How is COMO The Halkin positioned in London’s luxury market? Tell us more about the USPs, comp set and guest profile.
With 31 years of operating as a hotel, many awards, and 3 different Michelin-Star restaurants over 3 decades, COMO The Halkin, nestled in Belgravia, is sitting comfortably within London’s luxury market.
We are still referred to by our guests as a hidden gem, and a secret to be shared. I believe that when one enters COMO The Halkin, one experiences a sense of calm and peacefulness, like arriving home. I often refer to the hotel as a sanctuary, a place out of time, yet strong and elegant.
Talking about USP’s: This is undoubtedly our central location, our spacious rooms and indulgent marble bathrooms, as well as the serenity of the hotel. Our 5 floors each showcase a specific marble colour, mirroring the earth’s 5 elements.
Our COMP set includes: The Goring, The Hari, The Wellesley – although we stand out due to our health and wellbeing approach of the COMO brand – we have an excellent rapport as a local community of hoteliers, and believe that vibrant competition is healthy, which allows us to be both respectful and supportive of each other.
Our Guests: I would describe our COMO The Halkin type of clientele as; leisure travellers, affluent executives, families with children, newlywed couples, celebrities and corporate businessmen from Europe , Asia Pacific, North America and the Middle East, as well as the UK.
Staying with us, they find a central location in Belgravia, and a charming neighbourhood. Our guests love the closeness of the vibrant shopping locations of Knightsbridge, Mayfair and Chelsea, together with the Royal Parks and London’s incredible attractions, such as Buckingham Palace, plus London’s iconic museums and art galleries.I particularly like that our clientele is truly international
With the pandemic and the current International context, have there been any changes in the guest profile?
We pride ourselves with our high level of returning guests, blessed with their loyalty that has survived the pandemic. With 31 years of trading, I am always delighted to see 3 generations of loyal guests enjoying COMO The Halkin’s magic.
I truly feel that we have earned our guests' loyalty and trust over the past thirty years by building a strong relationship, to anticipate their every need, and by connecting with our guests to always try to exceed their expectations. Our team are friendly, helpful and discreet and have a desire to ensure that our guests stay with us again and again.
We try hard to evoke a ‘home away from home’ feeling, of peacefulness, to feel comfortable without distraction, and with a desire that future family generations will allow us to welcome them time and time again.
The property has undergone extensive renovations. Has there been any aesthetic change?
COMO The Halkin is the 1 st hotel of COMO Hotels & Resorts and therefore, very close to our owner Mrs Christina Ong. The interior designer, Linzi Coppick, worked closely with Mrs Ong who ensured an elegant ‘up-lift’ of the hotel, in order to modernise the rooms and corridors.
Extensive new cabling behind the walls was installed to ensure upgraded tech and carefully selected decorative soft furnishings, such as carpets, curtains, lightings, Japanese Toto toilets and TV’s created a calming COMO vibe.
You recently introduced a special Afternoon Tea experience.
We have recently launched our Shambhala Afternoon Tea. We have received many compliments from our guests with our Executive Chef’s twist on the traditional Afternoon Tea. Do not expect three tiers, scones and clotted cream, the experience is more an exotic story-telling and a pleasure for the senses. Our tag line is ‘from Bali to Belgravia’ with an Afternoon Tea based on the wellbeing principles of our Shambhala Spa experiences.
To what extent do you also target locals? (non-resident guests)
We engage with the local community by participating in different Belgravia activities.Belgravia in Bloom, Christmas in Belgravia and for the first time this year, the Belgravia Pumpkin Trail, which allows local people and families to follow a trail of beautifully decorated spots worthy of an Instagram pic. COMO The Halkin invests in window decorations to dress up for the occasion.
Quite a few of our neighbours like to frequent our elegant bar and regularly visit us for breakfast, which is fast becoming known for its quality and freshness, and can be enjoyed as room service or in our restaurant, with wonderful garden views. Our
bar offers elegance and discretion for the local embassies, one can hear many accents in our lobby & amp; Halkin Bar.
What has been your approach to ensuring consistency in service? Our consistency is based on standard setting, coaching, regular training and, most importantly, ensuring a team retention for knowledge is secured. Turnover of team members is indeed a tragedy, impacting cost and quality for any business.
At COMO, we hope to offer all of our team members a sense of belonging while following a common goal: to deliver an
elegant and genuine experience. The product of a 5* hotel is obviously important but we encourage connection, when possible, through an emotional intelligence tailored to each
guest.
How would you describe the COMO Hotels DNA?
Our values include: Passion, Creativity and Style.
COMO Hotels and Resorts offer memorable travel experiences to exceptional destinations.
The COMO experience is defined by good design, passionate service, outstanding cuisine and a commitment to wellbeing. We offer more than beautiful rooms, interesting activities healing treatments and great food. With words and actions, we give our guests and colleagues memories to recall and relive with pleasure.
What about your wellness offering? Wellness is at the heart of COMO. We are an exception by not having our own SPA at
COMO The Halkin. We are however, lucky enough to have our sister property a 5 min taxi ride away, COMO Metropolitan London, situated on Park Lane in Mayfair. Guests can either go to the COMO Shambhala Urban Escape for a spa experience, or we can offer pre- booked in-room treatments.
Our room amenities from the Shambhala Spa, named ‘Invigorate’ are a pure treat for the senses. For our fitness orientated guests, we have a well- equipped gym and also offer the possibility of reserving a tennis court in our neighbouring
Belgrave Gardens. 9. Do you plan any further novelties this year?
We are always working on new ideas and experiences, such as our COMO Rituals – and are currently busy planning and preparing for the Festive Season and beyond.
10. Which are your personal top 5 off-the-beaten-track tips in London.
1. BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir is a Hindu temple in Neasden – Largest Hindu Temple
in Europe
2. Hampstead pond for an amazing open-water swimming experience
3. Little Venice – taking a canal boat to Camden Market from Maida Vale
4. Sir John Soane’s museum in Holborn. Both eclectic and fascinating
5. Leadenhall Market and its ornate roof is another favourite spot
COMO The Halkin
COMO The Halkin is an elegant and discreet hotel in the heart of London’s leafy Belgravia, with Mayfair and Knightsbridge nearby. Among chic London hotels, COMO The Halkin stands out for its design, which blends the timeless and contemporary.
Made up of just 4 rooms and suites, COMO The Halkin is a true boutique hotel – and helped define the trend [when it first opened in 1991. The COMO Suites remain the hotel’s most popular, located on the sun-soaked fifth floor. Throughout, bespoke Italian design is combined with subtle Asian nuances.
Furnished with soft carpets and warm wood panelling, rooms have recently bee updated to feature wall colours and soft furnishings that take inspiration from the five elements of earth, air, fire, water and space and have some of the largest bathrooms in London.
COMO The Halkin offers a gym, personal training, yoga instruction and easy jogging access to Hyde Park. In-room COMO Shambhala therapies and complimentary COMO Rituals can also be arranged. The Halkin Bar, situated just off the main lobby, offers a perfect casual space to catch up for a cocktail in London. @comothehalkin
Afternoon Tea
The COMO Group, headquartered in Singapore, represents Christina Ong’s unique vision of contemporary living. The Group encompasses the hospitality collection, COMO Hotels and Resorts, which offers personalised luxury travel experiences through ndividualised service, a commitment to holistic wellness, and award-winning cuisine.
The portfolio currently consists of 17 hotels worldwide including island resorts, hotels in urban heritage buildings and two boutique brands, COMO Metropolitan and COMO Uma. Each hotel is developed in response to the destination it inhabits.
Group also includes the international luxury fashion retailer Club 21, the award-winning wellness concept COMO Shambhala, and the philanthropic COMO Foundation. For a glimpse of the beautiful destinations and to follow exciting adventures on Instagram @comohotel

Alain Martzolff
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