Hyde Park is a vast island of green in the centre of the UK's biggest city. Surrounded by exclusive areas like Mayfair and South Kensington, it's a great place for corporate travellers to locate themselves while in London.
One of the city’s Royal Parks, Hyde Park covers a massive 350 acres of central London. The Grade I-listed park is renowned for both being a place for people to relax and unwind, as well as being a home for world-class concerts and events. Bordering Kensington to the south and west and Park Lane to the east, business travellers often find their way to this area of the capital, with serviced apartments being a great way to make the most of their stay.
The area’s approximate 150,000 population can benefit from not only the Park’s own features but also the surrounding prosperous districts. The Royal Albert Hall lies just to the south of Hyde Park, while two of London’s well-known commercial streets, Oxford Street and Piccadilly, meet the north-east and south-east corners respectively. Mayfair is to the east beyond Park Lane, one of London’s most well thought of districts and home to several foreign embassies. All this, combined with access to the events and attractions within the park itself, create a demand for serviced apartments in Hyde Park.
Hyde Park may nowadays be a hub for entertainment, significant events and labelled one of the biggest London attractions, history suggests the land was used for a variety of other purposes. The monks of Westminster Abbey owned the land around the time of the Domesday Book when it was merely meadows dotted with trees and home to the likes of roaming deer, boar and wild bulls. It was not until 1536 that King Henry VII seized the land from the monks and converted it into a vast hunting park which stretched from Kensington to Westminster. The Park then became open to the public in 1637 once King Charles I had a ‘Ring’ circular track constructed on the land where the royal court could drive their carriages.
This enabled bigger changes to happen later under King William (1689) when Nottingham House became Kensington Palace. The first English road to be lit at night was also created as a processional route through the park. Makeovers, involving the creation of the Serpentine River, were then undertaken by Queen Caroline and King George VI throughout the nineteenth century. Hyde Park, however, remains exactly how architect Decimus Burton left it two centuries ago, which some locals nowadays treasure most about the land. Booking a stay in Hyde Park city apartments enables any guest the chance to see what the green has become today and how it is now a modern-day figurehead in London.
The GLA Well-being index has previously ranked Hyde Park amongst the best 25% locations in London for well-being, based on measures of health, economic security, safety, families, accessibility and community. 95% of the people have also shown satisfaction toward the parks and have a good perception of safety in the area. Ultimately, it would seem Hyde Park already has a strong framework and environment capable of delivering business success. In fact, since 2008 there have been over 2,500 business start-ups across Hyde Park. It comes as no surprise staying in Hyde Park corporate accommodation has become so popular
Businesses must recognise the benefits of relocating to an area which brings in such a significant number of tourists attending some of the country’s biggest events. The Park has played host to the popular ‘Hyde Park Summer Music Festival’, ‘Winter Wonderland’, the BBC Proms, various Royal Gun Salutes and one of the bigger celebrations marking Nelson Mandela’s 90th birthday. It is the work of the stakeholder group of residents and councillors which make these events a success, and ultimately support the incomes of nearby profiting businesses. The increasing success of these events can also only mean further development to the area too, which should bode well for enterprises locating in Hyde Park in the future.
One of Britain’s best Royal Parks can be appreciated most when staying in Hyde Park aparthotels. As well as the numerous annual events and celebrations that are held on the land, Hyde Park and its neighbour, Kensington Gardens, also have many pleasant attractions. The Diana Memorial Fountain and Albert Memorial are great tributes worth visiting, beautifully commemorating the life of Princess Diana and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Queen Victoria’s consort.
The most significant tribute to royalty though is on Kensington Gardens. For a small price, visitors can explore Kensington Palace, the birthplace and intimate childhood home of Queen Victoria and other young royals who stayed there for over 300 years. Highlights include the spectacular Queen’s Staircase, the Gallery exhibition and lovely Kensington private gardens. A whole day can be spent exploring here, thanks also to the accompanying ‘Orangery’ restaurant in the garden pavilion.
Intersecting both Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens is the Serpentine River and its galleries on either side. These exhibitions are hugely popular, attracting more than a million visitors every year with many considering them to be amongst Britain’s most important contemporary galleries. Displayed here is works from the likes of Andy Warhol, Man Ray and Damien Hirst, which are best reflected when the gallery hosts the temporary summer pavilion, created by a leading English architect.
Also popular, and right on the corner of Hyde Park is Apsley House and its Duke of Wellington Museum. Following a famous victory at Waterloo, the Duke of Wellington added a gallery to the building. A magnificent collection of paintings is on show here, along with numerous gifts given to the Duke throughout his life. There is a variety of Dutch, Spanish and British works involved in the collection too, which help create a completely unique museum experience. The most significant piece commemorating the Waterloo victory is the Wellington Arch. A bronze statue of Wellington himself on horseback alongside a spectacular chariot with a figure of Peace are sights to behold.
In summary, Hyde Park is brimming with cultural exclusiveness and business potential, making for a great place for the corporate traveller to relocate. Even those staying temporarily in Hyde Park short term accommodation can be hooked onto what the area offers for both the corporate and getaway traveller.
Either side of Hyde Park in the east and the west are the two closest airports, London Heathrow (LHR) and London City (LCY). Both can either be accessed via a 30-60 minute car journey or from tube or train stations on site of the airports.
Taxi transfers and bus travel is also available at both these airports.
The closest railway stations to Hyde Park are London Marylebone, Paddington, West Brompton and Victoria stations. As well as offering above-ground train services, these stations also offer underground rail options.
By car, these stations are around fifteen minutes away.
Hyde Park is blessed with a great variety of nearby tube stations, likely to accommodate the millions of travellers who visit the area every year.
London Underground stations surround the Park in every direction including; Lancaster Gate, Marble Arch, Hyde Park Corner, Knightsbridge, Bayswater and Queensway.
The hub for bus services in the area is Hyde Park Corner. A range of bus operators and services stop along this road, providing transport further across the area and beyond to other London districts.
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