The Laslett

Long one of London’s favorite residential neighborhoods, Notting Hill has finally got a boutique hotel that’s perfectly suited to its setting. The Laslett’s 51 rooms and suites span a row of five Victorian townhouses, less than a minute’s walk from the Notting Hill Gate underground station, which means the rest of the city is convenient as can be — but while you’re here, you’re perfectly placed at the nexus of creative West London.

The Laslett places a tireless emphasis on the local, the homegrown, the authentic; this is a hotel that couldn’t exist anywhere else. It’s named, first of all, for Rhaune Laslett, the founder of what’s now the Notting Hill Carnival. The interiors are a celebration of British design, intermixed with the sort of eclectic, globetrotting influence that’s naturally provided by close proximity to Portobello Road and its famous market. The Henderson Bar serves all-day, seasonal small plates — local sourcing is the rule throughout the hotel, from the full-sized REN bathroom products right down to the Cru Kafe coffee beans.

Meanwhile, the rooms and suites are a perfect mix of proper hotel luxury and casual guest-room atmosphere. All of them, from the “spare rooms” to the “master bedroom suites,” are decorated with a keen contemporary eye, as well as an eclectic array of objets d’art and some well-chosen Penguin paperbacks.; they even offer complimentary smartphones as icing on the cake. The Laslett’s specialty is the sort of lived-in charm that most high-end hotels would absolutely kill for — and here they make it look easy. Maybe west really is best?