I took a trip to England this spring — ostensibly to see my friend Sam Green perform his most recent film (A Thousand Thoughts, a collaboration with the legendary Kronos Quartet) at the Barbican Centre and to film an interview with Craig Glenday, the Editor-in-Chief of the Guinness World Records for our film, The Oldest Person in the World — but really it was just a giant excuse to go on a hotel tour.

The first hotel I booked — among the eight in which I stayed on that trip — was the Artist Residence London having read a review in The Telegraph. It was small (ten rooms), cool, and it looked like the kind of place where I would feel comfortable having breakfast before I set out for the day or having a drink upon my return. Eventually I also booked the Artist Residence Brighton.

This baby chain of hotels also has locations in Oxfordshire and Cornwall and will soon be opening a new location in Bristol. Based on my experiences in London and Brighton, I think it’s a safe bet that these other locations will be spectacular as well and I hope to visit them soon.

Why do I love the Artist Residence? Let me count the ways.

1. That bowl of anchovies. I took the train to Brighton from London and got to the Artist Residence too early to check in to my room. They offered to hold my bag so I could go for a walk about, but I opted to plant my ass on a bar stool in The Set, the hotel’s restaurant. (They also have a cocktail bar, The Fix.) In addition to trying orange wine for the first time — a recommendation from the friendly (and unpretentious) bartender — I ordered a number of small plates, including a bowl of anchovies accompanied by nothing more than a small stash of toothpicks with which to eat them. It may have been the best thing I have ever eaten. Fresh, simple, bountiful. (I dream about that bowl of anchovies.) By the time my room was ready, I was giddy. And it wasn’t just the orange wine.

2. Larger than expected rooms. The room that I booked in Brighton was literally called “Tiny Balcony Sea View” and my room in London was called “Small Plus.” Unlike nearly every New York hotel room I have entered, my first reaction was not, “Damn, this is small.” Through this nomenclature, the Artist Residence folks set my expectations and then completely over delivered. The Small Plus room was spacious and while the Tiny Balcony Sea View room certainly wasn’t huge, there was more than enough room and the window — large enough for me to climb out on to the balcony — made it feel bigger. These are smart people. Disappointment should never be your first response to a hotel room.

3. The green plaid headboard. There is so much to look at in each of the hotels: the furniture, the artwork, the bedding. Never too precious, it feels like you’re visiting a friend with good taste, a friend who likes to read and travel and cook — and be a good host.

4. Breakfast. I ate breakfast at the hotel every morning I was at the Artist Residence London. The pancakes with “streaky bacon, maple, apple & cinnamon;” the shakshuka; the avocado rye toast with poached eggs, lemon, coriander, chilli and chorizo. All, yum.

5. The folks in Brighton let the team in London know I was coming. I make a point of telling hotel staff when I have stayed at other hotels in their chain or group, or plan to do so in the future. I don’t necessarily do it to get any special favors out of it; I think I am just signaling to them that I like hotels and that I stay in quite a few. Many have made it clear they couldn’t care less, but others have perked up and have shared their own experiences of staying in the hotels as well. I told Tara Huzar, the General Manager in Brighton, that I would be going to the Artist Residence London and, without my asking, she let them know. A nice note and a red velvet cupcake were waiting for me upon my arrival: simple and greatly appreciated. They hire good people at the Artist Residence — the kind of people who make you want to come back.

My Stays: (Brighton) May 16, 2018 and (London) May 17-21, 2018