After four months of closure, the Hari hotel reopened on April 12 to business travellers. Globetrender editor Jenny Southan checked in with her family to discover they were the first guests. This is what it was like…
Over the years I have worked as a travel journalist, I have reviewed dozens upon dozens of high-end hotels around the world, but this assignment was a little different. This time I was investigating what it was like to be the first guests in a hotel that has been closed for lockdown due to a global pandemic. What would it be like? Would staff be dressed in hazmat suits? Would we be able to order room service? Would there be turndown service?
Originally opened in 2016, the 85-room Hari is located in the wealthy residential area of Belgravia, not far from Sloane Square and Knightsbridge. We arrived at lunchtime, and were ushered in by uniformed (but masked) staff. There was a hand sanitiser dispense in the doorway, a “track and trace” QR code to scan and no handshaking but apart from that it all felt pretty normal.
There was also a small marble bathroom with a deep tub and a walk-in rainshower, as well as a marble-topped bar with a coffee machine, kettle and fridge stocked with soft and alcolohic drinks. I was pleased to discover this as last summer, there was a lot of paranoia about “touchpoints” such as these.
The person who brought us the food did come into our room but they were wearing a mask and I am sure would have left it outside of the door had we asked. I did need to sign for it though, which perhaps was an unnecessary risk of contamination. I wasn’t too worried, personally, but others might be if they haven’t been vaccinated.
I did say we didn’t need turndown service in the evening (we were given the option) but I welcomed housekeeping in the morning as my partner and daughter were out of the room. (I kept out of the way and did some work.)
On the second morning I was less impressed with the room service but didn’t make a fuss as I was aware that staff were back after an extended period off and that it might take a few days to get back into the swing of things.
The avocado on toast was a green smear on some cheap brown bread (we did complain about that but it wasn’t much better the second time around). Also, oddly, the milk was served in tea pots and the tea was served in cafetieres – which were dusty. I got the impression that whoever was in the kitchen didn’t know what they were doing on this particular occasion.
Determined to thoroughly test the food and beverage offering at the Hari, we also had dinner in the room one night (vegetable lasagne, which was flavoursome), as well as on the semi-al fresco garden terrace – a kind of secret inner sanctum accessed via the first floor mezzanine bar. After months of house arrest, it felt great to be waited on again.
Apart from Amalfi, there didn’t seem to be any other parts of the hotel open just yet, such as the downstairs Il Pampero restaurant, which a friend of mine was raving about because they serve cacio e pepe pasta in a giant wheel of Parmesan. (Indoor dining in the UK will resume on May 17, with any luck.)
There used to be a partnership with the spa at Grace Belgravia but this has now closed. However, the Hari can arrange in-room massages on request. There are also Hari-branded bicycles to borrow.
Although it might take some time for the Hari to reach 90 per cent occupancy levels again, when we left on day three, they had already experienced a flurry of reservations including a booking from a couple wanting to stay nine nights. Until international travel picks up, business will initially be from locals and out-of-town Brits coming for a city break.
Credit to all the staff and management who are clearly working hard to bring back glamour and energy to this once shuttered property. Good times ahead…