The Copthorne Tara Hotel London Kensington is a four-star, 833-bedroom hotel on Scarsdale Place, a quiet cul-de-sac seconds from Kensington High Street. Part of Millennium Hotels & Resorts, it is one of the few central London hotels with genuine scale — which makes it a default choice for tour series, conference groups, sports teams, school trips and corporate accommodation programmes that need 50, 100 or 200 rooms under one roof in Zone 1.
Location: Kensington at its most convenient
Scarsdale Place sits just off Kensington High Street, giving the hotel a quiet frontage with a major shopping and transport artery 30 seconds away. Walking distances from the door:
- High Street Kensington Underground (Circle, District): 3-minute walk.
- Kensington Palace & Kensington Gardens: 8-minute walk.
- Royal Albert Hall & Hyde Park: 15-minute walk.
- V&A, Natural History and Science Museums: 15-20 minutes on foot.
- Notting Hill Gate & Portobello Road: 15-minute walk.
- Earl's Court and Olympia exhibition venues: 10-15 minutes.
- Heathrow (LHR): around 30 minutes by road off-peak.
Two structural advantages matter for groups: the hotel is outside the London congestion charge zone, and Scarsdale Place can take coaches — a combination that is rare this close to the centre and one reason so many European tour operators contract here year after year.
Rooms: 833 keys, from Standard to Presidential
With 833 bedrooms including 7 suites and 5 family suites, the Tara offers more room-type flexibility than almost any comparable Kensington property. The main categories:
- Standard Room — the workhorse category for tour series and cost-managed corporate travel. Comfortable, city views, interconnecting rooms available on request.
- Superior Room — larger, with better outlooks over Kensington and towards Hyde Park.
- Club Room — extra space and striking city views; interconnecting options on request.
- Family Room — twin beds plus a double, interconnecting with its own bathroom; the practical choice for families and school groups.
- Executive Suite — twelfth floor, bright and spacious with skyline views and access to the Tara Club Lounge.
- Presidential Suite — the largest option, with a separate living area and views across the Royal Park; Club Lounge access included.
- Accessible Rooms — DDA-compliant, with assistive technology and within-reach enhancements.
Check-in is from 3pm and check-out at 12pm; early check-in and late check-out are available on request and are one of the value-adds we routinely negotiate for group blocks with morning arrivals from Europe and the Gulf.
Meetings and events: 12 rooms, up to 400 guests
The conference floor is the reason the Tara features on so many MICE shortlists. There are 12 flexible meeting and event rooms holding up to 400 guests, headlined by the Shannon Suite for larger conferences and banquets and the Skyview Suite for daylight meetings with a view. Layouts flex between theatre, cabaret, U-shape, boardroom, classroom and banquet.
- Dedicated events team handling end-to-end planning.
- AV support available on request; cloakroom facilities.
- Day Delegate Rates (DDR) and group packages published quarterly.
- Served banquet menus and bespoke international catering.
- Private dining rooms for board-level dinners.
- Full air conditioning, free Wi-Fi throughout, 24-hour concierge.
- Extensive on-site parking — up to 135 spaces, £20 per day for event attendees.
- Green Tourism Gold Award for sustainability — useful for corporate ESG reporting.
Restaurants and bars
Four food and beverage outlets mean large groups can be fed without leaving the building — a genuine operational advantage when you are moving 200 people to a 7am coach call.
- Bugis Street — the hotel's best-known restaurant, serving authentic Singaporean, Malaysian and Chinese cooking with a modern twist; widely rated among London's better Asian hotel restaurants.
- Brasserie Restaurant & Bar — all-day dining, traditional British dishes, ales, cocktails and an extensive wine list. Full English breakfast is served here.
- The Tara Tea Lounge — afternoon tea with finger sandwiches, plain and raisin scones, clotted cream, preserves, seasonal pastries and specialty teas.
- C-Cafe — grab-and-go coffee, cakes, sandwiches and wraps for early departures.
Services and facilities
- Multilingual staff and 24-hour concierge.
- Free Wi-Fi throughout, full air conditioning.
- Tara Club Lounge for Executive and Presidential Suite guests.
- Underground car park (135 spaces) outside the congestion charge zone.
- Step-free and disabled access; accessible rooms with assistive technology.
- Coach-friendly access on Scarsdale Place.
- International cuisines and dietary catering for groups.
Who the hotel suits best
- Tour operators and group series needing large, consistent room blocks in Zone 1 with coach access.
- Corporate travel programmes wanting central London at four-star pricing with meeting space on site.
- Conference and MICE organisers for events up to 400 delegates who want accommodation and sessions in the same building.
- Families and school groups using interconnecting family rooms near the Kensington museums.
- Drive-in guests who need genuine central parking outside the congestion charge.
Honest advice before you book
- This is a large four-star business and group hotel, not a boutique. If your client wants intimate luxury, look at Kensington's townhouse hotels instead.
- Room decor varies by floor and refurbishment cycle. For VIPs, specify Superior, Club or a twelfth-floor suite rather than Standard.
- Higher floors are quieter and have the views; ask us to block them for your lead passengers.
- Parking is chargeable and metered by duration — budget £41 per 24 hours unless you are on an event rate (£20 per day).
- Breakfast can be busy when several groups overlap; staggered breakfast slots are worth agreeing in the contract.
- Rates spike around major Olympia and Earl's Court exhibitions, Wimbledon fortnight and the pre-Christmas period. Contract early for those windows.
Group, corporate and MICE rates via Britatlas DMC
As a UK destination management company, Britatlas contracts directly for accommodation and event space at Copthorne Tara Hotel London Kensington and other Millennium Hotels & Resorts properties. For travel agencies, corporate accounts and private clients we typically arrange:
- Negotiated group and series rates below public and OTA pricing.
- Allocation blocks with flexible release deadlines for tour series.
- Day Delegate Rates and full MICE proposals with AV and catering.
- Room upgrades and Tara Club Lounge access for VIPs, subject to availability.
- Breakfast inclusion, early check-in and late check-out for group arrivals.
- Mercedes and coach transfers from Heathrow, Gatwick, London City and St Pancras.
- Add-on programmes: private London tours, Kensington museum visits, West End theatre tickets and restaurant reservations.
Send us your dates, room-night volume, meeting requirements and traveller profile below. We will reply within one business day with contracted rates and a tailored proposal for Copthorne Tara Hotel London Kensington.