Black steel beams run across the glass frontage on Richmond Way, like the frame of a stage set that someone decided to keep. Behind them is Kensington House, a plain, glazed block a short walk from Shepherd's Bush Green. It does not look like the place where David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix and Bob Marley are reported to have recorded, which is part of its charm. The building was the BBC's, with recording studios inside, and Amy Winehouse is among the later names connected to it. Since 2001 it has operated as the K West, a hotel remembered as loud, with garish metallics and fringed chandeliers. In March 2026 it relaunched as Hotel Indigo London K West Shepherd's Bush, part of IHG.
Owner, brand and bones
The owner is the Lancaster London Hotel Company, which also runs the Royal Lancaster and the Landmark. The project was described at the outset as a full refurbishment, with the bedrooms, restaurant and spa reconfigured and the electrical, plumbing and sustainability systems upgraded throughout. Fergus Stewart, the company's chief executive, said the investment was not one the owners were looking to sell in the short term. The result is calmer and warmer, and it is better mannered than what came before. The floors are numbered so that the level you walk in on from the street is the third.
It has given a working building warm floors, good light and a reason to stay in.
Terrazzo, stone and a spiral staircase
Start in the lobby. A spiral staircase rises to a mezzanine with co-working tables, and reception sits behind the bar and restaurant, so the first thing a guest meets is a counter rather than a queue. The materials carry the argument: terrazzo on the desks, stone floors and concrete walls in the bar, and a sage and oxblood scheme that keeps the public rooms bright and calm. The design makes a point of reclaimed and reused materials, which suits a building given a third life rather than a replacement.
The nods to the past are literal. There is vintage television artwork, record players, and partnerships with breweries, distilleries and producers across West London. Art Story curated the art programme, which includes work by the surrealist Helga Stentzel and the sculptor Helena Lacy and draws on the neighbourhood's history.
The room to book
Upstairs the bedrooms take their cue from the 1970s, with a palette of salmon pink, yellow ochre and olive green, softened with oak, peach, pebble and jade tones, and soft-edged furniture, including a wood-framed mirror and headboard. Details include a sunrise-shaped headboard, marbled globe lights and a gold Roberts radio on the desk, and in some rooms a retro telephone in mustard or pink stands in for room service. Bathrooms are tiled in jade, teal and turquoise, with walk-in showers and Urban Apothecary toiletries.
Book a garden room if outdoor space matters, because the garden rooms come with private outdoor space of their own, or one of the signature suites for more space. A fair hedge: some premium rooms face an office block roughly ten metres away, so the outlook is not the reason to stay. This is a city hotel on a residential street, not a tower on the river, and the interiors, rather than the view, carry the day.
Flock and the Carnival Encore
The restaurant is Flock, an open-kitchen, all-day room built around a statement wood-fired pizza oven, with some seats looking straight at it. Head chef Sami Saygi runs an Italian and British menu, and the dishes worth ordering are the spicy 'nduja Scotch egg, the margherita, polenta crostini, roasted sea bass, a smash burger, and a caramelised banana cheesecake to finish. Breakfast covers pastries, fruit, charcuterie and cheeses, with hot options including eggs Benedict, a full English and porridge.
At the bar, the standout is the Carnival Encore, made with chilli-infused rum, coconut rum, lemongrass and ginger cordial, with guava and lime juice, a name that suits a neighbourhood a short walk from Notting Hill. The Silver Screen is tied to the hotel's history, and the Functional Mule gives a serious alcohol-free option, with ginger beer, lime and a zero-alcohol botanical spirit. The Silver Screen leans heavily on tequila and soda and wants more lime; it is an easy fix.
Wellness, still arriving
A spa called K West Spa was announced for later in 2026, with a thermal suite, spa gardens, couples suites and treatment rooms using Ground Wellbeing products, and a gym. The sources available did not confirm that it has opened, so treat it as something to check before booking rather than a reason to book.
What is nearby
This is a very good address for a west London weekend. Westfield London, the O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire, Bush Hall and the Bush Theatre are all close, Shepherd's Bush Market has its Levantine bakeries, and Next Door Records, Mr Dumpling and Bush Tavern are on the neighbourhood list. Holland Park and Notting Hill are a short walk.
In the evening, with a record on and a Carnival Encore on the bar, Kensington House sounds like itself again.
