Ham Yard Hotel: The Bowling Lanes Are Only Released a Week Ahead

If the 1950s bowling alley shows no availability, it is probably not booked. The lanes have not been released yet.

This is buried under the booking button, and it changes how you approach the whole thing:

“If there is no online availability this does mean we are fully booked. The Croc Bowling Alley is primarily for large private events (100+ guests). Upon request, we can open the lanes for individual bookings one week prior to your requested date.”

Read it carefully. The alley exists mainly for private events of a hundred people or more. Individual lanes are opened one week before the date, and only on request.

So if you look two months ahead and see nothing, that is the system working as designed. Ask, and ask inside a week of when you want to go. Looking earlier tells you nothing.

What you get when you do: an original 1950s alley with back-lit bowling balls, vintage bowling shoes and two large-scale artworks by Howard Hodgkin, plus a lounge, a bar and a dance floor.

The Bowling Experience: £25 per person for one hour, £50 per person for two. The Strike Special adds snacks and drinks.

The limits: up to 16 guests. Children must be over 10. Anyone under 15 must be accompanied by an adult. Exclusive hire runs from 100 to 250 people.

Dogs can stay, but cannot eat with you

Clear, and precisely the opposite of the arrangement at Rosewood London up the road in Holborn.

“Yes, all dogs are welcome to stay at Ham Yard Hotel. However, only guide dogs are permitted in our restaurant.”

All dogs in the bedrooms, guide dogs only in the restaurant. So if the point of bringing the dog is having it beside you at dinner, Ham Yard is not the one. If the point is a room it can sleep in, it is.

Worth having both on the same page, because “dog friendly” means two different things at these two hotels.

There is no parking, and they say so first

Short answer to the question people waste time on.

“Due to our Central London location, we do not have on-site parking.”

The concierge will arrange something nearby, by email. Valet service exists, parking does not.

Which is reasonable given the location: Piccadilly Circus is a 3 minute walk, Leicester Square 7 minutes, Oxford Circus 10. King’s Cross St Pancras is about 20 minutes by public transport, and Heathrow or Gatwick about an hour.

The children’s amenities are itemised, down to the bedtime biscuits

Not a vague claim to be family friendly. A list.

Cots. High chairs. Babysitting. Children’s menus. Children’s books and board games. Milk and cookies at bedtime. Mini bathrobes. Bathroom amenities for babies and children. A welcome gift to suit the child’s age.

The last one is the telling detail: the gift is matched to the child’s age, which means the hotel wants the age at booking. Mention it when you reserve rather than on arrival.

A 190-seat cinema, an underground bar and a rooftop

The hotel has more rooms behind the public ones than most of its size, and several can be hired.

A 190-seat theatre, described as a cinema for screenings and presentations.

The Dive Bar, underground.

The Croc, the bowling alley above.

A rooftop terrace with views over the Soho rooftops.

And two guest rooms that are free to use if you are staying: the Library, with an Honesty Bar and a curated collection of books, and the Drawing Room.

The honesty bar is the detail to remember. It is a self-service bar where you write down what you take, which is a far more civilised proposition at midnight in Soho than a minibar.

Eating and drinking without a room

The restaurant and bar are open to anyone, and the formats are worth knowing because two of them are cheaper than the carte.

A set menu, described as suited to business lunches or pre-theatre dining, which matters when the Lyric and Apollo are minutes away on Shaftesbury Avenue and the Piccadilly Theatre is directly behind the hotel on Denman Street.

Sunday Lunch with live music. The Long Lunch runs every Sunday.

Afternoon tea, served in the restaurant or the Orangery.

Al fresco dining in the courtyard on warm days.

In the bar, alongside the wine list and classics, there are “Liquid Art Cocktails” built around the hotel’s art collection, and cocktails made with homemade syrups, bitters and tonics.

What the hotel is

91 individually designed bedrooms and suites, plus 24 residences, with interiors by Kit Kemp. It holds two Michelin Keys for 2026 and appeared in The Times’s 50 Best Places to Stay in the UK for 2026.

For longer stays, the Ham Yard Residences have fully equipped kitchens and private terraces with access to all the hotel’s facilities.

In-room: Ruark DAB radio, Bose SoundLink, Chromecast, a fully stocked minibar, Firmdale Sleep bed linen, RikRak bath products, a personal safe and two-line telephones. 24 hour room service, fully air conditioned.

Also on site: a gym with personal trainers, the Soholistic Spa, and a chauffeur service.

Ham Yard Village sits on the doorstep: independent boutiques around a tree-filled pedestrian courtyard, tucked off the Soho streets.

Where it is

Ham Yard Hotel, One Ham Yard, London W1D 7DT. 020 3642 2000.

Reservations 020 3642 1011. Concierge 020 3642 1004. Restaurant 020 3642 1007.

Check-in from 3pm, check-out at 12 noon.

How to plan it

Want the bowling alley: ask within a week of your date. Earlier than that and it will show as unavailable whether it is or not.

Bowling: £25 an hour each, £50 for two, up to 16 people, children over 10.

Bringing a dog: fine in the room, guide dogs only in the restaurant.

Driving: there is no parking. Email the concierge.

With children: give their ages when booking so the welcome gift matches.

Before a show: ask for the set menu. The Piccadilly Theatre is directly behind the hotel.

Sunday: the Long Lunch, with live music.

Staying: use the Library honesty bar rather than the minibar.

Getting there: Piccadilly Circus, 3 minutes.

Ham Yard Hotel

Address

One Ham Yard, London W1D 7DT

Nearest

Piccadilly Circus a 3 minute walk, Leicester Square 7 minutes, Oxford Circus 10 minutes. King’s Cross St Pancras about 20 minutes by public transport

Hours

Check-in from 3pm, check-out at noon. 24 hour room service

Booking

Direct on 020 3642 1011. Bowling lanes for individual bookings are released only one week before the date, and only on request, because the alley is primarily used for private events of 100 or more

Price

The Croc Bowling Experience is 25 pounds a person for an hour or 50 for two hours. A set menu is available for business and pre-theatre dining, with Sunday Lunch, afternoon tea and a cocktail bar

Standing

A Kit Kemp designed Soho hotel with 91 bedrooms and 24 residences, holding a 1950s bowling alley, a 190 seat theatre, an underground Dive Bar, a rooftop terrace, the Soholistic Spa and a Library with an honesty bar. Two Michelin Keys for 2026

How to get in

The Croc bowling alley shows no online availability outside a week-long window because the lanes are primarily held for private events and only released for individual bookings one week ahead, on request, so an empty calendar does not mean it is full. Bowling takes up to 16 guests, children must be over 10 and under 15s need an adult. All dogs may stay in the bedrooms but only guide dogs are allowed in the restaurant, the reverse of the arrangement at Rosewood London. There is no on-site parking. Children’s amenities include a welcome gift matched to the child’s age, so give ages when booking.

Where to go next

Rosewood London takes dogs in its restaurants, and the hotels page compares the rest.

Pre-theatre dinner covers the set menus around Shaftesbury Avenue, and Soho covers the neighbourhood.

Questions we get asked

Can you go bowling at Ham Yard Hotel?

Yes, but the booking works unusually. The Croc is primarily used for private events of 100 or more guests, and lanes are only opened for individual bookings one week before the requested date, on request. So an empty online calendar further out does not mean it is fully booked. The Bowling Experience is £25 per person for an hour or £50 for two hours, for up to 16 guests, with children over 10 only and under 15s accompanied by an adult.

Is Ham Yard Hotel dog friendly?

For sleeping, yes: all dogs are welcome to stay. For eating, no: only guide dogs are permitted in the restaurant. That is the opposite arrangement to Rosewood London, where pets are welcome in every food and drink outlet, so the right choice depends on whether the dog needs to be at dinner or just in the room.

Is there parking at Ham Yard Hotel?

No. The hotel states it has no on-site parking because of its central London location, and directs guests to the concierge for nearby options. A valet and chauffeur service are available, but there is nowhere to leave a car at the building. Piccadilly Circus is a three minute walk.

Is Ham Yard Hotel good for children?

It itemises what it offers rather than claiming to be family friendly in general: cots, high chairs, babysitting, children's menus, books and board games, milk and cookies at bedtime, mini bathrobes, baby and child bathroom amenities, and a welcome gift chosen to suit the child's age. Give the ages when booking so the gift matches. Children must be over 10 to use the bowling alley.

What time is check-in at Ham Yard Hotel?

Check-in is from 3pm and check-out is at 12 noon. Room service runs 24 hours and the hotel is fully air conditioned.

Can you eat at Ham Yard Hotel without staying?

Yes. The restaurant and bar are open to non-residents, with a set menu aimed at business lunches and pre-theatre dining, Sunday Lunch with live music, and afternoon tea served in the restaurant or the Orangery. The courtyard does al fresco dining in warm weather. The Piccadilly Theatre is directly behind the hotel and the Lyric and Apollo are minutes away on Shaftesbury Avenue.