Like a glass of tangy orange juice on a slow morning or a pop song at the Royal Albert Hall, the Ham Yard Hotel’s charm lies in just how vibrant and offbeat it can get.

For years now, the Firmdale hotels have been on a quest to break the code of what a “good little London hotel” ought to be, and their latest may be the most subversive of the lot. For one, it’s found in a miniature village at the heart of Soho complete with designer stores, a Japanese restaurant, a store packed with rare organic teas... and an authentic 1960’s bowling alley flown straight from Texas. Inside is just as surprising, with an eclectic mix of colors across all the common areas and rooms which, by all rights, have no right to go so well together. If different and exclusive are on the agenda, none do it better than the Ham Yard.