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Like many hotels in West London, Templeton Garden is understated from the street. Hidden behind the elegant white stucco terraces that characterise much of Earl's Court, there's little to suggest the scale of the hotel beyond.

Step through the entrance, however, and the building opens up into a spacious, light-filled reception, where the eye is drawn through to the surprisingly large garden that gives the hotel its name. Framed by mature planting and accompanied by a terrace restaurant, the garden provides a calm focal point that shapes the atmosphere of the hotel from the moment guests arrive.

It was here, over afternoon tea in the garden restaurant, that the Independent Hotel Show team met General Manager Dean Culpan and Hotel Manager Niels Bouter while Templeton Garden hosted the judging day for the Independent Hotel Show Awards, in partnership with Preferred Hotels & Resorts.

The setting made for an apt venue. Templeton Garden is still a relatively new addition to London's hotel scene, but its approach reflects many of the conversations currently shaping the independent sector: how to create meaningful guest experiences, embrace technology without losing the human touch, and craft a luxury hotel experience that feels genuinely connected to its surroundings.

As Culpan reflected on the awards entries, he saw a common thread running through many of them.

"Every entry showed how they're looking at hospitality differently to make a mark, a difference and an impression," he says. "You're seeing how the shape of hospitality in the UK is moving towards experiential stays – stays with a bit of meaning."

For Templeton Garden, that idea begins with the neighbourhood itself.

A hotel rooted in its surroundings

For Bouter, the hotel's vision was established long before the first guests arrived.

"The vision for the hotel is really to be rooted in the neighbourhood that we're in," he explains. "It's to take the neighbourhood as a base point and build the hotel from there, making it feel like it's part of the neighbourhood. It's built not just for people coming from abroad, but also for people from the neighbourhood, and really incorporating them into the hotel itself."

That philosophy was evident throughout our visit. During our conversation, Bouter paused to greet one of the hotel's residential neighbours, who had simply dropped in to enjoy the hotel’s communal spaces. It was a small interaction, but one that neatly illustrated what Templeton Garden is trying to achieve: creating a hotel that feels woven into the fabric of Earl's Court rather than existing separately from it.

The garden itself plays a central role in that identity.

"I think in terms of finding our niche, it's definitely the garden," says Bouter. "The garden is our biggest selling point."

In a part of London more often associated with Victorian townhouses than expansive green spaces, it offers a distinctive sense of place. Several of the hotel's Garden Rooms open directly onto private terraces with access to the garden, while Pippin’s restaurant offers a space in the shade where seasonal British produce takes centre stage alongside herbs grown in the hotel's own gardens.

The menu balances familiar comfort with subtle international influences, reflecting the hotel's wider philosophy of celebrating local character while welcoming guests from further afield.

Beyond the restaurant, Sprout, the hotel's intimate cocktail bar, brings a more playful energy, with inventive drinks that continue the emphasis on seasonality, creativity and neighbourhood appeal.

With Olympia London's redevelopment gathering pace and the wider Earl's Court regeneration continuing, the neighbourhood is entering a new chapter.

"I think the area really needed a luxury lifestyle hotel like Templeton Garden," Bouter says.

Yet despite being minutes from Kensington's museums, Hyde Park and Notting Hill, he believes Earl's Court offers something increasingly valuable.

"If you don't want to stay in the middle of all that hustle and bustle, Earl's Court is much quieter, calmer, with quaint little restaurants. You're right in between Kensington and Notting Hill, so if you do want to go to those areas then you're so close, but it's just a calm and lovely area to stay in."

A shared ethos, not a shared design

Templeton Garden forms part of Miiro Hotels, whose hotels are united by a shared ethos rather than a standardised design. Instead of replicating a signature look from city to city, each property takes its cues from its local neighbourhood, drawing inspiration from its surroundings, culture and community.

"When you visit other Miiro hotels, you get the same vibe," Bouter explains, "but every hotel is designed based on the area that they're in."

Whether in Vienna, Paris or Barcelona, each hotel reflects the character of its location. Templeton Garden follows the same philosophy, taking inspiration from Earl's Court rather than imposing an identity upon it.

That neighbourhood focus also informs the experiences the hotel has developed. Alongside its garden spaces, Templeton Garden offers urban foraging walks led by local expert George Fredenham, exploring nearby parks and green spaces before returning to the hotel for a cooking class using the ingredients discovered along the way.

For Culpan, these kinds of experiences are becoming increasingly important.

"People want a different proposition," he says. "They want to come to a neighbourhood."

Hospitality starts with people

The same thinking extends to the team.

Having joined Templeton Garden two months before opening, Bouter helped build the operation from just five employees into the hotel it is today. Throughout that process, technical skills were never the primary consideration.

"It all started with personality for me," he says. "Skill set comes second because that's something I can teach you. I cannot teach you how to shape your personality."

Instead, recruitment focused on finding people who instinctively understand hospitality.

"You need to find people that get it," he says. "There's not one pinpoint thing that makes you a hospitable person, but that's definitely what I looked for."

It's an approach that feels increasingly relevant as technology becomes more prevalent across the industry.

Shaping Tomorrow

With Shaping Tomorrow the theme of this year's Independent Hotel Show, conversation naturally turned to what lies ahead for independent hotels.

For Bouter, technology is undoubtedly part of that future, but only if it enables people to spend more time with guests and deliver a true sense of hospitality.

"You never lose the personal connection," he says. "You only innovate in order to have more personal connections with people and have more time to do that."

He believes guest expectations are also changing.

"When people spend money on travel, they want that personalisation," he explains. "They want to know the ins and outs of the neighbourhood. They want the reception team or the food and beverage team to form that genuine connection with them."

He still works reception shifts himself from time to time.

"It's so nice to ask, 'How was your day? How was that musical you went to? How was the restaurant that I recommended?' I think that's what people will look for."

Culpan sees technology as a way for independent hotels to compete more effectively rather than replace hospitality.

"Last year and the year before it was all the scariness of AI," he says. "Now we've settled down to how technology is helping us. Let's stop using the word AI and just say technology. It's not a person, it's a tool."

Whether that's translating guest communications into multiple languages or helping smaller operators reach international audiences, he believes technology allows independent hotels to compete in ways that previously favoured much larger brands.

Templeton Garden has been open for just over a year, and Bouter is clear about what comes next.

"I think spreading the word and getting the word out there that we're here."

For a hotel still establishing itself, that ambition feels well timed. With Earl's Court evolving around it, Templeton Garden is positioning itself not simply as somewhere to stay, but as part of the neighbourhood's next chapter.

As our afternoon came to a close, it was easy to see why the hotel had been chosen to host the Independent Hotel Show Awards judging day. The conversations taking place around the table - from community and personalisation to technology and independent entrepreneurship - echoed many of the ideas currently shaping hospitality.

Or, as Culpan puts it: "Being an independent hotelier means you're a different breed... We do all of that ourselves. It makes us tenacious. It makes us fighters. It makes us hungry."

Templeton Garden may still describe its garden as one of London's best-kept secrets, but if its first year is anything to go by, that secret may not stay hidden for much longer.

Find out more at miirohotels.com/templetongarden. The Independent Hotel Show, in partnership with James Hallam Insurance Brokers, returns to Olympia on 5-6 October, register for your free trade ticket now.