London's latest hotel hideaway

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  Dean Street Townhouse

A cosy wood-panelled lobby with sink-in armchairs and fireplace was a welcome retreat from a rainy London Saturday as I ran in off the street into the brand new Dean Street Townhouse.

Boldly opening just metres down the street from the much-acclaimed SoHo Hotel in the heart of London's media-land, this boutique hideaway has just 39 rooms and its pricing is certainly more recession-savvy than its near neighbour, but then, this is a David to a Goliath in hotel terms.

Despite being open just a couple of days, the hotel was virtually full when I checked in (late-November) and seemed to have been caught a little bit short staffing-wise by the generous influx of visitors - many of whom may have been attracted by opening rates weighing in at around £100, a snip for such a great location, even if it is for the 'Tiny' room category. Well, at least the hotel is honest about its categories and room sizes. As well as the Tiny rooms, there are of course also Small (from £125), Medium (from £175) and Bigger (from £225) rooms.

Many guests may also have been attracted by the fact that this is Nick Jones' latest project. The man can do no wrong and is also behind SoHo House, one of London's most famous members' clubs and now a mini-empire in its own right, including a club and hotel which he admirably exported to New York .... and also to east and west London... as well as the west-country with Babington House, as well as his clever Cowshed spa brand which has standalone outlets, department store retail and a tie-up with Virgin Atlantic for its Clubhouses and Upper Class customers.

But back to London. Although go via the country-house retreat, as this is very much the atmosphere created in the lounge and the bedrooms of this Georgian building, formerly the Gargoyle Club. The aroma of course is pure Cowshed, with soothing candles burning around the place and all the spa-range goodies stacked up for sale in the lobby cupboards.

The potions are also on show in the room (no less than seven different bottles were paraded in the giant shower - from Grumpy Cow to Lazy Cow shower gels, body lotion and shampoo etc - and four or five with the freestanding roll-top bath in the bedroom), but you are warned that these are not freebies. You can avail whilst in the room, but will be charged should you choose to squirrel them away in your luggage for home use... At around £15 a pop on average, you can see why, but I would have preferred a few smaller bottles to use then keep and the option to buy, rather than this apparently wasteful retail showcase... Very handy though was the amenity dish (by White Company), containing minis useful (for keeping I assumed) face cleasner, toner and moisturiser; lip balm (all Cowshed); comb; dental kit; and even tampons.

The rooms are divided into three sections reached off the lobby lounge (all heart-warming hydrangeas, mags to read, more comfy sofas and a modest DVD library) and mine was a Medium (from £175 + tax), with a princess-and-the-pea super king-size bed, high off the ground and stuffed with pillows and just enough chintz to make it cosy, not mumsy.

The romantic room also had a bathtub plonked in the open for couples or solo travellers; but clearly not for my travelling companion and I - as it's been many years since my sister and I shared a tub. To save modesty, there is also a separate New York-styled (white-brick and monochrome tiles) room for loo, sink and shower. And the shower was great, housed in a huge cubicle and rainfall shower. An ample closet hid sumptuous robes (£90 each - just in case you were thinking about it) and bizarrely, flip flops... Not good for a drafty London night. The TV was huge but cleverly housed in panelling and boasting Sky - something of a rarity in my UK hotel stays.

The room was also packed with lovely smaller touches too, such as a Roberts Rivival DAB radio (as well as an iPod docking system); fresh coffee, china cups and a cafetiere; old pictures your nan would have been proud of;  and the best bit for me - a really decent hairdryer, paddle brush and Babyliss straighteners - all near a mirror and a plug. So simple, but not often found.

On the downside, the roses had seen better days, and sparkling water at turndown seemed an odd choice. The 'treats' tin was a nice alternative to chocolates-on-the-pillow, but the cookies weren't that great and the large windows gave great light and a buzz from the street at day; but at night they were drafty and noisy - this is SoHo afterall, so perhaps request a room that doesn't look directly onto Dean Street if you're a light sleeper.

And weirdly, there was no direct guest access directly to the Dining Room restaurant yet. But it's there, and serving simply-prepared British food in a lovely atmosphere, designed for 120 diners by Martin Brudnizki with more of the exposed wood, cosy lighting, red-leather booths and pieces from British artists such as Tracey Emin and the like.

The Cowshed Spa is around the corner on Foubert's Place and there's complimentary access to the local Virgin Active gym. Staff can also recommend whatever you need shopping and business-wise with Carnaby Street, Oxford Street and Regent Street all within walking distance, as well as Theatreland of course. Service was adequately friendly but nothing mould-braking and overall, this is a very welcome and price-sensitive addition to the London hotel scene.

Miami and Berlin are also set to get the SoHo House treatment in 2010, as Jones continues his creep into the hearts and minds of savvy travellers.

www.sohohouse.com

By April Hutchinson

Location: London