When we were in London in March, we stayed at the St. Ermin's Hotel, which we had watch emerge from a complete renovation two years ago. As we noted at the time, the new hotel is a smart blend of classic and contemporary (thanks to many preserved historic elements), and has a decidedly English vibe that guarantees a strong sense of place.
And apparently we weren't the only ones impressed: While the property had been one of Accor's MGallery hotels, it was recently picked up by Marriott International’s Autograph Collection.
Jon Cummins, a co-owner of the property (and COO of parent company Philadelphia-based Amerimar Enterprises) came by Travel Agent's New York offices to talk about the new affiliation, which he said would not change anything for guests. "The goal was to get a wider audience," he explained. As opposed to France-based Accor, Marriott's booking system is less "Euro-centric" and will help bring in a more international crowd.
The hotel is also taking more steps to celebrate its history, Cummins said, particularly its connection with espionage. During the Cold War, the hotel’s Caxton Bar was where British double agents (and subsequent defectors) Burgess and MacLean regularly met their Russian counterparts. During WWII, it was where MI5, SIS and Naval Intelligence Division officers (including James Bond creator Ian Fleming) met their agents. It is also where Winston Churchill created the SOE during WWII (Special Operations Executive), and the group initially housed themselves over an entire floor of the property. Even Cummins admitted to wondering how many of these stories were true—until a woman who worked at the hotel during the war contacted him to verify everything and even sent him a unique swatch of silk with some writing on it. The silk was used to line a man's jacket…and the writing was a code for breaking encrypted messages: Spies could wear these special jackets and even get patted down without worrying about revealing their secret codes. The silk is now displayed in the hotel's lobby. (Sadly, we didn't notice it when we stayed there, but we did get to see the doorway leading to the historic tunnels to Parliament.)
St. Ermin's is offering a unique package for children in order to honor its place in England's spy world: The Kids Spy Package includes a deluxe room and breakfast as well as a St. Ermin’s Secret Agent package for each child (including fun puzzles and codes to break) and a local London Spy Walk challenge. (Good to know for multi-gen travelers: The hotel has 18 rooms set aside specifically for families, with two queen beds, one daybed and two bathrooms. These rooms were created during the renovation from the hotel's former "single" rooms.)