The Franklin London Review
“You don’t know what hand you’re gonna get dealt next. You learn to take life as it comes at you... to make each day count.”
I visit London quite often, partly because it's so easy to get to from Amsterdam, but also because there's always something new to do (and usually a theater show I want to see). And since I'm there regularly, I'm always on the lookout for a new hotel to try.
After really enjoying my stay at Canopy by Hilton London City, I started looking at some of the other hotels available through Hilton. That's actually how I came across The Franklin London, which is part of Small Luxury Hotels of the World. It kept popping up whenever I was looking for somewhere to stay, and I'd already considered booking it for my previous London trip, but my friend and I ended up choosing the Kimpton Fitzroy instead.
So, when we started planning another trip, we decided to finally book The Franklin. We'd stayed at quite a few different hotels in London by this point, and we liked the idea of trying a smaller boutique hotel this time. I generally find that boutique hotels can feel a little more personal, simply because there are fewer rooms and guests, and I was interested to see whether that would be the case here too.
The location was another reason we were excited about staying here. The Franklin is in Knightsbridge, just a short walk from Harrods, and it's one of those London neighborhoods where I genuinely enjoy spending time. Even when I'm not planning to buy anything, I love browsing the shops, walking around the surrounding streets, and stopping somewhere for a coffee.
So, after passing on The Franklin once before, would it turn out to be the right choice for this London trip?
Let’s go over it...!
In this review:
If you're considering a few different hotels, you can also check out my guide on where to stay in London, where I share my recommendations for different budgets and types of stays.
My Recommended Hotels in London
Let’s determine if staying at The Franklin is worth it while I walk you through all aspects of the hotel, from the rooms to the location:
Here we go!
The Location
The Franklin is located in Knightsbridge, in a lovely, quiet residential neighborhood about an eight-minute walk from Harrods. And I have to say, being so close to Harrods was particularly convenient because I had to work from the hotel for one day and decided to head there for lunch.
That's when I discovered the most delicious lachs croissant, filled with salmon, cream cheese, and topped with caviar and gold flakes. Yes, ridiculously extravagant, but I just had to try it. And it was SO good that I actually went back for another one during our stay. Anyway, back to the location.
One thing worth mentioning is that The Franklin isn't quite as conveniently located for public transportation as some of the other London hotels I've stayed at. At the Kimpton Fitzroy, The Lanesborough, and Canopy by Hilton London City, I had Underground stations practically on my doorstep. At The Franklin, it's around a 15-minute walk to the station with a direct connection to Heathrow Airport.
Now, that's by no means a dealbreaker, but it did add a little extra travel time whenever we wanted to go somewhere. There's also a bus stop about five minutes from the hotel, which is a convenient alternative, but I did miss having an Underground station right around the corner.
Other than that, I really enjoyed the neighborhood itself. There are plenty of shops, restaurants, and museums within walking distance, and it's a lovely area to explore without necessarily having a particular destination in mind. It's also surprisingly quiet, especially in the evenings when there aren't many people out and about. You could easily spend hours wandering around, admiring the beautiful houses, and picturing yourself living in one of them.
That’s after winning the lottery, of course.
The Rooms
We booked a Junior Suite. As I mentioned earlier, I had to work from the hotel for one day, so I wanted a little extra space, ideally with a separate sitting area and a desk where I could comfortably work. From the pictures on the website, the room looked like it had exactly what we needed: an additional room with a couch where we could relax without having to sit on the bed. However, when we arrived, we discovered that our suite didn't actually have a couch. Instead, there were just two chairs, which was a little disappointing.
And while the chairs looked beautiful, they were incredibly uncomfortable. We genuinely couldn't sit on them for more than a few minutes, so whenever we were relaxing in the room, we ended up sitting on the bed instead. Which, considering we'd specifically booked a suite for the extra living space, rather defeated the purpose.
The room itself was beautiful, and I could definitely see why someone would choose The Franklin for a romantic weekend in London. The dark interiors give it that cozy, boutique hotel feel, but I have to admit that they also made the room feel quite cramped. Even with windows, there wasn't much natural light coming in, which didn't help.
And while I can appreciate that kind of atmosphere for a romantic getaway, for a girls' trip, I wasn't entirely convinced. We had booked a Junior Suite, after all, and I was surprised by how little space we actually had. It also made me wonder how small the standard rooms must feel.
Don't get me wrong, the room was spotless, the bed was very comfortable, and we had no complaints about the cleanliness or general upkeep. It was really the layout that didn't work particularly well for us. We ended up using what was supposed to be our little living area mainly to store our suitcases and get dressed, simply because there wasn't much room to do either anywhere else.
The bathroom was also on the smaller side, although I think the door was partly to blame. It opened into the bathroom and took up quite a bit of the available space. A sliding pocket door would have made such a difference here. Other than that, the shower and bathtub were perfectly fine, and there's not much else to say about them.
An unexpected TV situation
Now, there's one thing about the room that I found a little odd, especially considering The Franklin isn't exactly an inexpensive hotel. Our Junior Suite actually had two TVs, one in the bedroom and another in the sitting area. Which sounds great in theory, except neither of them was particularly useful.
Both TVs only had a handful of channels, and although there was a Smart TV option in the menu, it didn't actually work. There was no way to access streaming services or cast anything from our phones, despite the hotel advertising a Smart TV on its website.
Look, I know a TV isn't exactly the most important thing when choosing a hotel, but whenever my friend and I travel together, we have a little tradition. We spend one evening in our room, order room service, and watch a movie. And while I love those British property shows where people leave the city to buy a cottage in the countryside as much as the next person, with only a handful of channels available, you have to get pretty lucky for something you actually want to watch to be on at the right time.
So, thinking we might simply be overlooking something, I went down to reception to ask how to use the Smart TV feature. Unfortunately, the response was rather dismissive: "Yes, we know. We're getting the option removed."
I have to say, I found that a little strange. It wasn't simply that the Smart TV feature wasn't working; from the response, it sounded like the hotel had no intention of fixing it and was planning to remove the option altogether. There was also no attempt to help or offer an alternative, which surprised me, especially considering the hotel still advertises Smart TVs on its website.
We'd actually experienced something similar at The Lanesborough during a previous stay. They were having issues with their TV provider, and when we called reception, someone came up with a Chromecast and set it up for us so we could still watch what we wanted.
Now, I know The Lanesborough and The Franklin are in two very different luxury price brackets, and I wouldn't expect them to offer exactly the same level of service. But it was interesting to see how differently the two hotels handled essentially the same problem. At The Lanesborough, the staff found an alternative. At The Franklin, the solution seemed to be getting rid of the feature altogether. It's a small detail, and certainly not something that would ruin a hotel stay, but I did find it rather surprising for a five-star property.
The Restaurant, Breakfast & Bar
The Franklin has its own restaurant, where you can stop by for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, even if you're not staying at the hotel. There's also a bar if you're just looking to have a drink.
One thing I thought was particularly cute was the Wizard of Oz-themed afternoon tea, which explains some of the little Wizard of Oz details you'll notice around the restaurant. We didn't try it ourselves, but I've been to a few other themed afternoon teas in London, including the Peter Pan and Bridgerton ones.
We did, however, have breakfast at The Franklin both mornings. And let's just say there are a few things worth mentioning about our experience…
Room Service at The Franklin
One of the reasons we were visiting London this time was to attend a concert, so we knew we'd be getting back to the hotel quite late. Before heading out, we'd checked The Franklin's website to make sure they offered 24-hour room service, which, according to the information available, they did. Perfect. Or so we thought.
When we returned to the hotel, however, we discovered that the in-room dining menu stated room service was only available until 10 PM. Which was a little surprising, considering The Franklin advertises 24-hour room service on its website. By that point, it was too late to order anything, and we couldn't find anywhere nearby that was still serving food. So, our late-night dinner ended up being a few bags of chips from the minibar.
And honestly, the limited room service hours wouldn't have bothered me at all if we'd known about them beforehand. We could easily have eaten before the concert or picked something up on the way back. It was simply another instance where the information advertised on the website didn't match what was actually available.
Breakfast at The Franklin
Breakfast was another interesting experience. Unlike some larger hotels, The Franklin doesn't have a breakfast buffet. Instead, you're seated at a table and order from a menu, which is perfectly fine with me.
On our first morning, we were given the menu and, since breakfast was included in our stay, specifically asked our server whether we could order anything from it. We were told that we could, so we ordered some eggs, coffee, and juice. The menu itself wasn't particularly extensive, with mostly egg dishes, cereals, pastries, and a few other options.
Unfortunately, the restaurant seemed to be understaffed that morning, and it took around 30 minutes for our breakfast to arrive. The staff apologized for the wait, and honestly, I didn't mind. They were clearly doing their best, and being understaffed isn't something I would blame the servers for.
The following morning, however, things got a little more confusing.
Breakfast took just as long, but this time we were also presented with a bill for our order. Naturally, we were a little surprised, considering we'd specifically asked the day before whether everything was included. It turned out that the breakfast included in our stay only covered coffee, juice, pastries, fruit, and cereal. The egg dishes we'd ordered were actually an additional charge.
Now, I don't have an issue with hotels offering certain dishes at an extra cost, but I do think that should be communicated clearly. Thankfully, when we explained the misunderstanding at checkout, the additional charges were removed from our bill. Still, I found the breakfast offering rather limited for a five-star hotel. Even compared to a typical continental breakfast, it’s not a particularly extensive selection, especially at a property in this price range.
And if I'd known that beforehand, I probably would have skipped breakfast at the hotel altogether and walked over to Harrods for that £14 caviar croissant instead. At least I already knew how good that was.
The Amenities
The Franklin also has a gym and a steam room. The gym is open 24/7, so you can use it whenever you like, while the steam room needs to be switched on by the staff. You'll therefore need to let reception know ahead of time if you'd like to use it, which I think is perfectly reasonable.
We didn't end up using either of them. Personally, I think walking around London all day is more than enough exercise, so I wasn't particularly tempted by the gym. And while I wouldn't have minded spending some time in the steam room, we simply didn't have enough time. Still, it's nice to know the option is there.
My Verdict
So, after finally staying at The Franklin London, would I recommend it? Well, I have slightly mixed feelings.
I genuinely liked the hotel. The interiors are beautiful, the rooms are clean and comfortable, and the location in Knightsbridge is fantastic, especially if you enjoy spending time in that part of London. It's also in a lovely, quiet neighborhood, which is a nice change from some of the busier areas of the city.
But here's the thing. London has so many incredible hotels, and at this price point, I think there are better options. For example, we paid around €1,600 for four nights at The Franklin, which is roughly what we paid for our stay at the Kimpton Fitzroy. Yet at the Kimpton, we had considerably more space, more amenities, and several restaurants to choose from. And honestly, I preferred the overall experience there.
What I was particularly curious about before staying at The Franklin was whether a smaller boutique hotel would feel more personal. After all, that's part of the appeal of staying somewhere with only a handful of rooms rather than a large hotel with hundreds of guests. And while everyone we interacted with was friendly and accommodating, I can't say the service felt particularly different from what we've experienced at larger hotels. There were several occasions when we walked into the hotel and nobody was at reception, or the staff were busy looking at their computers and didn't look up.
Now, that's hardly a big deal, and I wouldn't necessarily think twice about it at a larger hotel. But when you're staying at a small luxury hotel, I do think those little interactions matter. For me, part of the appeal is that more personal, almost homey feeling where you feel recognized when you walk through the door. And unfortunately, that wasn't really something we experienced at The Franklin.
Which brings me back to my overall impression. It's a perfectly nice hotel, and I can absolutely see why someone would choose it, particularly for a romantic weekend in Knightsbridge. But between the relatively small rooms, the dining experience, and the service that didn't feel particularly personal, I wasn't convinced it offered the best value for money.
Would I stay here again? Probably not, simply because there are other hotels in London I'd rather try next. And I think that sums it up quite well. The Franklin is a nice hotel, but for me, it was nothing more than that.
I hope this was helpful. If you have any more questions, you can always reach out here or on Instagram, and I’m more than happy to answer any of your questions.
Happy Travels!
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