Hotel Russell London Rating: 4.0 Pearls

Bloomsbury, London, England

With its sculpted ceilings, grand archways, giant marble columns, intricate mosaic tiling and looming crystal chandeliers, Hotel Russell is ornately styled and packed with beautiful Victorian features.

The grand decor is certainly not subtle: The tri-colored marble in the lobby and patterned carpet on the stairs may feel a bit overwhelming to some. And though the hotel's blend of traditional and modern styles is mostly successful, the strange pop music playing during our visit seemed ill-suited to the setting.

The modern glass reception desk is tucked neatly to the side of the lobby, and its dark wood surface helps it to blend in with the more classic surroundings. The glass motif is repeated in some bedrooms, where oak and patterned glass headboards stand out as a unique feature. Overall, though, the rooms are decidedly less impressive than the common spaces.

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The local neighborhood of Bloomsbury, which stretches from Euston Road at its north border to Holborn at its southern border, is most famed for its strong literary heritage: The Bloomsbury Group, active throughout the 20th century, was an intellectuals’ collective that included notable members such as Virginia Woolf, and together promoted modern attitudes toward feminism, pacifism, the nature of consciousness, and sexuality. Other notable residents of the area included Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Charles Darwin, Charles Dickens, Bob Marley, and William Butler Yeats. Bloomsbury also houses a lovely array of garden squares, as well as the simultaneously fantastic and odious British Museum, where you can view centuries’ worth of relics from all over the globe -- collected primarily as a result of British colonialism.

Stroll through the area now, and you will notice a vague mixture of academics, doctors, tourists, and businessmen -- a direct consequence of the central location, and the presence of nearby hospitals and esteemed academic institutions such as the London School of Economics. Bloomsbury also conveniently borders Covent Garden and Soho on the south, the West End shopping district on the west, great dining options in Clerkenwell on the east, and national and international rail connections via King’s Cross on the north.

• 8-minute walk to the British Museum
• 15-minute walk to Covent Garden
• 9-minute bus ride to Tottenham Court Road station and Soho
• 9-minute tube ride to Piccadilly Circus station, Piccadilly Circus and theatre district
• 11-minute tube ride to Green Park station, including Mayfair, and Buckingham Palace
• 13-minute tube ride to Hyde Park Corner station and Hyde Park
• 14-minute tube ride to Knightsbridge station and shopping district including Harrods
• 14-minute tube ride to Bond Street Station and West End shopping districts including Selfridge’s
• 16-minute tube ride to Embankment station, including Trafalgar Square, and the South Bank
• 21-minute tube ride to Notting Hill Gate station, Notting Hill, and Portobello Market
• 21-minute tube ride to Westminster station, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, and scenic walks along the Thames

Rooms have Victorian features such as bay windows, crown moldings and chandeliers. The plush white bedding and sleek wood furniture, however, feel decidedely contemporary.

• Free coffee and tea
• Fee for Wi-Fi
• Some rooms have old tube TVs, while others have flat-screen TVs
• Some rooms have a charming freestanding bath with rainfall showerhead others have standard shower/tub combos.

• The 18 meeting rooms can accommodate between two and 450 people.
• Business center with on-site secretarial services
• View full list of amenities

• Tempus Restaurant serves modern European cuisine in a classic period setting. Ornate brass chandeliers, giant marble columns, and beautiful sculpted ceilings are impressive. The restaurant was orinigally called Fitzroy Doll's, named after the architect who designed the dining room, as well as the nearly-identical dining room of the RMS Titanic.
• Tempus Bar provides a stately setting to enjoy your favorite cocktail, with oak-paneled walls, traditional leather seating -- just ignore the tacky green-and-rose carpeting.