Westminster pad, but for one night only

Apartment group Flying Butler has recently added some one-bedroom apartments in Westminster to its London portfolio. Bev Fearis went to check them out.

It was an easy 10-minute walk from Waterloo Station to the St John’s Building, past some of London’s most famous landmarks – the London Eye, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. I had printed out a google map and found the apartments easily, just tucked away off Horseferry Road and backing on to St John’s Gardens.

I pushed my way through the heavy swing doors into the grand lobby and introduced myself to the gentleman at the concierge desk. I was here to meet Anna, one of the ‘meeters and greeters’ at Flying Butler, a service offered to new arrivals. Anna was already upstairs checking over my apartment but once the concierge called her, she appeared out of the lift, ‘meeted and greeted’ me and escorted me back up to the apartment on the fifth floor.

Anna apologised if the apartment was a bit chilly and said she’d turned the thermostat up on the underfloor heating, but to be honest it was just right. She showed me how to adjust the dial, gave me a quick tour, and apologised for the noise of the work going on in the street outside. Apparently the work is due to be completed by the end of January. My apartment had floor to ceiling windows overlooking the road but Flying Butler also has apartments on the other side of the building overlooking the gardens.

Tour done and my questions answered ‘Where’s the iron, how do I work the telly’, Anna wished me a pleasant stay and made her way back to the office. It was around 3pm and I had a few hours of work to do before it was time to get ready for the British Travel Awards. I had already been emailed the wi-fi password by Flying Butler in my confirmation email, so I logged straight in and began checking my emails. The wi-fi was speedy.

My desk was the small dining table, for four, in the living room area, which also had a comfy sofa and coffee table. Like the rest of the apartment, it was contemporary in style and decorated in neutral colours – whites, beiges and silvery greys.

The apartment is compact but has everything you need. All the rooms lead off a small entrance hallway, bathroom and bedroom to the left, living room straight ahead and kitchen to the right. The kitchen had a large fridge, oven, microwave, dishwasher and washing machine. A quick rummage through the drawers found all the cooking essentials. The welcome pack of Twinnings teas, orange juice, a bottle of red wine, chocolates, and croissants was appreciated, and there was fresh milk in the fridge too. Flying Butler can also provide a larger welcome pack if required, plus a full grocery service, dry cleaning, chauffeur transfers, and a hamper service, all for an extra charge.

The welcome pack directed me to the nearest supermarkets, a few minutes walk away, and apparently a small Sainsbury’s is due to open in the ground floor of the opposite building in January. Perhaps that’s what the building work is for. The well-written welcome pack had lots of other useful information, including details of the London congestion charge, tipping, drinking ages, plus information about local tourist attractions, with photographs too. An in-room dining menu had pretty much everything you can think of, including chicken tikka (£13), lamb stew (£14), and chicken double-decker sandwiches (£9.50).

The large flat screen TV had all the freeview channels but Anna told me web-based Smart TV is coming soon, so guests will be able to access Netflix and Spotify and put on their own content. Flying Butler has been trialling this in its new apartments in West London and is now rolling it out across the rest of its portfolio.

I tuned into one of the music channels and carried on working my way through my emails until it was time to start getting ready for the BTAs dinner. The bath ran in super fast time while I ironed my dress. There were plenty of mirrors to do my hair and make-up. The taxi arrived on time and I was on my way to the Venetian ball!

The next morning I woke up in the lovely comfortable bed, the black-out blinds drawn, and it was already gone 9am. Check-out is usually at 10am but Anna had told me there was no rush, so I pootled about with a cup of tea (appreciating the underfloor heating in the kitchen), and enjoyed the Tesco’s finest croissants while I watched the breakfast news.

There was time for a quick shower – an overhead shower which wasn’t in the best position so I couldn’t help but splash water all over the bathroom floor. It’s something Flying Butler have promised to look at. Apart from that, I had no complaints.

On the way out, I took a quick look at the ground floor fitness room, which was much bigger than I’d expected. There’s also a small plunge pool and a sauna, which Flying Butler guests are invited to use during their stay. I wished I was staying for another night, but it was time to venture out into the busy city again to catch my train from Waterloo. There was no hotel bill to pay so I handed my key back to the concierge desk and pushed through the swing doors. A very pleasant stay.