Home House features what might be the city’s best-kept secret hotel. Here’s a look inside.
Tucked behind the elegant façades of three Georgian townhouses on Portman Square, Home House is well known among London’s cultural and social cognoscenti as an exclusive private members’ club. What’s less known, however, is that it’s also one of central London’s most luxurious (and secret) places to stay the night – with rooms now available to book for members and non-members alike.
Above the club’s renowned, characterful dining and entertaining spaces are 23 individually designed bedrooms and suites, each steeped in history and opulence. These are not the impersonal hotel rooms of a corporate chain; they’re spaces that breathe character and refinement. Take the Lady Islington Suite, for instance, with its striking green and white palette and a showstopping bathroom lined in red marble from the same source as St Paul’s Cathedral.
Staying at Home House feels like slipping into a more glamorous time, but with all the comforts of modern living. The rooms are grand and bold yet delightfully intimate – a home from home, if your home happens to be a stately 18th-century masterpiece filled with fine art, antique chandeliers and stories in every corner.
The building on Portman Square is normally only open to those lucky enough to hold a Home House membership, but non-members are now able to book overnight stays, which comes with unexpected privileges. After cocktails in the mischievous Vestibule Bar or a late supper in the decadent House Lounge, retreating upstairs doesn’t mean summoning an Uber or hailing a cab. It means climbing the breathtaking Robert Adam’s Imperial staircase – don’t forget to look up – and, if you’ve booked the Lady Islington suite, soaking in a marble bath built for a Maharajah.
Dining at Home House is a refined yet relaxed affair, with The Restaurant at its heart. Serving everything from power breakfasts to elegant dinners, the brasserie-style menu blends British classics with modern flair – the Dover Sole and Home House fish pie are firm favourites. A heart British breakfast is served in The Drawing Rooms where Neoclassical interiors are lit up by antique crystal chandeliers that hang from handcrafted ceilings, rich oriental rugs and pastel walls.
In the summer months, The Garden Restaurant becomes a rare sun trap in the centre of London – the perfect spot for a long lunch or a balmy evening meal. Whether indoors or out, members and their guests enjoy expertly crafted dishes, with wines perfectly paired by the club’s skilled sommeliers.
Staying overnight makes Home House feel like your own private palace. With no rigid rules (beyond a smart-casual dress code in some spaces), the house thrives on eccentricity and quiet indulgence. And while many member’s clubs in the city boast exclusivity, few offer the chance to live it, if only for a night or two. So next time you’re sipping something sparkling in the Bison Bar, remember: the real magic starts when everyone else goes home – and you, lucky you, don’t have to.
