AN INSPECTOR CALLS

He pays his way... and tells it like it is

THE Sloane Club is a venerable institution (its 100th anniversary is in 2022) near London’s Sloane Square, which still believes in pelmets and sensible shoes.

Not remotely cutting edge, in other words, but much loved by its members, many of whom come in from the shires for a night at the theatre then a visit to the dentist in the morning.

With little fanfare, the club was bought in 2017 by hospitality company Queensway, which launched Sloane Place next door, a 27-bedroom hotel open to nonmembers, with a contemporary twist.

Presumably the idea is to appeal to a younger audience, hence the basement bar and ground-floor restaurant with banquettes, wood panelling, exposed pipework and the sort of muzak which would prompt a mutiny in the mother ship next door.

In fact, what’s happened is that these 27 rooms have been hived off from the Sloane Club but still share some public spaces, including the roof terrace, where members and non-members can order drinks and food from a menu similar to the one in Sloane Place’s restaurant.

There is also an impressive central staircase which is shared — it’s worth using this rather than taking the lift.

I’m in a Chelsea Double, paying £190 without breakfast. It feels frighteningly safe and scarily expensive but, then, can you find anything cheaper around here?

There’s nothing much contemporary about it, apart from a modern mirror and some art above the bed. The bathroom is so small it’s almost impossible to shower without hitting the controls.

We enjoy the restaurant’s atmosphere once the lights are dimmed. Terrific Caesar salad and perfectly cooked lamb cutlets at prices in keeping with the area.

It’s lively at breakfast. I suspect some Sloane Club members might have drifted over for their fry-up.

There’s confusion at checkout. I stand by the entrance looking lost until finally a member of staff asks me to wander through to the main Sloane Club reception. This gives me a chance to spot the difference between the two — not a lot.

The new owners of the Sloane Club clearly have thought long and hard about shoring up its future finances. Establishing a new revenue stream seems like a smart idea.

Sloane Place 62 Lower Sloane St.

London SW1W 8BP Tel: 020 3928 0700, sloaneplace.com Doubles from £170

★★★✩✩