Number Sixteen
Intimate, art-forward British townhouse. Feels more like staying in a well-decorated private home than a hotel. Quiet and residential, with a strong emphasis on design and understated comfort.
Ask for a room overlooking the garden rather than Sumner Place — the garden views are worth it
Why It Matters
One Michelin Key (2024 & 2025). A Kit Kemp-designed boutique in the heart of South Kensington with one of the best private walled gardens of any London hotel its size. Named Best Garden Hotel by the London Garden Society (2023) and Best Boutique Hotel by The Times (2024).
A row of white stucco Victorian townhouses on a quiet South Kensington side street — no sign out front, no grand lobby, nothing to give it away. That is very much the point. Number Sixteen is one of Firmdale's Townhouse Collection properties: 41 individually designed rooms, a light-filled Orangery restaurant, a walled garden with mulberry trees and a koi pond, plus a proper drawing room and library where guests actually linger. Kit Kemp's signature interiors skip the clichéd Englishness in favor of modern artworks, bold color, and crafted fabrics. Earned a Michelin Key in 2024 and has held it since.
Where You'll Stay
3 room types available
Deluxe Room
From GBP500 / nightThe most spacious category in the hotel. Each Deluxe Room is individually designed by Kit Kemp in her fresh modern English style, with a king-size bed that can be converted to twin configuration. Bathrooms are done in granite and oak. Views look out either over the private garden or over the white stucco Victorian buildings of Sumner Place. Some rooms have French windows opening onto a small balcony.
King (twin-on-request)
Luxury Room
From GBP450 / nightA step up in size from the Superior rooms, with the same Kit Kemp design signature — modern artworks, quality linens, individually curated color palette. Room 303, one of the Luxury Rooms, features a king-size bed with a front-on view that reads like a design magazine spread.
Superior Room
From GBP320 / nightThe entry-level rooms here — compact by most standards but done up properly with Kit Kemp's bold fabric choices, Frette linens and granite-and-oak bathrooms. Each one is individually designed, so no two look quite alike. Views are either over Sumner Place or toward the garden.
The Property
Eat & Drink
1 venue on property
Restaurant
Spa & Wellness
Treatment Menu
On Property
How you'll actually spend your days.
Traditional afternoon tea served in the Orangery or, in warmer months, in the walled garden. Classic finger sandwiches, freshly baked scones with clotted cream, pastries and an extensive list of specialty teas including the hotel's bespoke Tall Trees blend. Available with a glass of Champagne or non-alcoholic sparkling rosé.
Two guest common rooms on the ground floor with floor-to-ceiling windows, a curated art collection, honor bar and fireplace. Available to all guests throughout the day and evening.
Guests have access to the hotel's private walled courtyard garden — laurel and gardenia planted, architecturally landscaped — with mulberry trees, blooming hydrangeas, a koi pond and a wooden pagoda. Works for morning coffee, evening aperitifs or just a quiet sit-down between museum visits.
The Orangery and walled garden can be hired for private dining, parties and weddings. The combination of the glass-roofed Orangery and the landscaped garden makes it one of the more sought-after small wedding venues in South Kensington.
Amenities & Practical Info
The details that matter for planning.
Self-serve honor bar in the guest library. Available to hotel guests.
Babysitting available at an additional charge. Children's amenities include cots, high chairs, children's menus, board games, mini bathrobes and milk and cookies at bedtime.
Number Sixteen does not have a swimming pool.
No on-site or associated parking. Street parking very limited in central London.
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