Copthorne Tara Hotel London Kensington Review 2025

In our Copthorne Tara Hotel London Kensington review we describe what to expect and who this hotel is best suited to.

The low-down

The Copthorne Tara Hotel Kensington turn up near the top of most hotel searches for London – and for good reason.

Cost: £121.24 for a standard double including breakfast
Official rating: 4*
Tripadvisor rating: 3.5
Check in: 3pm
Check out: 12pm
Parking: Yes – £29 per day

How to get the best rates?

When it comes to room only bookings, Booking.com and Expedia are both competitive. But if you want to add breakfast, booking direct offers better value.

Join the MyMillennium loyalty program during checkout to receive a 10% discount on every booking – along with the opportunity to earn points that can be used towards discounts on future bookings at any of the other Millennium hotels across the world.

One night in a standard double room with breakfast was approximately £150 when booked through Booking.com. The same deal was just £121.24 when booked direct.

Whether the MyMillennium program is of any value to you will depend on whether you use any of their other properties (most appear to be in the Far East). However, unless you are working towards levelling up your OneKeyCash or Booking.com membership tiers, booking direct seems to offer much better value.

Key considerations

Attending the Tim Burton exhibition at The Design Museum, we needed an affordable hotel near Kensington High Street. In reality, there are only two within walking distance of the museum – the Holiday Inn London Kensington High Street and the Copthorne Tara Hotel London Kensington.

In the end, we opted for the Copthorne Tara because the overall package, including breakfast was cheaper.

Location

The hotel is a five minute walk from Kensington High Street tube station and there are plenty of shops, restaurants and takeaway joints nearby. The Copthorne Tara Hotel has three on-site restaurants too, in case you don’t fancy venturing out.

Hotel address: Scarsdale Place Kensington London, United Kingdom W8 5SY

First impressions of the Copthorne Tara Hotel London

I can’t lie, the Copthorne Tara Kensington is not a looker. A post-brutalist 1970s slab plonked down between Kensington High Street Station and the red brick mansions for which the area is famous. Linda said she thought the hotel would be pretty grim as we approached.

Once inside however, the place is actually quite pleasant. The foyer is light and airy with plenty of places to sit. And the common areas are well maintained – none of the stained carpet that seems common across most hotels of this age.

The Room

Figuring that the Copthorne Tara is one of the tallest building in the area, I asked for a room with a view. The lady at check-in went one better, giving us an east-facing room and an upgrade.

Top tip: Ask for a room with a view – you won’t be disappointed.

I’m not sure whether room 1135 was a ‘Superior’ or ‘Club’ double, but it is sizeable. And from the 11th floor, we had an awesome view across London, all the way through to Docklands in the distance.

Check-in officially begins at 3pm although we arrived closer to 1pm. We did notice that the queues at Reception were quite long later in the day, so it may be worth trying to arrive earlier if you can.

What did we get in our room?

• King size bed
• Two chairs
• Desk
• Fridge
• Plenty of storage space
• Laptop-sized safe
• Bathrobes and slippers
• Kettle, tea and coffee
• Bottled water

The bed was comfortable, the linen was clean and the pillows were decent too.

The choice of artwork in the room is “eclectic” (or odd). There are plenty of sockets and charging points provided throughout.

There’s a self-service snack shop in the foyer if you have a late night craving for crisps or wine. There’s also a room service menu if you want to treat yourself.

Top tip: Wake up early and enjoy the sunrise over central London

Breakfast @ The Copthorne Tara Hotel London Kensington

The breakfast buffet costs £19.80 per person and includes a decent spread. There’s the usual cooked options (bacon, sausages, beans, eggs), cereals, toast and cold meats and cheese. Drink options include tea, fresh coffee, hot chocolate and a selection of juices.

I did note that that non-dairy milk options are available for drinks and cereal.

Breakfast is served in the main bar/restaurant on the ground floor. If staying in Executive Club room, your breakfast is served in a smaller room off to one side.

The food was good and filling even if the price seems a little steep.

Any negatives?

There are a few niggles about the Copthorne Tara, but none of them are deal-breakers:

• The Underground runs directly behind the hotel and you can hear the trains rumbling day and night. It’s still quieter than a New York air conditioning unit though.
• The heating system is positively ancient with very limited cooling options.
• The hotel has 833 rooms, so the lifts and breakfast restaurant could get busy at times.
• Travelling into central London (Soho, West End etc) on the Tube will require a change at South Kensington or Notting Hill Gate.

Copthorne Tara Hotel London Kensington Review – Conclusion

Who is this hotel for? The hotel has some really good facilities and is relatively well located for exploring central London. The Copthorne Tara Hotel would be an excellent choice for any tourist planning to spend a week in the city. It’s also a good option for a one-night short break in west central London.

The generous 12pm checkout is great. We could take our time getting ready and breakfasting which we really appreciated.

It’s worth noting that the Copthorne Tara is cheaper than the Holiday Inn next door – and the views are much better too.

Would we stay here again? Absolutely.

Other hotels near Kensington High Street

Please note that we use sponsored links on this blog. Although we may earn a referral fee or bonus points on some of these products and services mentioned, we never recommend anything we wouldn’t use ourselves. 

Check out our full Affiliate Disclosure Policy for more info.

Related