The Chesterfield Mayfair

Hotel review

Tucked down a quiet street, yet a stone’s throw from bustling Picadilly and just round the corner from the ever popular Shepherd Market, sits the unassuming Chesterfield Mayfair, which has been created from three period townhouses. In an area awash with luxury hotels, it’s a treat to discover one that delivers all the high-end service and style, but without the eye-watering room rates of some of its near neighbours.

Entering The Chesterfield you could easily think that you’d just stepped inside a private members' club, with the deep leather sofas, dark wood panelling and black-and-white floor. It’s all about tradition and classic elegance, with plenty of impressive oil paintings too. This theme continues throughout the ground floor, where there’s a cosy library, Sem's Bar (a really buzzing space, crammed with after-work drinkers) whose walls are covered with dozens of original cartoons by M Sems after whom the bar is named, and the wonderful Butlers Restaurant, which serves both lunch and dinner. If you decide to stay in for dinner, you’ll be in for something quite special. It’s an opulent space where the grandeur is matched by the equally impressive food. They have made a name here for their exquisite Dover Sole, and I’d highly recommend it!

For something a little more casual, you should head up to recently opened Stanley’s Rooftop Bar. It was created in honour of Stanley Tollman (the man who started Red Carnation Hotels, and whose love of good hospitality was legendary) as a fun year-round outdoor space for cocktails and conversation. Not only that, but they do a good line in great little sharing plates if you get hungry. Don’t forget to book, though; it’s a popular haunt especially for early evening drinks. 

Afternoon Tea is a bit of a thing here too. There's a charming space just off Sem's Bar, where they serve their award-winning Sweetshop Afternoon Tea, an indulgent affair which appeals to young and old alike, with its sweetshop-themed cakes, best washed down with a glass of bubbly!

The rooms here won’t disappoint either. Each have their own style and feel, but all are classical with little signature Red Carnation design touches like beautiful fabric-clad walls (who needs wallpaper?), and stunning mirrors and paintings everywhere you look. The beds are supremely comfortable and the monogrammed linen just gorgeous…smooth as silk! Bathrooms are clad in marble and boast spoiling Floris toiletries. Obviously, the better your room, the larger your bathroom!

Location-wise, it doesn’t get much better if you want to be right in the thick of things. The Chesterfield is close to shopping, art galleries and theatres, and Green Park is a five-minute stroll away.

As with all Red Carnation hotels, the thing you really notice is the unbeatable service and enthusiasm that seems to seep from the pores of every member of staff. Nothing is ever too much trouble! The aim is to provide guests with a truly special experience, and The Chesterfield Mayfair most certainly does that. No mean feat when you think that this was the original hotel in the collection; it's still making guests return again and again four decades later.

Sarah Empson