Hazlitt’s Hotel Review: A Luxury Literary Hotel in London

Hazlitt’s is a luxury boutique hotel in Soho, London. It’s located on Frith Street, a street I have walked up and down countless times, and yet I hadn’t heard of this hotel until a month ago! I’ve been seeking out hotels for book lovers in London and Hazlitt’s Hotel boasts numerous literary connections so I had to go and check it out. Hazlitt’s hosted me for a complimentary stay in exchange for this hotel review but the excitement is all mine! 

The hotel is named after William Hazlitt, an English essayist who lived in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. He counted many other famous literary figures amongst his friends, including Jonathan Swift, who wrote Gulliver’s Travels.

Over the years Hazlitt’s has played host to many prominent literary figures, including Seamus Heaney, Ted Hughes, J K Rowling (!!) and Bill Bryson. Many of these authors leave their mark in the bookcase you see below on the left, giving signed copies of their works to Hazlitt’s collection. Yes, they even have signed copies of Harry Potter!

Fun fact: These signed Harry Potter books are now so valuable that they can’t be kept in the bookcase, even though it is locked, and they are stored somewhere much safer. 

The hotel has a gorgeous Georgian facade (it’s even a listed building!) but the inside is even more beautiful. There are numerous communal areas on the bottom floor where you can curl up with a good book, and they’ve got lots to choose from. 

There’s a beautiful library featuring an honesty bar as well as a lounge room with large plush velvet sofas. You’re free to look at and even borrow the books that line every room during your stay, and some of them date back over 100 years! 

What about the bedrooms? 

Now the rooms here don’t have numbers, that would be far too boring! Each room is named after friends of William Hazlitt himself. Or, as Bill Bryson put it: “the women he shagged there.” Lovely. 

I was fortunate enough to be placed in the Jonathan Swift room, in keeping with the literary theme. When I entered the room, I was completely gobsmacked by the size and grandeur of the bed. You can see that it has the year 1740 engraved into it and it really does date back to then! Hazlitt’s have made a conscious effort to keep as much of the original furniture as possible, or to at least keep furniture that looks authentic. 

The funny thing about this bed is that it is incredibly high off the ground. Were people a lot taller in the 1700s? I was under the impression that people were shorter in the eighteenth century because of a lack of nutrition but if that was the case then they must’ve needed a step to get up into bed each evening!  

The bedroom also came with a beautiful marble fireplace with the most ornate mirror you’ve ever seen. The room was impossibly beautiful and it’s given me lots of interior design ideas that will, sadly, likely never be fulfilled! Cry. 

This is not just a bedroom but also a study and living room all rolled into one. In front of these beautiful tall windows was this plush red sofa that was big enough to sleep on! It’s perfect for curling up and watching a film in the evening, which is exactly what I did. Make sure you watch To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before on Netflix, it’s amazing!

The desk in the corner is perfect for those who are travelling for work or those that simply want to do a spot of writing during their stay. It’s impossible not to feel inspired when sat in the magnificent setting!

The bathroom is also noteworthy because the decor is in keeping with the rest of the Georgian furniture. What pleased me most of all was that they’d kept the traditional Victorian cistern with the traditional chain flush too! The bathroom was stocked with REN products, some of my favourite beauty products and lots of fluffy white towels. 

On the other side, there’s a beautiful full-size bath, which also has exposed pipework. I suspected that they’d have a wonderful bathroom at Hazlitt’s so I brought along a LUSH bath melt so I could really make the most of the experience! 

Breakfast is served in bed every morning, which is definitely something I could get used to! The evening before, you fill out a short form choosing your preferred breakfast options and then leave this hanging outside your door. At your chosen time the next morning, breakfast will be brought up to your room. d r e a m y .

We opted for the Parisian style breakfast with lots of French pastries: warm croissants, pain au raisins, pain au chocolats and bread rolls. On the side, there was freshly squeezed orange juice, a generous jug of hot chocolate and some plain yoghurt.  

Now having lived in Paris for a year, I am a massive pastry snob. But these croissants were the perfect balance of soft and crispy and mmm. 

Would you believe it, the Jonathan Swift room is actually far from the most grand room on offer at Hazlitt’s Hotel. The hotel manager was kind enough to show me around some of the other rooms before the guests checked in (they were booked out for the evening!) and so I got a sneak peek into their finest suites. The sitting room below is actually attached to one of their bigger bedrooms – how cray is that! 

If you want to know where to stay in London then look no further. Hazlitt’s is the perfect hotel for book lovers with its literary history, beautiful library and literary-themed rooms. This luxury hotel remains popular with authors because of its literary connections, but actors, models and artists also like to stay at Hazlitt’s. This is one of the top luxury literature-themed hotels in London, the UK and the world, so add it to your list if you’re a bookworm celebrating a special occasion. 

Click to book a stay at Hazlitt’s Hotel

Book directly with Hazlitt’s for the best deal

Address
6 Frith Street
Soho, London
W1D 3JA

Price
$$$$

Website
www.hazlittshotel.com

A huge thank you to Hazlitt’s for hosting me for one evening!

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Laura

Founder & Editor of What’s Hot?

Laura is an award-winning travel and book blogger based in London, UK. She has always been an avid reader and started her book blog way back in 2011 when she was just 15 years old. She then went on to study French literature at Oxford University where her love for literature, stories and other cultures deepened. She was named UK Book Blogger of the Year in 2019 and loves to combine her passion for books and travel with literary travel. She is also an intellectual property lawyer at one of the top law firms in the world.