Colourfully painted houses, Portobello Road’s antique shops and, of course, the annual carnival — London’s Notting Hill has never been understated. Which is why the flamboyant Ruby Zoe hotel fits in perfectly. Check-in is via a tablet and printer that spits out your room card, but head left and you’ll find the hotel’s showpiece: a 455 sq m bar containing a purple piano, a mint green 1957 Ford Prefect car (you can pretend to drive it too), a chandelier of trumpets and a nook decorated with speaker heads. If you don’t own Rod Stewart’s greatest hits on vinyl you can find them here at the in-house record shop. It’s bonkers, yet also a fitting introduction to the Ruby group of affordable-luxury hotels, which aim for party vibes and playful rooms that draw design inspiration from their locations. This Notting Hill outpost is the 16th, and the second in London after Ruby Lucy at Waterloo, where the decor is inspired by the arts and markets of the South Bank.
Overall score 8/10
Main photo: the dining area at Ruby Zoe where a buffet breakfast is available
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Rooms and suites
Score 8/10
Over six floors are 173 pared-back bedrooms in four categories: Nest (for solo travellers, but still with a double bed), Cosy, Lovely and Wow (the largest). We stayed in room 409 in the Wow category, which at the hotel’s rear had a pretty view of Notting Hill’s Victorian townhouses.
Corridors are dark with brown doors and ceilings, low-level lighting and jungle-print carpets — a nod to the hotel’s carnival-influenced Caribbean theme. But step into your room and the decor becomes chic, with natural light courtesy of floor-to-ceiling windows, dazzlingly white bedding and cherry blossom wood panelling. Bring a sleep mask — the white curtains mean sunlight can creep in. Bathrooms are compact — you access the glass-doored shower via the loo — but own-brand hotel smellies are generous, with two types of shower gel in full-sized pump bottles.
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There’s excellent (and necessary) soundproofing. Every room has a full-sized Marshall amplifier, and you can borrow an electric guitar from reception. If neither appeals, you can stream music from your phone via the Marshall Bluetooth speaker and radio.
Food and drink
Score 5/10
None of the Ruby group’s hotels have restaurants open for lunch or dinner, which both lowers costs and gives you an excuse to explore locally. There is breakfast, though, served (for £18pp) in a separate dining area. While it’s a decent cold buffet spread, with sourdough, pastries and cereals — plus proper toasters — the weak tea won’t get past fans of a proper brew.
If you do want to stay in, the bar offers a bijou drinks menu: cocktails use spirits such as Tarsier Oriental Pink Gin and a safe wine list has reds, whites and rosés — three of each. But swerve the disappointing bar snacks — it’s £12 for a parma ham pizza that would be better described as a “pizzette”.
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What else is there?
Score n/a
There are small kitchens on each floor where you can make hot drinks. There are also irons and vending machines, but no spa or gym.
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Where is it?
Score 9/10
Ruby Zoe is a three-minute walk from Notting Hill Gate Tube station on the Central, Circle and District lines, making both the West End and Kensington High Street reachable in about 15 minutes. Hanging out locally? Find cheaper eats at Acklam Village Market with its bar and street food, and check out the vintage posters and tins at the dinky Museum of Brands on Lancaster Road.
Price room-only doubles from £225
Restaurant N
Family-friendly Y
Dog-friendly N
Accessible Y
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