The Kensington Hideaway

Greenway Associates acted as Cost Consultant for The Hideaway, a refined boutique hotel marking the relaunch of the former Seraphine Kensington on Kensington High Street. Designed to offer a sense of calm and seclusion within the city, the hotel combines contemporary luxury with timeless detailing, while benefitting from close proximity to Kensington Gardens, the Royal Albert Hall and the Design Museum.

OUR ROLE

Warren Lisher and Liam McFaul led the scheme as both Project Managers and Quantity Surveyors, guiding it through design development and construction within the constraints of a tight Kensington High Street site.

THE PROJECT

The Hideaway is a 59-room boutique hotel reimagined around a literary-led interior concept designed by Tonik. Guest room categories reference the lives and works of notable authors including William Makepeace Thackeray, Agatha Christie, T.S. Eliot and P.L. Travers, creating a collection of distinctive yet understated spaces throughout the hotel. The project also includes a new 35-cover restaurant and bar, designed as an intimate social setting for both guests and locals, with a menu and cocktail offering inspired by Kensington’s literary history and cultural landmarks.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS

Working closely JMK Group, Greenway Associates delivered the refurbishment of The Hideaway as a technically complex, heritage-sensitive scheme that balances precision with respect for the existing building. The project celebrates the strength of the original fabric, including striking curved steel beams and remarkably resilient mid-20th-century brickwork uncovered during the works. The new design honours this legacy through a bespoke curved stone cladding system, pre-fabricated off-site to exacting tolerances, alongside a new lead roof and matching cladding that integrate seamlessly with the historic façade.

Sustainability has been central to the scheme, with the project targeting BREEAM Excellent and LEED Gold certifications - ambitious environmental goals that reflect both the client’s commitment to responsible design and Greenway Associates’ ability to manage a complex, high-quality refurbishment from start to finish.

CHALLENGES ON SITE

From a cost consultant’s perspective, The Hideaway presented a series of technical and logistical challenges that required careful planning and coordination. Originally two separate buildings, the hotel had a complex structural layout. During refurbishment, the central “spine wall” dividing the properties was removed along with the roof and most internal walls, leaving only the external façades intact. This approach demanded extensive temporary steel bracing to maintain the building’s stability throughout construction, while allowing the new design to be implemented safely and efficiently.

The project was further constrained by its tight urban site on Kensington High Street. With no space to store materials on-site, deliveries had to be carefully sequenced and installed immediately, and rubble was cleared daily to avoid obstruction. Vertical access was also limited: without permission for road closures, and with no external hoist or chute available, large steel members for the new floor could not be craned in. Instead, these elements were redesigned into smaller, lighter components, brought through the building and assembled on-site, ensuring both structural integrity and adherence to programme.