For some, the Malmaison is stylish, contemporary and luxurious, however, others find its homogeneous branded design slightly soulless. However, what ever your taste may dictate, no body could deny the beautiful Victorian building and great location in Clerkenwell.
Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7012 3700
Url: www.malmaison-london.com
Price: £125–£295
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The thing about McMaison, oops, Malmaison is that as a British chain in 11 cities, you know what you’re getting – a good thing to some people, not to others. But for all its homogeneity, what the ‘Mal’ sets out to do – namely, affordable chic – it does it well. Like all the other casts of the national mould, its 97 rooms feature minimalist design with ‘moody’ spotlighting, plus entry-level luxuries of Egyptian cotton bed linen, fluffy robes and techy toys (the hotel has a free DVD and CD library for in-room entertainment).
Its biggest danger is its safety: monochromed this, slate-floored that, and lilac, dove and earth tones sitting politely in muted harmony – to ‘rock’ it up, there are antique Napoleon and Malmaison portraits (Malmaison being his grand residence outside Paris – the chain’s original reference point for ‘iconic style’). For that, just look out of the window: housed within the shell of a red-brick Victorian nurses’ residence for St Bartholomew’s Hospital, it overlooks a private park in the quaintly cobbled square – be sure ask for a square-facing room.
