The Georgian House captured the world’s attention with the launch of its first Wizard Chambers in 2013. Now two years on Serena von der Heyde, owner, general manager and great great granddaughter of the hotel’s builder has invested £35,000 into developing a further two themed bedrooms, to meet rising demand. First launched in 2013, the two existing themed bedrooms have received interest on an international scale and are completely booked out three to four months in advance for weekend stays. The original Wizard Chambers were so sought after when opening that the money invested into their development was returned within just four months, inspiring Serena to add another two rooms to her hotel’s magical portfolio.
A part of its unique offering, guests have to pass through a passageway hidden inconspicuously behind a bookcase to reach the world renowned Wizard Chambers. With their stained glass windows, wood burners, pewter cookware, curious artefacts and four-poster beds draped with velvet curtains, these rooms see guests travel from across the globe for a magical overnight experience. The two new rooms have been designed to offer a more sophisticated feel especially for couples, not just families.
Owner Serena von der Heyde is the brains behind the Wizard Chambers. Inspired by the tales of sorcery and magic that she read to her children, she was keen to create rooms that would offer people visiting the city an enchanting experience.
Her imagination became reality with interior designer Diana Holmes transforming four of the 60 bedrooms within the 19th century family-run hotel. Each room offers an atmospheric escape with gothic-style features, cauldrons, potion bottles and spell books giving the impression of staying in a magical dormitory.
Serena commented on the further development saying, “The popularity of our Wizard Chambers has been incredible and we now have guests coming from all over the world to experience them. Following the launch of the first two bedrooms we have found that the revenue generated from each of the Wizard Chambers is almost three times more than that of one of our other boutique bedrooms.
“We have also seen the hotel’s occupancy rate rise to 91% and the average room rate throughout the hotel has risen by 120% since the Wizard Chambers’ launch. The feedback from review websites like TripAdvisor has been consistently high with the majority of guests rating the Wizard Chambers 5 out of 5. With such high demand we wanted to extend our offering even further and have created two new rooms that will retain the same magical charm whilst providing a sophisticated twist for a slightly more mature audience.
“We still want The Georgian House to be recognised for its exceptional standards, boutique style and home-from-home atmosphere found throughout the hotel. We are currently renovating six of our beautiful Belgravia Rooms and will continue to invest over the next few months, adding new features such as a freestanding beaten aluminium bath tub.”
Situated only a few minutes’ walk from Victoria station, the hotel adds to the South East’s already thriving wizarding experiences, ranging from the Warner Brothers Studio Tour – The Making of Harry Potter, in Hertfordshire to the popular Muggle Walking Tours in London.
