Best Western Plus Seraphine Hammersmith Hotel

The hotel occupies an elegant, white stone building on a street lined with retailers. There are a fast-food chicken restaurant and a small gambling venue on the first floor of the building, where a colorfully striped awning shields the glass doors leading into the hotel's small pre-lobby. From there, the multicolor-striped-carpeted staircase and sleek elevator lead up to the smart and stylish reception area. A large reception desk in a dark walnut wood spans the width of the room, and there are brightly-colored chairs, carpets, and lampshades all around. Some walls are decorated with enormous, black and white photo prints of London landmarks, and wine bottles are stored in shelves behind the front desk. There's an open plan breakfast area next to the lobby, which also has modern furnishings in cheerful colors, including chairs with trendily patterned, blue and gray velour cushions. The hotel does attract some business travelers, but most guests here are tourists, or are staying here for a concert at the nearby Apollo.

The hotel is set on King Street, which is a fairly busy, one-way street in Hammersmith. While it’s not right in the heart of London’s tourist area, there’s plenty going on in the local vicinity, and the transport links are good, too. Right next door is the Kings Mall Shopping Center, which has some high street stores, plus a food court. Further along King Street, within a couple of minutes' walk, there are some nice pubs serving good food, plus a few restaurants ranging in cuisine from Indian to Polish. Within five minutes' walk, there are also a multiplex cinema and the Lyric Hammersmith Theater, which also has a roof garden. The Eventim Hammersmith Apollo, where plenty of famous names play gigs, is a seven-minute walk away, and the huge Olympia Exhibition Center is within a 20-minute walk. Hammersmith Underground Station is a five-minute walk, and getting to other parts of London is easy from there -- taking around 20 to 30 minutes to get to the west end tourist hotspots like Piccadilly Circus. It's also less than a half-hour by car from Heathrow Airport. 

Many of the rooms here are on the small side, and some guests find there is little space to move around the bed. It's worth noting that some rooms don't have windows, but they do have skylights instead, so there is still some natural light. As in the rest of the property, the decor in the guest rooms is bright and contemporary, with more of the huge, black and white prints of London landmarks -- there's one covering the wall behind each bed. Smart walnut furniture, subtly patterned blue carpeting, earth tone drapes, and touches of bright red -- including plush armchairs -- combine for a modern, trendy look. Each room has free Wi-Fi, an iPod dock, a flat-screen TV, coffee facilities, air-conditioning, a safe, and a hairdryer. Bathrooms are compact, modern, and clean, with white tiling and shower stalls with powerful showerheads.

Being a fairly small property, there aren't a great deal of facilities here -- no parking, fitness center, or restaurant. Breakfast is served daily in the lounge area adjacent to the lobby, and is included in the room rate. While it's nothing spectacular, breakfast includes a good selection of meat, cheese, hard-boiled eggs, cereals, pastries, yogurt, and fruit. There's also a stylish bar, The Seraphine, which has a range of snacks and drinks available, and is open from late morning through the evening. Business guests can make use of the meeting room, which seats up to 24 people. Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel, and guests have access to a computer in the lobby.