Opposite South Kensington Underground station, The Ampersand Hotel occupies an elegant Victorian building close to London’s principal museums. Its interiors take playful cues from science, music, geometry, ornithology and botany, expressed through bespoke wallpaper, objects and artwork rather than literal theming. Bedrooms range from compact city rooms to suites with generous sitting areas, while Apero serves Mediterranean-led dishes beneath brick arches. The Drawing Rooms provide a lighter setting for afternoon tea, and the building’s white stucco façade, bay windows and corner entrance retain the proportions of its 19th-century streetscape.