St. Ermin's Hotel hosts meetings, conferences, launches, private dinners and weddings in 15 event spaces, for groups from a one-to-one interview up to 480 guests when the Crystal Ballroom, the Cloisters Suite and the Crystal Mezzanine are used together. The hotel stands at the end of a tree-lined courtyard on Caxton Street, in Westminster, central London.
Seminars and company events
The meetings offer covers day conferences, presentations, workshops, board meetings, product launches and fashion shows, with day delegate packages and on-site accommodation for attendees. The East Wing groups several mid-sized rooms and five breakout spaces where delegates can work or rest between sessions. Unusual formats are possible: The Listening Station is a four-seat podcast recording studio, and The Hidden Lens is a screening room for 14 with lounge seating, a 98-inch screen and surround sound. The hotel also sells Christmas parties.
Weddings and receptions
St. Ermin's is licensed for civil ceremonies and hosts weddings for up to 140 guests. The courtyard and the sweeping staircase of the lobby serve for photographs, and the Crystal Ballroom, the Cloisters Suite and the Crystal Mezzanine are the main wedding rooms. A dedicated weddings team plans the day, packages are offered, and the couple receives a night in the Bridal Suite. Wedding guests can book bedrooms at preferential rates.
Rooms and capacities
The Crystal Ballroom, designed by the Victorian theatre designer J. P. Briggs, keeps its ornate plasterwork and crystal chandelier. It takes 180 in theatre style, 120 for a banquet, 80 in cabaret, 72 in classroom and 200 for a standing buffet. The Cloisters Suite, a banqueting hall with Rococo plasterwork and a vaulted ceiling, seats 170 or holds 200 standing. The Crystal Mezzanine, off the ballroom balcony, takes 70, and the Lobby Mezzanine above the lobby hosts receptions for 80. The Dalton, The Brooks and The Granville each take up to 40 and suit presentations, workshops and private dining; The Dalton has plenty of daylight. Smaller rooms include The Madden around a table for 14, The Hallowes with a round table for 10, The Atkins for 10 and The O'Connell for 8. The Selborne serves small meetings, interviews or as a temporary office, and The Terrace over the courtyard hosts receptions and breaks.
Accommodation
The hotel has 331 bedrooms in several categories, from guest rooms to junior suites, suites and family suites, plus accessible rooms and serviced apart-rooms. It belongs to Marriott's Autograph Collection.
Catering
Event catering is run by the hotel. Caxton, the restaurant, serves modern European cooking, partly supplied by a rooftop kitchen garden and the hotel's own bee terrace. Caxton Bar and afternoon tea complete the offer.
History and setting
The building began as St. Ermin's Mansions, designed by E. T. Hall in 1889 on the site of a 15th-century chapel, and became a hotel in 1899. In 1940 Winston Churchill met here the founders of the Special Operations Executive, which then took over a floor of the hotel during the Second World War. A Division Bell still hangs in the lobby.
Getting there
St. James's Park and Victoria stations are close by, and the Houses of Parliament are within a short walk.
