The other way round

Having had its soft opening in July, The Other House South Kensington is now making a wave or two with those looking to alight, whether for a night, a week or several months, in a London place that feels something like home. There are 200 “club flats” spread across 11 townhouses – ranging from neat little studio spaces, albeit lushly appointed ones, with kitchenettes, up to a clutch of three-bedroom garden apartments sharing a courtyard. The Other House app is meant to streamline the hotel part of the experience as much or as little as a guest pleases; it lets you run the gamut, from 24-hour service to a totally private check-in, no staff assistance necessary.

The Owl and Monkey Bar at The Other House in South Kensington
The Owl and Monkey Bar at The Other House in South Kensington
A club flat at The Other House
A club flat at The Other House

The rooms are complemented by two private members’ lounges: the Keeping Room is a dimly lit, den-like space, while the Hogsmire’s atrium is the place for coffee and drinks. There’s also a subterranean spa and pool, a series of meeting rooms and a ground-level café, The Other Kitchen, that’s open to the public. Next up, for 2024: The Other House Covent Garden, a collection of seven listed buildings (including a converted rectory) just above Aldwych, where the offering will include more wellness and a state-of-the-art gym. otherhouse.com, from £350


A sixth sense for style in Bayswater

Six Senses is one of a handful of hotel flags that is playing in the club-residence space, and no surprise: the brand’s natural lean toward wellness and cultural programming lends itself to such expansion. Both will be intrinsic parts of the much-talked-about Six Senses London when it opens next year, taking over what was formerly Whiteleys in Bayswater.

The façade of Six Senses London
The façade of Six Senses London
The pool at Six Senses London
The pool at Six Senses London

It’s an ambitious launch, comprising a 110-room hotel, 14 residences and Six Senses Place, a members’ club (to which residents will have automatic access) with an open bar-restaurant, co-working spaces and several private treatment rooms (the actual Six Senses Spa will be downstairs and will include a gym and a 20m-long indoor pool). First up, though, will be the debut of Six Senses Rome, which opens in February. In a city that’s about location and sights, the 96-room hotel will deliver in spades: in a grand palazzo between the Galleria Doria Pamphilj and the Trevi Fountain, with a near-500sq m rooftop bar and restaurant. sixsenses.com; London prices not yet set, Rome from €850


West Country wow factor

2022 was the year Mandarin-Oriental – no stranger to the branded residence market (see One Hyde Park) – entered the luxury home lettings one. Mandarin Oriental Exclusive Homes sees the hotelier partner with StayOne to offer a selection of eye-poppingly glamorous short-stay villas and estates around the world, from a private-island location in the Balearics to Bittescombe Lodge, a 400-acre estate in the heart of the West Country.

Bittescombe Lodge in Somerset
Bittescombe Lodge in Somerset

Its owners repatriated from Hong Kong some years ago to undertake the expansion and renovation of the farmhouse – or “farmhouse”, more like, actually a clutch of interconnected structures cleverly repurposed to house 10 ensuite bedrooms, a dining hall fashioned from what were once cow stalls, an indoor pool in the former dairy and a disused calving barn as a hybrid private cinema/entertainment room. (An impressive amount of already-extant material was repurposed in the process, and a joinery workshop was established in a shed on the property, such was the volume of reworked wood utilised in the design.)

The farmhouse buildings contain 10 ensuite bedrooms, a dining hall, and indoor pool and entertainment spaces
The farmhouse buildings contain 10 ensuite bedrooms, a dining hall, and indoor pool and entertainment spaces

Simultaneously they rehabilitated the deer park, now home to 500 head of sheep and more than 100 red deer – native to this bit of the West Country, and introduced with stags from the Duke of Bedford’s Woburn estate. English Country Style this isn’t: the owners loved their time resort-hopping in Asia and it shows in the combination of bold colours and materials and pared-back lines. But if that’s your thing, and a house party or fully catered private escape – Michelin chef, concierge and all – is what you’re after, here’s one to consider. mandarinoriental.com, from £10,440

@mariashollenbarger

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