One night (or one lunchtime – the so called ‘funch’ market) letting has long been the base of most hotel operations, bringing with it the normal range of service, including food operations, housekeeping and so on. For many people however by day four they have had enough of hotel cooking and are beginning to long for the taste of home. If their stay is longer still then the determinedly tidied regimen of the hotel room begins to wear, and the desire for a measure of domestic untidiness (the discarded book still where you put it to be picked up and continued, the shoes still where you took them off) becomes overwhelming. Into the gap in all but up market operations comes the Aparthotel. (Cotel I quite like too, but Aparthotel I shall stick with for now).

Phoenix House has a hotel licence but most of its guests stay for more than a week. They form an interesting cross section – executives who want the freedom of their own flat when in town, house hunters whose exchange of properties has gone wrong leading to a need for somewhere to live for a few weeks, performers on short term contracts (theatrical and business alike), consultants called for consultations and families for whom a kitchen takes a load off when travelling with the children. All value the independence of their own apartment together with a level of service that enables them to enjoy their visit relatively worry free.

Phoenix House has some 33 apartments ranging from one bedroom studios to split level condos with multiple bedrooms. Design is by Fox Linton – known as the designer of no.1 the Aldwych and more recently other five star hotels, so the hotel expertise is in the design. Of course the major difference for a designer is the length of stay and the level of facilities to be provided. Involvement with the design of resort hotels in the past has shown that the simple requirements of something as basic as drawer space can change radically when the guest stay extends. In a standard business hotel (not that there is any such thing) the average stay is reckoned to be about 2.4 days. In a simple seaside hotel the average rises to 4.8.

Lounge is upper floor of this apartment, and is beautifully tailored. Note use of timber floor to define kitchen; carpet is that all-time housekeepers favourite, pale cream. Rollover to see Reception

Roll your mouse over to open cupboards and see the level of equipment in the kitchen

In a business hotel the guest may never unpack properly, taking clothes out of the open suitcase. In a longer stay the clothes will be folded and put away, and the bags stored. There are also more clothes to be unpacked, and this dictates more storage, for more changes of clothes, formal and informal, leading to bigger wardrobes than standard, more drawer space provision and perhaps also larger areas in bathrooms for toiletries and the like. Additional to these considerations are those that are made for the guest comfort – the addition of a small kitchen capable of providing space for making home cooked meals, preparing children’s meals or just serving a take a way for a TV meal in front of the television. Maybe too, a longer stay businessman needs to have a more serious working environment, a larger desk and so on.

Phoenix House takes the worries out of late arrivals or for those for whom shopping in the Kings Road will be an experience by having a welcome basket in the kitchen with most basics like organic milk and tea (this being England) whole meal bread, jams, fair trade coffee, muesli etc., and providing a breakfast box for those who want continental breakfast delivered to the door.