Penthouse

Penthouse Overview

First Impressions

Walking up to Penthouse on Great Russell Street, you’d honestly be forgiven for doing a double-take — this four-star boutique hotel sits right in the thick of Bloomsbury, and I mean right in it. The Georgian facade blends seamlessly with the neighborhood’s literary heritage, but step inside and there’s this immediate sense that someone put real thought into making this place feel special rather than just another London hotel. It’s intimate in the best way, the kind of place where the staff actually remember your name by day two.

Location That Actually Matters

Here’s what I love about the location — you’re literally a two-minute walk from the British Museum, which sounds touristy until you realize you can pop over there on a whim or use their gorgeous courtyard as a shortcut. Russell Square tube station is right there, but honestly, you’ll find yourself walking everywhere because Covent Garden, Oxford Street, and even King’s Cross are all within easy reach. The street itself has this lovely residential feel despite being so central, and there’s something quite romantic about wandering back here in the evenings (couples definitely seem to get this — they rate it particularly highly for romantic getaways).

The Rooms

The rooms at Penthouse feel more like staying in a well-appointed London flat than a typical hotel room. Each one’s different — some have these wonderful high ceilings that make you feel properly grand, while others are more intimate with clever use of space that never feels cramped. The bathrooms are particularly well done, with decent water pressure (you know how hit-or-miss that can be in London) and toiletries that don’t make you immediately want to replace them with your own. What struck me most was the attention to lighting — there are actually enough lamps and switches that you can create the right mood whether you’re getting ready to go out or settling in with a book.

The Neighborhood Experience

Bloomsbury has this wonderful lived-in quality that makes you feel like a temporary local rather than just another tourist. There’s a proper pub called The Lamb just around the corner that’s been there forever, and Charlotte Street — with its fantastic restaurants — is close enough for dinner but far enough that you’re not dealing with the crowds. The squares around here (Bedford, Russell, Bloomsbury) give you those quintessential London garden moments, and I actually found myself taking different routes just to walk through them. It’s the kind of area where you’ll stumble across blue plaques marking where famous writers lived, which feels perfectly fitting given you’re staying so close to the British Library.

Why Guests Love It

What really sets Penthouse apart is how it manages to feel both central and peaceful — that excellent location score of 9.0 isn’t just about proximity to attractions, it’s about being in a spot that lets you experience London like someone who actually lives here. The service strikes that perfect balance between attentive and unobtrusive, and there’s something refreshing about a hotel that doesn’t try to be everything to everyone. Instead, it does the fundamentals really well: comfortable rooms, genuine hospitality, and a location that makes you feel like you’ve discovered something special in the heart of one of the world’s great cities.

Penthouse Accommodations

Facilities