The Zetter Bloomsbury Just Reopened — And It Has the Best Address in London

Bloomsbury has always been the London neighbourhood that rewards the traveler who does a little more research. The British Museum. The literary history. The garden squares. The Georgian terraces. What it has lacked, until now, is a hotel worthy of the address. That changes with the reopening of The Zetter Bloomsbury.

TL;DR: The Zetter Bloomsbury has reopened at 2-7 Montague Street following a complete renovation, directly opposite the British Museum. 66 rooms across four Georgian townhouses, each individually designed, with rates from around £340 per night. It is the third property from The Zetter Group — the London boutique hotel brand behind the original Zetter in Clerkenwell and The Zetter Townhouse — and the one with the best address of the three.

Why the location is the story

2-7 Montague Street is not adjacent to the British Museum in the way hotels describe proximity when they mean a ten-minute walk. It is directly opposite. The Great Russell Street entrance to the museum is 90 metres from the hotel's front door. Russell Square is a two-minute walk. Holborn Underground is seven minutes on foot. Covent Garden is under a mile.

Bloomsbury is also one of the few central London neighbourhoods that still functions as a genuine residential area — bookshops, independent cafés, garden squares that are actually quiet. Staying here puts you in a different London than the one you get from a hotel in Mayfair or the South Bank. The Zetter's original reputation was built on giving its guests access to a neighbourhood rather than just a room, and the Bloomsbury property carries the same logic to a significantly more storied part of the city.

What the rooms are like

The 66 rooms are spread across four interconnected Georgian townhouses, which means no two are quite alike — the original house structures mean varying ceiling heights, room configurations, and window orientations. The Zetter Group's design sensibility runs through all of them: warm, layered, eclectic without being chaotic. Think rich ochres and forest greens, herringbone throws, mismatched antique furniture sourced specifically for each room, and bathrooms that take the fittings seriously.

The Zetter's original Clerkenwell property built its reputation on rooms that felt genuinely personal rather than hotel-neutral. The Bloomsbury property continues that approach in a building type — a Georgian terrace — that suits it even better. These are rooms designed to feel like a well-traveled friend's London flat, not a branded product.

Rates start from around £340 per night. Nine meeting rooms and over 1,000 square metres of event space make it a viable choice for groups and corporate stays as well as leisure travel.

The Zetter Group — why the brand matters

The Zetter opened in Clerkenwell in 2004 and was one of the properties that established the template for what a design-forward London boutique hotel could be — independent, neighbourhood-rooted, with a food and drink program that locals actually used. The Zetter Townhouse on St John's Square followed, built around a different premise: a cocktail lounge first, a hotel second, and one of the best bars in London by any measure.

The Bloomsbury property is the group's most prominent address. The brand's approach — individual rooms, genuine neighbourhood integration, a hospitality register that's warm rather than corporate — translates well to a location with as much to offer as Bloomsbury. The original Zetter was at its best when the neighbourhood was the point. Bloomsbury gives that premise more to work with than Clerkenwell did.

How it fits into a London itinerary

The Zetter Bloomsbury works best as the base for a London trip where the museum circuit and the West End are both on the agenda. The British Museum alone justifies a full day — the collections are genuinely world-class and the Great Court is one of the finest interior spaces in London. The National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery are within a 20-minute walk. The West End's theatre district is under a mile. Borough Market and the South Bank are a short cab or tube ride.

For a companion piece on what to do with a London base, our Orient Express Venezia story maps the Adriatic sailing route that begins in Venice — a natural second city if London is the European anchor of a longer trip.

What You Actually Want to Know

Where exactly is The Zetter Bloomsbury?
2-7 Montague Street, London WC1B 5BP — directly opposite the British Museum's Great Russell Street entrance. Russell Square tube is a 2-minute walk; Holborn is 7 minutes on foot.

How many rooms does The Zetter Bloomsbury have?
66 rooms across four Georgian townhouses on four floors. Each room is individually designed around the original house architecture.

What are the rates at The Zetter Bloomsbury?
Rates start from approximately £340 (~$430) per night. The hotel has 9 meeting rooms and over 1,000 square metres of event space for groups and corporate travel.

How does The Zetter Bloomsbury compare to The Zetter Townhouse?
Different propositions. The Townhouse in Clerkenwell is cocktail-bar-first — its lounge is one of the best bars in London and the rooms are secondary to the experience. Bloomsbury is hotel-first, with a better address and more room variety. If the priority is location and room quality, Bloomsbury wins. If the priority is atmosphere and the bar, Townhouse wins.

Is Bloomsbury a good area to stay in London?
Yes — particularly for first-time visitors or anyone combining cultural London with the West End. It is quieter and more residential than Mayfair or the South Bank, walkable to the British Museum and major galleries, and well-connected by tube.

Planning a London trip? Noon's advisors know how to build a stay around the right hotel for your itinerary. Tell us what you have in mind.

By Noon Travel Editors | April 8, 2026