The Franklin London

The Franklin occupies a run of red-brick Victorian terraces on Egerton Gardens, a quiet crescent two minutes from Harrods and the V&A. Starhotels bought the property in 2014 and spent two years on a full renovation before reopening it in 2016 with interiors by Anouska Hempel, the designer behind Blakes and The Hempel. Her hand shows throughout: grey limestone and Carrara marble underfoot, Italian velvets and silks in the 35 rooms and suites, and a cloud-painted ceiling in the Presidential Suite.

The ground floor holds three spaces built for entertaining rather than conferencing. The Franklin Restaurant, led by Head Chef Roberto Roncolato, serves modern Italian cuisine across two connecting rooms lined with gilded mirror screens and full-height windows onto the private gardens the street is named for; it seats up to 30 and takes a full buyout for private dinners and launch parties. Next to it, The Franklin Bar is a Martini and Champagne room done in a 1920s register, arched mirrors climbing to the cornice and a marble-topped counter backed by open shelves of spirits. The Library, a book-lined sitting room off the entrance, is the smallest and quietest of the three, better suited to a boardroom lunch than a party.

For an event, this is a house rather than a hotel: three distinct rooms rather than one flexible function suite, each with its own character and a ceiling on numbers that keeps things private. The Presidential Suite adds a fourth option for a small client meeting or an intimate gathering away from the ground floor.