Destination Report: a design-led guide to London hotels
From Battersea to Shoreditch, we pick a selection of stylish stays across the capital.
Creativity and an irreverent spirit abound at art’otel Battersea Power Station
The vision of Spanish-based designer Jaime Hayon – founder of Studio Hayon – the characterful, 164-key art’otel Battersea Power Station was unveiled during the third phase of the long-awaited revival of London’s iconic, Grade II* listed landmark. Set within an impressive architectural shell by the similarly megawatt Foster +Partners, the artistic sensibility of the hotel stretches far beyond sculpture or what hangs on the walls. While surrealist, specially commissioned Klunderbie images are on display in the warren-esque lobby, there is also something painterly in the broader use of colour: lipstick red and sci-fi white walls, a midnight blue ceiling and geometrically patterned hanging fabric all form a canvas against which sits Hayon-designed Fritz Hansen chairs and an array of curated curios.
“When we started working on the project, there was nothing there except the power station and a couple of buildings by the train tracks. It was all about to happen,” says Hayon. “We wanted the hotel interior to be bold, colourful and to use art as a bridge to connect the old and the new; the past, present and future. In creating designs inspired by art, we discovered how the hotel could be a hub – a destination meant for more than just sleeping in.”
Chateau Denmark pays homage to rock ‘n roll heritage
Developed by CAW Ventures and designed by Taylor Howes, the ambitious hotel on Denmark Street was one of 2022’s most hotly anticipated hospitality openings. As ‘edgy’ hotels go, this one is on the extravagant side. It isn’t the rock ‘n’ roll of unmade beds and unwashed tee-shirts, but the hedonism of in-room bars that rival those lining the streets of nearby Soho; the irreverence of confessional booth wardrobes and near-nude photography; and the gothic glamour of cherry red walls and roll-top baths. When London luxury has come to mean a certain west-of-the-city restraint, Chateau Denmark is not afraid to disrupt.
“We pushed boundaries,” says Jane Landino, director at Taylor Howes, “and when we wondered if we might be pushing the concept too far, the client pushed us to go further.” Nothing coquettish in the design, then: floors are rendered in sturdy black rubber and paired with leather lined walls; headboards from furniture provocateur Jimmy Martin are scrawled with audacious graffiti; and hand- carved Jesmonite fireplaces depict twisting serpents.
The BoTree embodies ‘conscious luxury’ in the heart of Marylebone
Billed as ‘the best of three worlds’, the BoTree hotel sits at the cosmopolitan intersection of Marylebone, Soho and Mayfair, and aims to create a close-knit, ‘bohemian’ hub for the area’s well-connected residents. Alongside Amsterdam design studio Concrete (responsible for the BoTree’s interiors), Manchester-based firm EPR Architects delivered a residential-style warmth, helping to reconcile the large footprint and luxury price point with a more intimate sense of belonging: a movement the hotel team calls ‘conscious luxury’.
First to greet guests is a striking bronze tree structure that adorns the corner of the building and gives the luxury hotel its name. Continuing these woodland influences, natural finishes like oak and leather join joyful patterns throughout shared spaces, while the 199 guestrooms and 30 suites spoil guests with their own private lounges, balconies and cocktail stations. The BoTree’s in-house restaurant, LAVO, combines an Italian menu with coastal-inspired décor for an inviting Mediterranean atmosphere. Here, guests can indulge in fresh handmade pasta and whole-grain pizzas in LAVO’s signature style, which already has a loyal international following in LA, San Diego, Las Vegas, New York, Singapore and now, London.
Goddard Littlefair celebrates East London with Mondrian Shoreditch
Opening its doors in 2021, Mondrian’s anticipated Shoreditch outpost researched the history and social fabric of the area to give its guests a flavour of vibrant East London. “When it came to designing the Mondrian, we delved deep into the history of the area to represent the colourful social fabric of Shoreditch throughout the hotel,” explained Goddard Littlefair’s Jo Goddard. Throughout are nods to historical art and literature, including the traditional nursery rhyme ‘Oranges and Lemons’, referring to the hotel’s proximity to churches featured in the song.
To bring this inspiration to life, guests are met with spherical forms and citrus shades in the reception and lobby area, which provide a playful framework for the rest of the interior scheme. Reflective finishes are also carefully utilised throughout, as well as impressive artwork installations (now typical of the Mondrian portfolio), including gilded glass panels by Studio Peascod depicting a rising copper sun: a detail described by the design team as ‘a ray of Californian sunshine arriving in Shoreditch’.
One Hundred Shoreditch continues the legacy of a London institution
A high-profile project for more than one reason, this Lore Group hotel filled the shoes of Ace Shoreditch, a property that shattered conventions and used clever design as a catalyst for a new type of hotel culture – finally shuttering in 2020 after 7 years in operation. One Hundred Shoreditch is a progression, not a total reinvention: with 258 rooms, a restaurant, three bars and a coffee shop, there’s still a sense of scale, but the design is more sensitive and mature. A re-envisioned lobby features sculptures crafted by Jan Hendzel Studio, while the famed long table (oft credited with starting lobby coworking) remains, but with softer sanded edges and dotted with ceramics. The basement nightclub is gone, replaced with a Stanley Kubrick-inspired cocktail bar.
“Ace was an institution,” Jacu Strauss, Lore Group’s creative director, told us in 2022. “But then the pandemic happened and there was an opportunity to reflect. As the owners, we recognised that it was time for something that spoke to the neighbourhood as it is now. If you look out of the windows of the guestrooms today, it feels as though the hotel has been touched by what’s happening outside. Shoreditch has grown up and the property needed to shift away from the established Ace aesthetic and focus more on comfort, rather than just being a party hotel. We wanted to create a sanctuary.”
Broadwick Soho brings maximalist decadence to London’s most storied neighbourhood
Helmed by Martin Brudnizki (of Annabel’s, The Beekman and Scott’s Restaurant fame) Broadwick Soho opened its doors in November 2023. Channelling the grit, glamour and wild energy of the neighbourhood into a luxury hotel abundant with character, Broadwick Soho is an opulent 57-room retreat – including nine suites and one penthouse.
As well as the plush suites and bedrooms (each bedecked in a maximalist riot of colour and pattern), the hotel boasts several destination venues. At Dear Jackie, the flagship lower-ground restaurant, guests will find classic Italian gastronomy with a modern twist and an equally decadent atmosphere. Bar Jackie, the vibrant street-level café, offers both hotel guests and passers-by a barista-made coffee or evening aperitivo, while resident-only lounge The Nook provides a relaxing escape from Soho’s mania. Flute, the rooftop dining bar and terrace, has been lauded as the hotel’s ‘crown jewel’ since its opening, offering show-stopping décor and breathtaking views over the rooftops of London.
Mayfair’s The Twenty Two invites a fresh, creative crowd
Once an imposing manor, a listed Edwardian building rich with playful architectural flourishes, this Natalia Miyar-designed boutique hotel aims to ensnare London’s well-heeled creatives. The boutique hotel and members’ club on Grosvenor Square, Mayfair, sees 31 guestrooms stacked atop a destination restaurant and the private club; the type where the cocktails are beautiful to behold but where photography is not only passe, it’s forbidden.
At a time when ‘homely’ is becoming something of a dirty word in some hotel design, there’s something deliciously maximalist in Miyar’s approach. Guestrooms are unashamedly extrovert, with some featuring colourful, ultra-ornate patterns that extend up walls and across ceilings –repeated on sofas and cushions in Pierre Frey fabrics for the ultimate aesthetic wallop. Even in rooms where print isn’t the design driver, the air of whimsy and confidence is no less forceful, with velvet four-posters, theatrical chandeliers and scarlet curtains that tumble from double-height ceilings in palatial fashion.
