The Academy - Small Luxury Hotels of the World
Location: 21 Gower Street, Bloomsbury, London, gb
Star Rating: 5 Stars
Property Type: Hotels
About this Property
Luxurious Georgian Townhouses Turned Boutique Hotel
Award-Winning Design and Gourmet Dining
Indulge in rooms crafted by New York's Champalimaud Design, featuring marble en-suite showers and bespoke furniture. Start your day with an extensive Continental breakfast buffet or opt for a delicious a la carte breakfast for a small fee. Explore nearby dining options or unwind at the Alchemy Bar's Terrace with Mr. Ma's Afternoon Tea and unique cocktails.
Prime Location for Exploring London
Located just a 5-minute walk from The British Museum, The Academy is your gateway to London's iconic landmarks. Discover Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus, and Covent Garden within a leisurely 15-minute stroll. Immerse yourself in the vibrant culture of Oxford Street, Soho, Chinatown, and Trafalgar Square, all within a mile from the hotel.
Ready to experience luxury and convenience in the heart of London? Book your stay at The Academy - Small Luxury Hotels of the World now!
Important Information
Please note, this property does not have an elevator, and rooms are only accessible via stairs.
Policies
Check-in: 02:00 PM - 12:00 AM
Check-out: 11:00 AM
Amenities & Facilities
- Parking
- Non-smoking rooms
- Air conditioning
- Restaurant
- Room service
- Terrace
- Family rooms
- Luggage storage
- Express check-in/check-out
- Safety deposit box
- Fax/photocopying
- Tour desk
- Ironing service
- Non-smoking throughout
- Shared lounge/TV area
- Shuttle service (additional charge)
- Concierge service
- Allergy-free room
- Outdoor furniture
- Coffee Shop on site
- Fruits
- Staff adhere to local safety protocols
- Guest rooms disinfected between stays
- Cleaning standards that are effective against Coronavirus
- Physical distancing rules followed
- Hand sanitizer in guest room and key areas
- Cashless payment available
- Fire extinguishers
- First aid kit available
- Sanitized tableware & silverware
- Guests can opt-out any cleaning services during stay
- Smoke alarms
- Shared stationery like menus, pens are removed
- Physical distancing in dining areas
- Food delivered to guest room
- CCTV outside property
- Process in place to check health of guests
- Screens / Barriers between staff and guests for safety
- 24-hour security
- Security alarm
- Key card access
- Happy hour
- Television in common areas
- Front desk (limited hours)
- Express check-in
- Free wired internet
- Airport transportation - pickup (surcharge)
- Airport transportation - drop-off (surcharge)
- Internet access
- Housekeeping on request
- Concerts/live shows
- Wine release events
- Reception hall
- Japanese garden
- Garage
- Vegetarian menu options available
- Accessible shuttle
- No accessible shuttle
- Accessible train station shuttle
- No accessible train station shuttle
Rooms Available
-
Bloomsbury Single
Offering free toiletries and bathrobes, this single room includes a private bathroom with a shower and a hairdryer. The single room offers air conditioning, a wardrobe, a safe deposit box, an electric kettle and a flat-screen TV. The unit offers 1 bed.
Max Occupancy: 1 (1 Adults)
- Shower
- Safety deposit box
- TV
- Telephone
- Air conditioning
- Hair dryer
- Bathrobe
- Toilet
- Private bathroom
- Heating
- Tile/marble floor
- Alarm clock
- Electric kettle
- Wardrobe or closet
- Toilet paper
- Bottle of water
- Smoke alarm
- Key card access
-
Townhouse Single Room
Ideal for the individual single traveler, these rooms are decorated in a contemporary style and created by the award-winning New York “Champalimaud Design”. All rooms feature a marble en-suite shower room and bespoke furniture with complimentary WiFi. An extensive Continental breakfast buffet is included. A la carte breakfast is available with a surcharge of £15.00. All Rooms Include tea and Nespresso coffee making facilities, flat screen TV with Freeview channels and USB charging ports for multiple devices. Additional amenities also include a safe, Aromatherapy Associates toiletries, bathrobe and slippers and a hair dryer. Ironing facilities are provided.
Max Occupancy: 1 (1 Adults)
- Shower
- Safety deposit box
- TV
- Telephone
- Air conditioning
- Hair dryer
- Bathrobe
- Toilet
- Private bathroom
- Heating
- Tile/marble floor
- Alarm clock
- Electric kettle
- Wardrobe or closet
- Toilet paper
- Bottle of water
- Smoke alarm
- Key card access
-
Bloomsbury Studio
Decorated in a contemporary style and created by the award winning New York “Champalimaud Design”, These rooms feature a marble en-suite shower room and bespoke furniture. With elegant interiors and luxurious amenities, these suites feature a seating area with a sofa bed.
All Rooms Include complimentary WiFi, tea and Nespresso coffee making facilities, flat screen TV with Freeview channels. Additional amenities also include a safe, Aromatherapy Associates toiletries, USB charging ports for multiple devices, bathrobe and slippers and a hair dryer. Ironing facilities are provided.
Max Occupancy: 3 (2 Adults)
- Shower
- Safety deposit box
- TV
- Telephone
- Air conditioning
- Hair dryer
- Bathrobe
- Seating Area
- Toilet
- Private bathroom
- Heating
- Sofa
- Tile/marble floor
- Alarm clock
- Electric kettle
- Wardrobe or closet
- Toilet paper
- Sofa bed
- Bottle of water
- Cots
- Smoke alarm
- Key card access
-
Townhouse Double
These rooms showcase the very best in contemporary style, created by the award winning New York “Champalimaud Design” All rooms feature a marble en-suite shower room and bespoke furniture.
All rooms Include complimentary WiFi, tea and Nespresso coffee making facilities and a flat-screen TV with Freeview channels. Additional amenities also include a safe, Aromatherapy Associates toiletries, USB charging ports for multiple devices, bathrobe and slippers and a hair dryer. Ironing facilities are provided.
Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)
- Shower
- Safety deposit box
- TV
- Telephone
- Air conditioning
- Hair dryer
- Bathrobe
- Toilet
- Private bathroom
- Heating
- Tile/marble floor
- Alarm clock
- Electric kettle
- Wardrobe or closet
- Toilet paper
- Bottle of water
- Smoke alarm
- Key card access
-
Bloomsbury Twin
These rooms showcase the very best in contemporary style, created by the award-winning New York “Champalimaud Design” All rooms feature a marble en-suite shower room and bespoke furniture. All rooms Include complimentary WiFi, tea and Nespresso coffee making facilities and a flat-screen TV with Free view channel. Additional amenities also include a safe, Aromatherapy Associates toiletries, USB charging ports for multiple devices, bathrobe and slippers and a hair dryer. Ironing facilities are provided.
Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)
- Shower
- Safety deposit box
- TV
- Telephone
- Air conditioning
- Hair dryer
- Bathrobe
- Toilet
- Private bathroom
- Heating
- Tile/marble floor
- Alarm clock
- Electric kettle
- Wardrobe or closet
- Toilet paper
- Bottle of water
- Smoke alarm
- Key card access
-
Bloomsbury King Room
These rooms showcase the very best in contemporary style, created by the award winning New York “Champalimaud Design” All rooms feature a marble en-suite shower room and bespoke furniture. All rooms Include complimentary WiFi, tea and Nespresso coffee making facilities and a flat-screen TV with Freeview channels. Additional amenities also include a safe, Aromatherapy Associates toiletries, USB charging ports for multiple devices, bathrobe and slippers and a hair dryer. Ironing facilities are provided.
Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)
- Shower
- Safety deposit box
- TV
- Telephone
- Air conditioning
- Hair dryer
- Bathrobe
- Toilet
- Private bathroom
- Heating
- Tile/marble floor
- Alarm clock
- Electric kettle
- Wardrobe or closet
- Toilet paper
- Bottle of water
- Smoke alarm
- Key card access
Guest Reviews
- Jiang (7/5): 住了三晚,还挺好的,挺舒适。不潮湿~很暖和 - 还可以,位置挺好的。出门十几分钟就到了。酒店小小的很温馨。带一个孩子安排的沙发床很友好。 早餐种类太少了
- Simon (8/5): -
- Paul (7/5): -
- merlijne (5/5): -
- Johan (8/5): - Very nice staff. Very convenient location.
- Bjørn (6/5): -
- Jana (9/5): Perfect weekend stay! - Excellent location, great service and very quaint hotel!
- Daniel (7/5): Overpriced for the service and quality provided. - The location was good. The room was clean. Too expensive compared to other hotels at this price point. The room itself was fine, but the door did not close properly, so you could hear everything from the neighboring rooms. The bathroom was tiny and uncomfortable. The full English breakfast cost extra and was mediocre at best. The staff were quite nice to us, but they made another guest try the yoghurt at breakfast, which they had already said was no longer good, just to confirm it was sour. This situation was appalling.
- David (9/5): -
- Veronica Jastina (9/5): -
- Øystein (7/5): Good location - Very nice staff, both in the reception and in the breakfast room (with one notable exception.) Spacious room and nice breakfast. The location is more or less perfect, quiet and close to the BM, and a short walk to Oxford Street, Covent Garden etc. Not a luxury hotel, but very much in line with classic London hotels: narrow staircases, thick carpets, and floors slanting in every possible direction. The room was larger than usual though, and the hotel offered room service, a small bar and a nice outdoor area. The bathroom was clean, but the shower sprayed water everywhere and the ventilation was basically non-existent, so the room always felt damp. The air conditioning worked reasonably well, but it was noisy. The continental breakfast was fairly simple and didn’t vary at all from day to day, but the quality of the products was good. A full English breakfast was available for an extra £15, but we didn’t try it.
- Gabriella (10/5): Amazing staff - Loved it! The staff were so friendly and accommodating and did everything they could to make it special.
The room was big and gorgeously done.
- Christine (10/5): Altogether excelllent and the staff are the cherry on top. - Intimate environment and felt very personalized. Gower Street is very busy and there is no dedicated loading/unloading zone outside the front door.
- Gülfem (9/5): - I had a really pleasant stay at this hotel. Everything was very clean, both the room and the common areas. I stayed in a single room, and considering London standards, the room size and overall space were more than adequate. The bathroom was a little small, but still manageable.
The breakfast was good, although a little more variety would make it even better. The staff were very friendly, welcoming, and easy to communicate with. I also really liked the hotel’s atmosphere — it had the charm of a small boutique hotel while still feeling modern and stylish.
The location was perfect for me, as it was very convenient for the places I wanted to visit in London. I would definitely consider staying here again when I come back to London.
- Gerhardus (8/5): -
- Kay (9/5): -
- Mitchell (7/5): Well located very clean with excellent service but small room and beds. - Very clean, comfortable beds, modern bathroom, excellent staff, very good breakfast. Room and bathroom were quite small, and beds although comfy were also narrow and short. Challenging to fit in and also difficult to maintain a cool enough temperature for sleeping.
- Zoe (9/5): -
- Kerstin (9/5): -
- Clinton (6/5): - Charming townhouse; lovely garden. Too many stairs for upper floor rooms. not for the faint hearted!
- Sophie (7/5): Disappointing - The staff were lovely. Good location I’m never normally someone to write a bad review but we were really disappointed with this hotel, it just didn’t feel like a 5* experience at all.
We had to climb right to the top of the building to get to our room, there was no lift and the stairs were pretty old and musty. The room was really hot so we had to have the AC on but it made a constant loud whooshing noise which kept me up in the night. When I tried to open the blinds in the room, the chain just broke off in my hand.
After our first night we left for the day and when we got back to the room at around 3.30pm we were surprised to see it hadn’t been cleaned, because apparently the service ‘runs until 5pm’ but by that point we wanted to use the room to get ready for dinner. Breakfast was also limited and had to pay an extra £15 just for some eggs.
- Paul (10/5): Great find, Will definitely return! - 10 min walk from Euston Station. Staff were excellent, immaculate hotel, continental breakfast was perfect, room was lovely. Price of the wine, a little expensive.
- Richard (8/5): Good location. Nice staff. Excellent for a night. Claustrophobic for 3 - Location great. Good breakfast Tiny bathroom.
- Roger (9/5): -
- Emma (10/5): -
- Ricki (10/5): -
- Neale (2/5): Just bad ! - This is not a small leading hotel of the world - if it is I’m Santa ! Scruffy
- Julie (9/5): Cute hotel with a very nice courtyard. - Very cute hotel. Check-in process took a bit longer than anticipated. Overall really nice, but for a 5 Star Hotel a bit more organisation would be great.
- Chris (8/5): - Lovely staff and hotel decor Shower door handle was falling off
- Brenda (8/5): Good location but a bit pricey considering the missing attention to detail - Location was excellent; Room was very spacious and had nice common areas to hang out. Not very clean and with a weird smell sometimes; bed was not firm enough and for some reason the bathroom always has a very warm temperature.
- Lambert (9/5): Small is beautiful - Quirky, individual decor and layout. Good continental breakfast. Nothing
- sandra (10/5): Enjoyable, comfortable and would stay again. - Staff were extremely friendly and helpful. Hotel was welcoming and comfortable. Nearby carpark. Would stay again.
- Subtain (6/5): Nice hotel, good location - Good Location, nice and clean, good service. TV wasn’t working throughout our stay reported this on first day and was told it had been broken for the last week was promised it would be sorted the next morning and it wasn’t. Was told parking was a 2 minute walk it was over 10mins
- Marc (9/5): -
- Aleksandr (10/5): -
- Iria (9/5): Otima localizacao e cafe da manha excelente! - Começando pelo atendimento - todos muito educados e atenciosos. O café da manhã é excelente: Muita variedades, tudo bem fresco e o cafe feito na hora. Uma delicia - voltaria com certeza Nosso quarto era no último andar (4o) do hotel e eles não têm elevador. Era bem cansativo subir ate o quarto.
- Thomas (10/5): -
- Philipp (8/5): -
- Sylwan Gordon (9/5): Underbar oas mitt i London - Fantastisk liten oas mitt i London. Nära att gå in till tex Covent Garden eller Oxford street. Nära två tunnelbanestationer. Trevlig personal. Jättefint, lyxigt rum. Underbar innergård där man kan sitta och ta en drink på kvällen. Jättebra frukost! Vårt golv i rummet knakade rejält på ett ställe vilket var lite irriterande. Men allt annat var bra.
- Simona (5/5): Good location, but not a five star hotel. - It is a well located hotel and the rooms were nice. The breakfast was lovely and so was the breakfast staff. Unfortunately I do not know how this hotel maintains its five stars and to belong to small luxury hotels of the world. The patio furniture is stained. Ashtrays outside are not cleaned, only once a day in the morning so you are always sitting outside with filled ashtrays. Our room was on the 5th floor, no elevator and no request to bring down our luggage. After the first night our room was still not made up after 16:30. In my opinion this is more of a 4 or 3 star hotel and not a small luxury hotel of the world.
- Jeroen (8/5): -
- Shaun (10/5): -
- Martin (9/5): - Location is great, walkable central-central London attractions; room was super, spacious enough and comfy. The garden in the back is just perfect. And the staff are simply great. Not much not to like. Perhaps the fact that all is covered in carpet, but that's England, I guess:)
- Guido (10/5): -
- Stephen (8/5): -
- Nadezhda (9/5): -
- Carlos5180 (7/5): Buen lugar muy mala la habitación - Ubicación, personal bien amable,
lindo Jardin, La pieza que me asignaron era muy pequeña oscura, mas bien parecía bodega....
- Kerrie (10/5): Thoroughly enjoyed our stay for a week at The Academy we will definitely be back again - Rooms were a decent size, staff were really friendly and helpful. Hotel was beautifully decorated and has really nice facilities to relax in. Centrally located in a nice area without being in the tourist zone.
- Lloyd Crawford (10/5): A perfect base for exploring London. - I love this hotel- I tried a smaller room this time, and it was still exceptional. The staff are friendly, helpful, efficient, attentive and welcoming. The room was well-appointed, the bed was very comfy, and the breakfast was delicious. I didn't use the bar, but it looked lovely, as was the garden area. The location is fantastic- midway between Covent Garden and Coal Drops Yard, the Bloomsbury area is relaxed and quiet, yet only a few steps away from the hustle and bustle of city life. I love it, and I'll definitely be back! It didn't bother me, but it's worth being aware that due to the age of the building, there are no lifts. This may be an issue for people with limited mobility. For me, it's a quirk of this beautiful Victorian residence.
- Pascale (9/5): -
- Dirk (8/5): Top, maar vermoeiend. - Onthaal en hulp bij museumbezoek. In de kamer kan er wat worden vernieuwd.
- THATO BONTLE (10/5): Calm in the chaos of the city - It’s a vintage decorated little property with top notch service. NA
- Bill (9/5): Great hotel with loads of character in an ideal location. - Location was ideal. Hotel had great character and the room was exceptional. The courtyard garden was a lovely place for evening cocktails before heading out to dinner. The barman happily made a very good, off the menu, aviation for my wife. No parking very close was inconvenient.
- Johan (5/5): Goede ligging maar veel te kleine badkamer. - De ligging en het vriendelijk personeel. Ondermaatse mini badkamer, zeker geen 5 sterren waard: 1 klein lavabootje zonder plaats om iets op te zetten en een wc waarop je verplicht schuin moet gaan zitten wegens plaatsgebrek voor de benen. Hotelkamerraam kon niet worden geopend en de airco maakte een reutelend geluid.
- Lina (8/5): -
- Hazel (8/5): -
- Perkins (10/5): The staff are so lovely and what they offer is excellent and the breakfast is a good selection and the room service was - It’s decorated really nice and not too far from everywhere The only downside is the view however it was a last minute booking and for one night so didn’t bother that much anyway
- Stefanie (8/5): -
- kenneth (8/5): Perfect stay for a visit to the British Museum - Close to the British Museum
Beautiful GEORGIAN building
Superb staff
Stylish Nothing
- Jenny (8/5): -
- Louis (9/5): -
- Sofie (9/5): -
- Laura (7/5): - Location, breakfast Room very small
- Anne (10/5): -
- Victoria (10/5): -
- Berit (9/5): -
- Scott (10/5): - Lovely hotel in a great location It's hard to think of what's not good in a hotel like this. You pay a lot for a lovely experience and they deliver on it.
- Anna (10/5): -
- Tim (8/5): -
- Vilhjálmur (8/5): -
- Claudio (7/5): -
- Christine (9/5): -
- Amir (8/5): -
- Therese (10/5): Hotell utöver det vanliga….. - Interiörerna, lyxig känsla.
- Hedda (10/5): -
- MONICA (10/5): Elegante e Raffinato - La struttura è bellissima, curata nei minimi dettagli, con un’eleganza raffinata che si percepisce in ogni ambiente. L’atmosfera è intima e accogliente, perfetta per chi cerca comfort e tranquillità nel cuore della città.
Il vero punto di forza è l’attenzione al cliente: ci si sente davvero coccolati, grazie a un servizio impeccabile e discreto, sempre pronto a soddisfare. Grazie Niente
- Scott (8/5): -
- Subha (9/5): Cosy, bijou, comfortable, reasonably priced hotel in a the heart of Bloomsbury. I would happily come back. Very good val - location, comfort, tasteful decoration, courteous service The AC in the room could not be regulated or switched off via the remote, so the room was v cold at first. The person who showed me how to operate remote at check in was not aware that it didn’t work. Later, on my return at night i reported it to reception, they switched it off at their end. So all was well in the end. But just something they need to fix as a tiny bit of AC rather than a lot would have been welcome.
- Kerrie (1/5): Not as described…. - Very little, poor location. No lift. Pokey, bar the size of a small sitting room and didn’t open until 9pm.
Unfortunate smell
- John (9/5): -
- Mark (7/5): Lovely boutique hotel, great location if you're using the Lizzy line - Lovely hotel, good location, helpful staff, nice room. I spend too much time in chain hotels so I like to find smaller, boutique hotels when I'm not travelling for work and The Academy certainly fitted the bill The room we had had some problems with the plumbing. It was a bit noisy - we did report it and the staff responded well to our concerns. I hope they fix it
- Nadine (8/5): -
- Rosemary (10/5): A really lovely stay in a comfortable well appointed conveniently located hotel with welcoming, helpful staff. - Beautifully appointed hotel, quality furnishings and tastefully decorated, very conveniently located. Staff were polite and helpful which all went to make a thoroughly pleasant stay. A slight negative - no lift and our room was on the top floor - up six flights of stairs. Wasn’t a problem as we were given the option of a lower ground floor room at check-in. Also, our room was quite small and very warm, air conditioning did not seem to work. Managed to get one of the windows opened to cool it down.
- alan (10/5): -
- Connor (6/5): -
- Montserrat (1/5): - No nos quedamos nos fuimos a otro Hotel .Este Hotel es mas bien un hostal
- Diana (8/5): Heerlijk verblijf! - Mooi hotel en goede locatie. Vriendelijk personeel, met name bij het ontbijt. We hadden een kamer op de bovenste verdieping. Zonder lift een aardige klim.
- James (2/5): This is not a luxury hotel, for this price point you can definitely find luxury in hotels nearby - The bathroom was generally a nice space with strong water and nice products. The decor looks nice in the reception and then garden room. Breakfast was presented very nicely. My biggest issue with this hotel is that it is claiming to be a 'luxury' hotel. I believe this is incredibly false advertising and if you are thinking of booking here at this price point there is much greater experiences. a number of key issues:
- The unfriendly welcome from reception (and the security guard sleeping on the sofa after hours)
- Throughout the building marks to paintwork that make it look really shabby
- Key things like taps being broken, AC not really working, uncomfortable beds and generally just not a luxurious experience in the bedrooms
- Towels places on the floor in the breakfast room as something was dripping
- Christopher (8/5): - Room and staff In room supper plates not removed, although left outside.
- John (9/5): Overall a good option for this area of central London. - The location is excellent. The staff were also very good. A good continental breakfast was available but a cooked breakfast cost £15 There is no lift. Our room had no mirror near a socket so my wife could do her hair.
- Amina (9/5): -
- john (10/5): -
- carole (9/5): Great location for Euston and central London. Lovely afternoon tea. - Great location. Stylish design. Staff training could be improved so that receptionist looks at the person asking the question rather than assuming her husband is the person that understands her instructions.
- Erdi (8/5): -
- Maria_A_H (8/5): -
- Tatiana (10/5): Tolles Preis-Leistung-Verhältnis - Alles Geruch im Eingangsbereich
- Antonio (7/5): Bene ma non benissimo... - Ottima posizione in Bloomsbury. Personale molto gentile e spazi comuni veramente carini. La colazione ottima ed il personale addetto molto gentile e disponibile. Non c'è un ascensore, e non era stato specificato nella descrizione dell'hotel. Fortunatamente siamo in forma, ma fare quattro rampe di scale ogni volta che si deve andare in camera potrebbe essere impegnativo. Alcuni arredamenti della nostra camera erano rovinati o sporchi, non certo a livello di un 5 stelle, come viene definita la struttura.
- Andrew (8/5): -
- STYLIANI (8/5): -
- Laurel (9/5): Delightful hotel in an ideal location! - This hotel is extremely charming. The location is perfect- central to many tube lines and walking distance to great areas and attractions. It’s an older building, so expect narrow hallways and winding staircases to get to your room and breakfast, but the decor and amenities are modern and elegant. The continental included breakfast was very high quality and delicious. I would happily make this hotel my go to stay next time I’m in London. I was in a single room, which was in the basement with no natural light. Despite that, the room was well sized for a single and very functional. Oh, except the sink - the bathroom was large, but the sink was too tiny to wash my face! Minor inconvenience.
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