The Zetter Hotel

You know how at Trader Joe’s, they might not have your favorite exotic food item one day because, perhaps, their suppliers in Chile are striking?  And you know how the packaging isn’t fancy and self-sealing, and the cereal doesn’t even come in a box, but the quality/price ratio is really awesome?  You know how IKEA makes you assemble every god damned thing yourself, but in the end, you have something that looks pretty cool, for less than you would have spent at Home Depot?

SOMEONE HAS APPLIED THESE PRINCIPLES TO A HOTEL and it’s called The Zetter, and we stayed there in London, and it was good!

Trust me, I’ve always been the type to say, I don’t care what kind of flea bag joint you put me in, I want to see the city (and eat really good food and buy really, really fancy underwear, apparently).  But, I went to the Zetter's website (after discovering it through Time Out) and saw that the Evening Standard had spoken and the words they spoke were good. 

“The stylishness of Babington House at Holiday Inn prices.”

Running through my head at the exact moment that I read this:  I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT BABINGTON HOUSE IS AND I AM READY TO SELL MY VINTAGE CHANEL SCARF TO STAY AT THIS PLACE.  (Babington house, I now know, is a country outpost of the London/New York Soho House.  If you don’t know what the Soho House is, then that’s just so cute.  Can I carry you in my pocket the next time I have to interact with scary fashion people?)

So, yes, as Time Out says, “You don’t get ego-sopping luxuries bumping up your room rates, but stuff you need.”

Indeed.  “A great bed, a superb shower and cutting edge in–room entertainment,” according to the website.  True.  But to be fair, there’s stuff you don’t need too.  Adorable, charming, stuff that will endear your friggin pants off.  Like beat up, yet oh, so decor-friendly books, looking for all the world like props in a Wes Anderson film.  And people, there is nothing like assuming The Anderson Aesthetic to make me get really hot and want to brag about you to the internet. 

Will someone please tell me what font that is because I am ready to order my unborn children's birth announcements.  Swoon. 

And I only tell you of this place's greatness because there are some who will look at my pictures from London (they are coming, I SWEAR--minor technical glitch involving two cameras, one of which is now stateside) and some of you will think, what?  They went to London for three days and all they did was shop and eat? Oh no, no my  friends, we also hotel'd.  HARD.  We showed those English candy-assed goose pillows and high thread count sheets HOW US YANKEES DO IT.   DAMN STRAIGHT, Y'ALL!  We FROLICKED under that “Raindance” shower head and PLAYED!  PLAYED GLEEFULLY with all those high-tech nerd gadgets like the ginormous digital music library, ambient pink mood lighting, and vending machine which sold mini G & T's.  Well, you know, we played with all that high-tech geek shit as soon as we could figure out how in God's name to make it all work.

Picture #1:  What zee fuck?
Picture #2:  No.  SERIOUSLY.  WZF?!!*   

(The lighting, it was tricky.  Whole can of worms....)

But, in all earnestness, I have my mother to thank for being so spoily and making those two nights possible (it was a late birthday present). Her chipping in upgraded us from the 30 GBP sketch-dungeon I was bidding for (on a website called "Amazing Deals!" that did NOT provide any pictures and for all I know was located in the midst of a project of crack houses.)

The Zett-AH, on the other hand, (at, ahem, 110 GBP a night, because apparently the Holiday Inn doesn't come cheap in England), is located in Clerkenwell, a quartier which, according to The Times..."is totally hot right now."  In all earnestness, I have to agree. 

*Obviously, a frenchified homage to Brando and his beloved Romanian wife, Alex.  Her "Vat the fuck?" is truly classic. 

Comments

[Neil]

Sounds great. Writing down the name of the hotel. Why don't you open up Europe's first Trader Joe's? Would people go for it?

[Anja]

Yes, what is that font?

[Gloria]

Looove nice hotels. Love nice hotels in foreign cities.

(And what Holiday Inns have they been staying at that cost that much?)

[Gina]

I think the font is futura, at least it looks like futura. Which would make sense with the Wes Anderson reference, since that's the font he uses most often.

[brando]

VTF? Digital music library at a hotel?

Oh, and I'm going on the record as saying 'Soho House?'

Can't wait to see the inside of your pocket ;)

[Dagny]

I am salivating at the chance to stay at this hotel. I agree with Gloria though. I have never heard of a Holiday Inn costing that much. OK. I take that back. Apparently it does cost that much to stay at the Holiday Inn in London. (Just did a quick rate check on the website.)

[Negrito]

cool at least i have one address for my next trip there ! thanks !!!

[schuey]

while i'm not sure about Ikea, this hotel looks cool... and I like the 2 pictures of you ! :)

[bella]

trader joe's is my fave. the hotel is a gem.
ask your mom to send you some peanut butter stuffed pretzel's dipped in chocolate... pure heaven. Or the oatmeal/cranberry dunkers w/ white fudge drizzle.. mmm.

[Dagny]

I just had the oatmeal/cranberry dunkers in the last week. They are addictive.

[rue-madame]

The font that Penguin uses is called Gill Sans Bold.

[EasyJetsetter]

Penguin actually have a book out just now commemorating 70 years of cover design. The cover is made up of book spines in that exact font. They also have a box set of short stories and extracts that makes me short circuit my laptop with the saliva dripping as I ogle it on amazon.

[jean]

Totally in agreement about hotel accomodations being the last priority of travel, after food and shopping. But if you can pull off all three, staying in a well-designed space does have its pleasures, however ephemeral. In London, cheaper accomodations tend to have heinously ugly wall paper and depressing furnishings that are an affront to the senses.

[Miss Pink]

It is sooo troublesome to find a decent hotel in London, even the so-called 5 stars are kind of creepy sometimes... thanks for the tip, will try it next time...

[DDJ]

How liberating is it that you're no longer anonymous? Now you can say "what zee fuck" *and* provide an awesome visual of the same phrase!

Looks like a great time. I will have to keep this place in mind.

[Sara]

WZF is my new fav. I will be injecting in to my corp world now.

[Kathleen]

Trader Joes...swoon. IKEA...swoon. Trip to London that doesn't include protecting hair from icky dirty linens and blankets? Priceless.

Seriously, ambient pink mood lighting? I'm there. You have seriously upgraded since our stay at the (in)famous Fred Hotel!

[Tatyana]

I hope you didn't have to actually assemble the gizmos, IKEA-like.

Our office designed SOHO house downtown; those in-guestroom-bathtubs were a real bitch to get right, and the roof details...

Same building, different entrance contains VITRA showroom: excellent work, much better designed than SH. The opening party is a blur though.

[Asian Lep]

I hate Soho House, too many fat people getting massages. Too many oily Trainas.

But I looooove Trader Joe's. Organic mustard...swoon.

[Sarah]

Dear Coquette,

Fuck Stephanie Klein. You are the queen of redhead bloggers.

Love, Sarah

[Coquette]

That may be the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me.

[julia]

I have an unnatural love for this post.

If only I had seen it before our London trip in December, where we stayed in a cubicle sized hotel room. I would have loved to have "hotel'd" too.

[Annie]

I didn't know what the soho house was until I googled it, but I'm incredibly sure I won't fit in your pocket. :)

[Rebecca Gilbert]

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Rebecca Gilbert
http://www.holidayinnlondontower.com

[Mary Anne Martin]

You are right on the money with this one. Well said!
Mary Anne Martin
http://www.holidayinnlondontower.com

[jov]

the wes anderson font is futura. I run the wes anderson fanspace on myspace. Futura is in all his work...

[jov]

the wes anderson font is futura. I run the wes anderson fanspace on myspace. Futura is in all his work...

[Coquette Anderson]

I just wanted to say hi to you. Living with my name for 27 years has been hard for me but to actually know where it comes from i really appreciate it and enjoy it.