Merit Kensington Hotel

Hotel Description

Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much when I first walked up to the Merit Kensington – it’s tucked along Penywern Road in a cluster of those classic white Victorian townhouses that make up half of this neighborhood. But you know what? Sometimes the unassuming places surprise you the most. The lobby hits you with that perfect balance of old London charm and actually functional modern touches, none of that overly precious boutique hotel nonsense that makes you afraid to sit on the furniture.

What really sold me on this place was how genuinely useful the location turned out to be. I mean, everyone talks about staying in Kensington, but Penywern Road specifically puts you in this sweet spot where you can walk to Earl’s Court tube in about three minutes (seriously, I timed it), but you’re also close enough to the museum district that you can stroll to the V&A or Natural History Museum when the weather’s decent. The staff actually knows the area too – when I asked about avoiding the tourist crowds at Hyde Park, the front desk guy suggested entering through the Exhibition Road gate instead of the main entrance near Hyde Park Corner. Little things like that make a difference when you’re trying to feel less like a walking target for pickpockets.

The rooms themselves are what I’d call “London practical” – not huge, obviously, because this is still central London and physics exists, but cleverly laid out in a way that doesn’t make you feel like you’re playing Tetris with your luggage. The beds are actually comfortable (I’m picky about this), and the bathrooms have proper water pressure, which you honestly can’t take for granted in these converted Victorian buildings. I stayed on the third floor facing the back, and it was surprisingly quiet considering you’re basically in the middle of everything. The neighborhood does get a bit lively on weekend evenings – Earl’s Court isn’t exactly a sleepy residential area – but nothing that decent windows can’t handle. One small thing that bugged me was the WiFi occasionally dropping out in the evenings when everyone’s streaming, but it wasn’t a deal-breaker.

What I keep coming back to about the Merit Kensington is how it just… works. It’s not trying to be the fanciest hotel in London, and it’s definitely not the cheapest, but there’s something refreshing about a place that focuses on getting the basics really right. The location genuinely makes your life easier, the staff treats you like a human being rather than a walking credit card, and you can walk out the front door and grab excellent coffee at that little place on Cromwell Road or decent pub food at The Blackbird without having to navigate tourist traps. For a four-star hotel with solid ratings, it delivers exactly what it promises without any weird surprises – which, honestly, is sometimes exactly what you need when you’re trying to enjoy London instead of fighting with your accommodation.

Rooms

• Deluxe Single Room with 1 single bed for 1 adult
• Deluxe Double Room with 1 double bed for 2 adults, 1 child
• Superior Double or Twin Room with 2 single beds and 1 extra-large double bed for 2 adults, 1 child
• Deluxe Double Room with Extra Bed with 1 single bed and 1 double bed for 3 adults, 2 children
• Budget Single Room with 1 single bed for 1 adult
• Double Room with 1 double bed for 2 adults, 1 child
• Superior Quadruple Room with 2 single beds and 1 large double bed for 4 adults, 3 children
• Superior Double Room with 1 large double bed for 2 adults, 1 child
• Superior Triple Room with 1 single bed and 1 extra-large double bed for 3 adults, 2 children
• Double or Twin Room with 2 single beds for 2 adults, 1 child
• Deluxe Double or Twin Room with 2 single beds for 2 adults, 1 child
• Double or Twin Room with 1 large double bed and 2 single beds for 2 adults, 1 child
• Budget Double Room with 1 double bed for 2 adults
• Suite with Garden View with 1 extra-large double bed for 2 adults

Facilities