The Franklin offers a Christmas party setting in west London that feels more like being welcomed into a glamorous private home than booking a conventional hotel function room. Hidden among the beautiful Egerton Gardens in Knightsbridge, this boutique hotel takes over a listed Victorian building just moments from Harrods and the Victoria & Albert Museum, yet the atmosphere inside is calm and pleasently removed from the hustle and bustle.
Its interiors, designed by Anouska Hempel, give festive gatherings an immediate sense of occasion. Italian-influenced detailing, mirrored surfaces, marble, velvet and deep, sophisticated tones run throughout the hotel, creating a backdrop that feels indulgently luxurious.
For Christmas drinks, The Franklin Bar is an intimate choice. Designed in a glamorous Art Deco style inspired by the 1920s, here you can host up to 20 guests standing or eight seated. Mirrored walls, plush velvet seating and views across Egerton Gardens make it especially well suited to Champagne receptions, client entertaining or a smaller team celebration revolving around cocktails, rather than a huge, Dickensian-style feast.
If a seated Christmas dinner is what you envisioned, The Franklin Restaurant accommodates up to 30 guests. Spread across two ground-floor rooms, the restaurant is lined with windows bringing in natural light and once again, garden views. High ceilings, gold accents, mirrored details and dark grey interiors create a polished setting for a private lunch or evening meal, with seating arrangements adapted to the group.
If you're open to something a little more unusual - but, oh-so-glamorous - how about hosting a small group of friends, peers or colleagues in a five-star suite? The Presidential Suite can host up to 15 guests for cocktails and makes for a backdrop no one will forget. Measuring 62 square metres, it combines a private lounge with marble furnishings and hand-painted cloud murals. It's certainly a memorable option for hosts wanting the privacy of a suite, an exclusive space and the service of a five-star hotel.