41

Hotel Description

You know what struck me first about Hotel 41? The fact that it’s literally across from Buckingham Palace, but somehow nobody talks about it. I mean, you walk out the front door and there’s the palace gates right there – not “a short walk” or “nearby,” but actually right there. It’s on Buckingham Palace Road, which sounds fancy but is honestly just a normal London street, except for the whole royal residence thing.

The hotel itself is tiny – only 30 rooms, I think – which actually works in its favor. Check-in felt more like being welcomed into someone’s very posh home than the usual hotel routine. The staff genuinely seemed to know everyone’s names within hours, not in that forced way some places try to do. I stayed on the third floor (they call it the second floor here, obviously) and honestly, the room was small even by London standards, but everything felt deliberately chosen. The bathroom had this massive rain shower that took up half the space, and the bed was one of those situations where you sink in just enough without feeling like you’re being swallowed.

What really got me was the location beyond just the palace thing. Victoria Station is maybe a three-minute walk, which means you’re connected to everywhere – Gatwick Airport, the Eurostar terminal, the Underground. But here’s what the guidebooks don’t tell you: you’re also right next to St. James’s Park, and if you walk through it early morning (like 7 AM early), you’ll have the whole place to yourself except for the pelicans and maybe a few joggers. The hotel staff actually mentioned this – they seem to know all these little timing tricks.

The bar upstairs gets busy around 6 PM with a mix of hotel guests and what seemed like locals, which is always a good sign. I overheard someone saying they’d been coming there for drinks for years without ever staying at the hotel. The cocktails were proper – not trying too hard to be trendy, just well-made drinks with good ingredients. And the afternoon tea situation, well, you’re literally looking at Buckingham Palace while eating scones, which feels almost absurd.

Parking is impossible, but that’s true for most of central London – the concierge can arrange something if you really need it, though you’ll pay for the privilege. The area gets crowded when the guard changes (11:30 AM most days), but it’s more amusing than annoying. You end up with this front-row seat to all the tourist chaos while you’re just trying to leave for dinner.

I’ll be honest, it’s expensive – properly expensive – but if you’re going to spend that kind of money in London anyway, this place actually delivers on what it promises. The 9.7 rating makes sense when you’re there. It’s not perfect (the lift is tiny, the rooms are small, and good luck getting a table at the restaurant without booking ahead), but it nails the things that matter. Sometimes you find a place that just works, and this is one of those.

Rooms

• Executive King Room with 1 extra-large double bed for 2 adults
• Junior Suite – Split Level with 1 large double bed for 2 adults
• Executive Suite with 1 extra-large double bed for 3 adults
• Luxury Suite (Conservatory) with 1 extra-large double bed for 2 adults
• Executive Double with 1 double bed for 2 adults
• Executive Single with 1 double bed for 1 adult

Facilities