Why celebs love this low-key London hotel

HIDDEN GEMS:CELEBS WHO like to keep a low profile while they're in London often slip into the Gore, in Kensington, which resembles a normal, if grand, Victorian house but extends back into a 50-room hotel filled with character and characters.

Those who are known hang out at the Gore because they appreciate its individuality and the discretion of the staff, although if you get into conversation over a cocktail or two they may talk. One told me of a famous actor he saw in the hotel early one morning who had not booked a room. He named a singer who had spent the night there, guessing that it was in her room that the actor (betrothed to someone else) must have shared sheets.

Rooms at the Gore include the dark, warm, fire-lit Tudor room, where there’s a minstrel’s gallery overlooking the four-poster bed. The en suite has a cast-iron bath with a curved copper shower screen.

Judy Garland lived at the Gore for a while. Guests can sleep in the gilt-wood bed she brought in. Ruby red slippers are provided for comfort and make-believe. Throughout

the hotel, rooms have been designed in theatrical styles – including a bed in a tented recess and leopard-skin armchairs. While celebs have been coming here since the hotel was opened in 1892, by relatives of Captain Cooke, a link-up with the nearby Royal Albert Hall has seen a slew of famous beings checking in. Leona Lewis, Lily Allen, Katherine Jenkins and Snow Patrol all stayed at the Gore for their Children in Need concert last year.

The mahogany-lined art-deco Bar 190 has hosted a Manolo Blahnik photo shoot, as well as parties for Liam Gallagher and Paul Weller. But the place can make

you feel a bit of a star yourself. To the rear of the bar is Cinderella’s Carriage (above), a seating area painted gold and adorned with red velvet curtains and black ostrich plumes. Here you can be served by a footman and eat strawberries from a glass slipper.

• The Gore, London SW7, 00-44-20-7584 6601; gorehotel.com. Rooms start at £160 (€176.50)
• Do you know of a hidden gem? E-mail us at go@irishtimes.com