What Makes The Clermont Such an Interesting Place to Stay in Central London

Some London hotels are memorable because of what happens inside them. Others are memorable because of what is waiting outside the front door. The Clermont has a bit of both.

Its two London hotels sit at Charing Cross and Victoria, locations that would already make them interesting choices for a city break. But these are not modern hotels dropped into convenient spots. Both properties have histories stretching back to Victorian London, when grand railway hotels were designed to make arriving in the capital feel like an occasion.

That combination of history, location and modern comfort gives them a personality that is becoming harder to find in central London hotels.

You Are Staying in Part of London’s Railway History

The story is worth knowing before you arrive.

The Victoria property originally opened as The Grosvenor Hotel in 1862 and was designed by architect James Thomas Knowles. It was London’s first railway hotel and remains a Grade II listed building. Its Victorian character is still visible in the high ceilings, dramatic staircases and chandeliers.

Charing Cross followed soon afterwards. The railway station opened in 1864, and the hotel welcomed its first guests in May 1865. Its history even includes a literary connection: Sherlock Holmes creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a regular visitor during the 1920s.

You do not need to be particularly interested in architecture to appreciate this. There is simply something more enjoyable about staying somewhere that has existed through generations of London life.

At The Clermont, the history feels like part of the stay rather than a theme added afterwards.

Then You Step Outside and London Is Right There

Historic buildings are lovely, but location probably matters more when you are carrying shopping bags back to your room or trying to get home after a late theatre performance.

Charing Cross is positioned on the Strand beside Charing Cross Station. Trafalgar Square, the National Gallery and the West End are nearby, which makes this an appealing area for travellers who want to explore central London largely on foot.

The Victoria hotel puts you close to a different collection of London landmarks. Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park and Westminster Abbey can all be reached from the surrounding area, while Victoria Station gives you convenient rail and Underground connections.

This is perhaps the strongest practical argument for The Clermont. You can choose the part of central London that fits your plans instead of choosing a hotel first and figuring out the travelling afterwards.

If evenings at the theatre and wandering around Covent Garden sound appealing, Charing Cross has the edge. If your plans lean towards Buckingham Palace, Westminster and easy transport from Victoria, the other property makes more sense.

The Rooms Do Not Feel Stuck in the Past

A beautiful staircase is not much consolation if the bedroom feels as though it has not moved on since the nineteenth century.

Thankfully, the historic setting does not mean sacrificing modern hotel comforts.

At Charing Cross, accommodation ranges from the 20-square-metre Classic Double to larger Deluxe and Superior rooms. Travellers wanting more room can choose the Studio Suite, which has a separate lounge area and accommodates up to four guests. Rooms include modern conveniences such as Wi-Fi and Nespresso machines, with amenities varying by category.

Victoria has a similarly broad selection, including Classic rooms, Superior King rooms, Deluxe options and suites. There are choices for solo travellers, couples and families rather than every guest being pushed towards the same type of room.

That makes The Clermont easier to consider for different kinds of London trips, from a quick weekend away to a longer stay where extra space starts to matter.

It Works for People Who Want London to Be the Main Event

There are trips where the resort is the destination. London is rarely one of them.

You are probably going to spend most of the day outside your hotel. You might walk along the Thames, visit a gallery, spend too much time in a museum, find a pub you had not planned on visiting and decide at the last minute to see a show.

For that kind of trip, a hotel needs to do two things well. It should make exploring easy and give you somewhere comfortable to come back to.

The central locations handle the first part. The character of the buildings and range of rooms help with the second.

There is also something satisfying about returning from a day among London’s historic streets to a hotel that belongs to the city’s story itself. It feels more connected to the destination than staying in a property that could just as easily be in another major city.

A Different Kind of Central London Stay

Choosing a London hotel often becomes an exercise in comparing room sizes, transport links and distances from attractions. Those things matter, but they do not tell you whether somewhere will actually feel interesting once you arrive.

The Clermont has an advantage here. Its Charing Cross and Victoria properties combine genuinely useful locations with buildings that have been welcoming London travellers since the 1860s.

You get the practical side of a central London hotel without losing the sense that you are staying somewhere with a story.

And in a city with as much history as London, that feels rather fitting.