Square in the heart of London, occupying a Regency townhouse that’s positively crazed with the sport of cricket. Dorset Square was the site of Thomas Lord’s first cricket ground, and the hotel has adopted a cricket-centric theme—framed vintage bats and uniforms dot the walls, and cricket balls act as doorknobs.
Designer Kit Kemp decorated each guest room (which, minus the door knobs, are all cricket-free) in a different style, so no two rooms are alike. Our room featured padded walls covered in a navy fabric, a gray jersey headboard and hot pink pillows on the bed—a whimsical spin on the typical British style.
Designer Kit Kemp decorated each guest room (which, minus the door knobs, are all cricket-free) in a different style, so no two rooms are alike. Our room featured padded walls covered in a navy fabric, a gray jersey headboard and hot pink pillows on the bed—a whimsical spin on the typical British style.
Our Inspector's Highlights
• It’s easy to feel overwhelmed in a city as big and busy as London, which is why the intimate size of the Dorset Square Hotel—it has just 38 rooms spread through a Regency townhouse—is a refreshing change of pace.
• Its location in Marylebone puts you in the heart of London, and its own bar and restaurant—The Potting Shed—draws in guests and locals alike to enjoy updated British cuisine while sitting beneath framed cricket uniforms from days gone by.
• You don’t have to be a fan of Downton Abbey to appreciate the hotel’s drawing room, with cricket-themed prints on the wall and comfy arm chairs for longing.
• There’s also an honor bar available for drinks in the drawing room, and food from the Potting Shed restaurant can be brought directly to your armchair.
• Traditional afternoon tea at Dorset Square includes sample delicate truffled egg and cress sandwiches, tiger prawn cocktail and the classic scones with clotted cream.
• Its location in Marylebone puts you in the heart of London, and its own bar and restaurant—The Potting Shed—draws in guests and locals alike to enjoy updated British cuisine while sitting beneath framed cricket uniforms from days gone by.
• You don’t have to be a fan of Downton Abbey to appreciate the hotel’s drawing room, with cricket-themed prints on the wall and comfy arm chairs for longing.
• There’s also an honor bar available for drinks in the drawing room, and food from the Potting Shed restaurant can be brought directly to your armchair.
• Traditional afternoon tea at Dorset Square includes sample delicate truffled egg and cress sandwiches, tiger prawn cocktail and the classic scones with clotted cream.
Things to Know
• The property incorporates nods to cricket throughout the hotel, with beaten-up cricket bats and prints of dapper sweater vested players hanging on the walls.
• Don’t miss Dorset Square’s signature cricket cocktail: The Silly Mid Wicket, a combination of Tanqueray gin with rhubarb liqueur, grapefruit juice and a touch of basil or ice.
• You can expect your arrival to be an event, with a hand-written note from the hotel’s manager, a gift of aromatherapy cream to help you sleep, and a printout detailing events of interest happening around London.
• Dorset Square Hotel doesn’t have a dedicated spa, however you can get a full range of body and beauty treatments in the comfort of your room via the property’s partnership with Temple Spa.
• Don’t miss Dorset Square’s signature cricket cocktail: The Silly Mid Wicket, a combination of Tanqueray gin with rhubarb liqueur, grapefruit juice and a touch of basil or ice.
• You can expect your arrival to be an event, with a hand-written note from the hotel’s manager, a gift of aromatherapy cream to help you sleep, and a printout detailing events of interest happening around London.
• Dorset Square Hotel doesn’t have a dedicated spa, however you can get a full range of body and beauty treatments in the comfort of your room via the property’s partnership with Temple Spa.
The Rooms
• Don’t worry, the only nod to cricket in your room will be the doorknobs that are made from cricket balls; otherwise, you’ll find each of the 38 rooms is decorated in a different colorful fashion.
• Designer Kit Kemp created excellent visual stimulation, pairing navy blue padded walls with hot pink decorative pillows and gray jersey headboards.
• Room sizes are fairly small, yet they all promise everything you require, from desks and closets to marble-coated bathrooms and generous mini-bars.
• A generous supply of citrus-scented Miller Harris amenities will be loaded into your shower, and the bathrooms feature enjoyable perks like heated towel bars and makeup mirrors for exacting styling.
• Designer Kit Kemp created excellent visual stimulation, pairing navy blue padded walls with hot pink decorative pillows and gray jersey headboards.
• Room sizes are fairly small, yet they all promise everything you require, from desks and closets to marble-coated bathrooms and generous mini-bars.
• A generous supply of citrus-scented Miller Harris amenities will be loaded into your shower, and the bathrooms feature enjoyable perks like heated towel bars and makeup mirrors for exacting styling.
The Restaurant
• The Potting Shed restaurant at Dorset Square Hotel stays true to its British roots, so you can expect high-quality English brasserie food using fresh, local ingredients.
• There is a daily “dish of the day” that the operator will inform you of, and from there you’re free to order up fish pie, matured Aberdeenshire cote de boeuf, steelhead trout or a straight up burger with fries and coleslaw.
• There’s plenty of lighter fare like grilled feta with spiced quinoa and chick peas paired with roasted peppers and mint yogurt, or a Caesar salad piled with chicken or prawns.
• Dessert hits on some classic British sweets like treacle tart and Eton mess—the latter of which was a famous post-cricket treat at Eton when they played Harrow School.
• There is a daily “dish of the day” that the operator will inform you of, and from there you’re free to order up fish pie, matured Aberdeenshire cote de boeuf, steelhead trout or a straight up burger with fries and coleslaw.
• There’s plenty of lighter fare like grilled feta with spiced quinoa and chick peas paired with roasted peppers and mint yogurt, or a Caesar salad piled with chicken or prawns.
• Dessert hits on some classic British sweets like treacle tart and Eton mess—the latter of which was a famous post-cricket treat at Eton when they played Harrow School.
Getting There
39-40 Dorset Square, Marylebone, London NW1 6QN
TEL44-20-7723-7874
NEARBY AIRPORT(S)
LHR (30-45 min)
Stories
