Brown’s Hotel, London: Add some grandeur and literary history to your business trip

With rooms starting at Dh6,800 a night, Brown’s is not for the business traveller on a budget — but the central London hotel is steeped in history and includes a range of added extras. Courtesy Rocco Forte Hotels

With rooms starting at Dh6,800 a night, Brown’s is not for the business traveller on a budget — but the central London hotel is steeped in history and includes a range of added extras. Courtesy Rocco Forte Hotels

With rooms starting at Dh6,800 a night, Brown’s is not for the business traveller on a budget — but the central London hotel is steeped in history and includes a range of added extras. Courtesy Rocco Forte Hotels

With rooms starting at Dh6,800 a night, Brown’s is not for the business traveller on a budget — but the central London hotel is steeped in history and includes a range of added extras. Courtesy Rocco Forte Hotels

With rooms starting at Dh6,800 a night, Brown’s is not for the business traveller on a budget — but the central London hotel is steeped in history and includes a range of added extras. Courtesy Rocco Forte Hotels

With rooms starting at Dh6,800 a night, Brown’s is not for the business traveller on a budget — but the central London hotel is steeped in history and includes a range of added extras. Courtesy Rocco Forte Hotels

With rooms starting at Dh6,800 a night, Brown’s is not for the business traveller on a budget — but the central London hotel is steeped in history and includes a range of added extras. Courtesy Rocco Forte Hotels

With rooms starting at Dh6,800 a night, Brown’s is not for the business traveller on a budget — but the central London hotel is steeped in history and includes a range of added extras. Courtesy Rocco Forte Hotels

With rooms starting at Dh6,800 a night, Brown’s is not for the business traveller on a budget — but the central London hotel is steeped in history and includes a range of added extras. Courtesy Rocco Forte Hotels

With rooms starting at Dh6,800 a night, Brown’s is not for the business traveller on a budget — but the central London hotel is steeped in history and includes a range of added extras. Courtesy Rocco Forte Hotels

With rooms starting at Dh6,800 a night, Brown’s is not for the business traveller on a budget — but the central London hotel is steeped in history and includes a range of added extras. Courtesy Rocco Forte Hotels

The 175th anniversary party of Brown’s Hotel on May 16, 2013 in London. David Benett / Getty Images

The Kipling Suite symbolises all that Brown’s Hotel stands for: tradition, subtle grandeur and a rich design ethic.

Brown’s, in the heart of Mayfair, opened in 1837 as London’s oldest existing hotel. It is part of the Rocco Forte chain of 10 hotels across Europe and Russia; the group will open a hotel in Jeddah this year.

It is 27 kilometres from London’s Heathrow airport and a six-minute walk from Green Park tube station. When you book a suite, a one-way London airport transfer is included in the price.

It boasts a Who’s Who of illustrious guests: Alexander Graham Bell made the first phone call in Europe from the hotel, Napoleon III sought refuge in its rooms, Theodore Roosevelt stayed before his wedding, and Agatha Christie and Rudyard Kipling (for whom the Kipling Suite is named) wrote books here. The actor Ralph Fiennes even worked briefly at Brown’s as a porter.

Other literary guests include Arthur Conan Doyle, Bram Stoker and Oscar Wilde – and books are piled in most rooms to claim this heritage.

The hotel has 88 rooms and 29 suites between Dover Street and Albemarle Street. It started as 23 Dover Street, adding numbers 21, 22 and 24 and then merging with the adjoining St George’s hotel. Floors are charmingly higgledy-piggledy as a result, well smoothed over with ramps and carpets to avoid any trips.

Standard rooms are light and roomy for London and the suites are vast, at 50 to 95 square metres.

All are air-conditioned, with iPod docking stations, LCD flat screen TVs, high-speed internet (although I couldn’t get the Wi-Fi to work on my phone), high ceilings and antiques hand-picked by Olga Polizzi, who is part of the Rocco Forte family. An electrical adaptor is handily left in each room.

Suites include complimentary films, breakfast and massages for two, in-room check-in, packing and unpacking, and free garment pressing.

Rooms are available from £420 (Dh2,232) per night, suites from £1,280 per night.

q&a private dining on offer

Suzanne Locke expands on what Brown’s has to offer the business traveller:

What about late-night arrivals?

The business centre, room service and gym, with 12 machines and weights, are 24-hour. Room service includes a burger for £22.50, a cheese toastie for £14.50 and spaghetti Bolognese for £19. Watch out for the minibar, where even crisps or an energy bar cost £4. The spa, sadly, shuts at 8pm.

What services are available?

There are no meeting facilities but there are six private dining rooms – the largest can hold 120 standing guests. In rooms, only The Times newspaper is complimentary; all UK newspapers are free in suites. Printing in the business centre is free, as is a shoe shine. Same-day laundry is available, and valet parking costs £50 for 24 hours.

What about dining?

The wood-panelled Hix Mayfair has English chef Mark Hix in charge and a backdrop of works by British artists from Tracey Emin to Michael Landy. The English Tea Room serves one of London’s most famous afternoon teas.

Tell me more about the Kipling Suite.

It is the lion of the hotel’s rooms, where Rudyard Kipling wrote The Jungle Book and Stephen King wrote the beginning of Misery. The suite, wrapped in ornate jungle wallpaper, contains a framed letter from Kipling. It also has a sitting room, walk-in wardrobe and 16-square-metre marble bathroom, all for £6,210 a night.

The writer was a guest at the hotel.

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