The Unmissables: A sustainable stay at Room 2 Chiswick

Our latest Unmissable is Room2, a cosy, super-sustainable home-from-home in West London’s creative hub.

Rachel McCaffery and her daughter rest tired legs after a day exploring the capital’s museums.

Described as a ‘hometel’ Room2 is a comfortable and spacious set of rooms, with an upmarket but homely feel. Its stand out selling point is its sustainability. Built into the hotel at conception, from the lab rooms monitoring air quality, energy and water use, to the beehives on the roof, this is the hotel of the future.

Location: I’d never been to Chiswick, the famously well-heeled, bohemian enclave in West London. I really should have. It’s a lovely place and surprisingly easy to get to, with District line tube trains (and some Piccadilly line trains at peak times) stopping at Turnham Green underground station (five minutes’ walk from Room2). The area is packed full of interesting independent restaurants and bars, expensive looking boutiques and in a charming throwback to its village days, butchers, greengrocers (organic of course), a fishmongers and even a haberdashery.

Austerity hasn’t ignored even this affluent corner of the country, reflected in the plentiful charity and second hand shops. However, donations reflect local incomes, so if you like a rummage, this is a fantastic area to trawl. I was admiring a pre-loved cashmere sweater in one shop and was amused to overhear a fellow customer asking staff for a discount on a hat; ‘the maid stole my last one’.

First Impressions: After walking into the hotel and admiring the impressive bank of houseplants in the atrium (all part of the ‘biophilic’, healthy living design) a member of staff greeted us from a bar stool near the entrance. This is so much more friendly than dinging a bell on some anonymous reception desk, or even worse, having to grapple with a self check-in kiosk. I often travel alone for work and would always rather be met by an actual human! The lobby itself is stylish and inviting,  decorated in copper, warm yellows and gold coloured glass with the best use of decorative concrete blocks I’ve seen since the 1970’s. The space has lots of natural light and is used as a cafe and work area by day and a low key bar by night. It’s well designed and can comfortably accommodate groups keen to chat, as well as introverts wanting to tuck themselves away with a laptop.

Sleep: The rooms are a good size for London and range from the basic but comfortable ‘Snugs’ (maximum two people) to rooftop Suites, which have full kitchens and sleep up to three.  We were in a Studio, which had a sofa and a well equipped kitchen area with hob and microwave. Room2’s sustainability commitment is evident in the rooms with full recycling bins, bulk toiletries and various water and energy efficiency saving features (the rooms are apparently almost 90% more energy efficient than in a standard hotel). Room2 also have an outstanding commitment to supporting local businesses  – how many hotel rooms in London can claim the entire contents were sourced within 10 miles!

Eat: The coffee shop serves continental breakfast, sandwiches and drinks ranging from coffee to pear cider. All food and beverages are from B Corp sustainability certified businesses, most of which are sourced from the local area.  We had a healthy bowl of granola with yoghurt and the amazingly tasty honey from Room2’s rooftop beehives. All food waste, even from guest rooms is turned into compost via the hotel’s anaerobic digester, which I was proudly shown by the duty manager. This contraption also takes in food waste from local residents, supplying them with fresh compost in exchange.

Work and Play: I stayed at Room2 during a half term visit to London with my 12 year old daughter. She loved the large selection of films available to rent and the buttery breakfast pastries. I loved being able to put my feet up on the couch after an afternoon battling the hordes in South Kensington and being able to eat in,  before snuggling up in front of The Lion King. For us the ‘hometel’ really lived up to its name.

The in-room kitchen facilities also make Room2 a good base for a West London work trip. Expense accounts aren’t what they were, after all and few of us enjoy sitting at a restaurant table solo. Far nicer to veg out in your room and eat whenever suits. You can work off the calories in the small but well equipped gym and wash your sweaty clothes using the sleek-looking, energy efficient machines in the hotel laundry room.  There is occasional entertainment on site too. Room2 goes out of its way to support Chiswick’s cultural scene by hosting regular arts evenings, with events like terrarium workshops and mindful calligraphy. They also display works by local artists throughout the property.

Highs: We loved the friendly staff, the tastefully relaxed feel and the great location in an interesting part of London.

Lows: The kitchen area in our studio had quite dark tiles so could have done with better lighting, and getting hot dishes out of the raised microwave was a little tricky. The giant game of naked Twister illustrated on the bathroom wallpaper is an interesting choice …. I think my daughter bought the explanation)!

Unmissable: You have to taste the rooftop honey with breakfast, or in a hot drink and definitely make time to search for some pre-loved bargains in Chiswick’s charity shops.

Verdict: When it comes to sustainability, Room2 is cutting edge. The fact that it is also a fabulous place to stay makes it absolutely an ‘Unmissable’ in my book.

Rooms at Room2 start at £125 per night