Dhe elegant restraint, all the furniture, walls and corridors in beige and gray, the international, colorless hotel minimalism, which does not offend any culture and which shaped the design of metropolitan hotels for decades – will that soon be over? In London, eleven Victorian townhouses in Harrington Gardens, one of the best addresses in South Kensington, were merged into one hotel – ultimately only moderately successful. Then they changed hands, and after extensive renovation work, “The Other House” opened – where everything really looks very different from the usual beige-grey hotels: whoever sets foot over the marble thresholds – caution, wet floor, because it always rains in London – is immediately overwhelmed if he isn’t already on his face: no white walls anywhere, instead fir-tree green and oxblood-red corridors, flamboyant wallpaper. Floral decor winds its way from the ceiling, glittering, sparkling and twining everywhere. The wet guest sinks into the sofas in the foyer like in a velvety warm nest. All other birds are apparently at home here too. Anyone who is an employee, who has been here for weeks in one of the more than 200 club flats so-called mini-apartments resides and if you are only looking for the bar here, it will be clear immediately or never. But anyone who reaches for something like a concierge in search of help is immediately met by one of the team: How can I help you?
A good starting position is everything: the first Other House has opened in South Kensington, and another in Covent Garden will follow soon.
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Image: TOH
Check-in via tablet can take place wherever there is space in the lobby – or completely contactless. Everyone can determine the degree of attention themselves with the in-house app, although the developers were not quite as quick as the interior designers; it is not yet working in all areas of the hotel. The room temperature can soon be regulated, the door opened or the lift called via app, although you can still press a button in the same way as before. “Guests should be in control of how much they interact, how much privacy they need at any given moment,” says Per Granstrom, the hotel’s director of operations. Like most employees, he wears black and a jacket with a subtle red shimmering flower pattern, which people like Thomas Gottschalk should envy him for.