THE LONDONER UNDERGROUND
EMMA JOHNSON gets beneath the surface of London’s hottest new hotel
ICEBERG hotel’, ‘the world’s first super boutique hotel’, ‘an urban resort’... the team behind London’s hottest new hostelry is not short on slick phrases to sell its £500m project.
Situated on Leicester Square’s southwest corner, The Londoner, the flagship of the Edwardian Hotels group, is 10 years in the making.
They call it an iceberg because the 16-storey property is eight up, eight down. That’s right, they dug down for eight storeys. Now you see why it took a decade. Don’t worry, all of the 350 guest rooms and 35 suites, are above ground. I will get to what is below, later.
As for super boutique, from the moment the doorman ushers you through its smoked glass doors and into the Diptyque candle-scented reception/bar area, designed in a soothing palette of on-trend pinks and greys, you can smell the luxury.
There is no waiting with bags at reception. Instead you are shown to a plush couch by one of the army of polished staff, to be checked in, before being escorted to your room. The luxury feel continues up there.
We stayed in a deluxe king. Three up from the entry-level queen. The hotel describes it as ‘generous yet intimate’ (there they go again with the phrases). What it lacked in space it made up for in design and tech. King-sized bed with 400 thread count Irish linen, feather down pillows, Roberts Bluetooth radio and speakers, Miller Harris toiletries in the open-plan bathroom, a handheld steamer instead of an iron. There was even a Dyson hairdryer and a Japanese toilet with heated seat.
So what makes it an urban resort? Try six food and drink offerings, a
spa, a cinema room and a ballroom.
We dined at the French Mediterranean-themed Whitcomb’s restaurant.
The crevettes a l’huile de piment – seared king prawns with garlic and chilli (£16) were exceptional, as was the tarte au fromage (£12), a light-asair cheese pastry. For our main course my husband and I shared the boeuf de poivre (£42), a tasty, tender rib-eye.
If French does not take your fancy, you can enjoy Japanese cuisine at 8 at The Londoner, the rooftop izakaya lounge.
Making the most of an unseasona‘AN ble hot September Saturday, we had afternoon drinks there and returned after dinner to find a DJ playing house music to a dressedup crowd. The atmosphere was buzzy and I can imagine it quickly becoming a hotspot.
For something less formal, try Joshua’s Tavern, The Londoner’s ‘gastro pub’. While, if fizz is your thing, then The Stage – the openplan bar on the ground floor of the hotel, home to more than 45 different kinds of champagne, is a mustvisit. Sample a 1729 cocktail. You will not be disappointed.
All of the bars were busy throughout our stay. But hotel guests also have access to an exclusive area – The Residence. Located on a mezzanine floor above The Stage, your room key opens the door.
Complimentary antipasti, soft drinks, tea and coffee are served throughout the day and as well as a library, you will find classic board games, newspapers and magazines at your disposal.
We finished off our evening in The Residence with a game or two of Connect Four (made from silver perspex not coloured plastic) over a couple of Old Fashioned cocktails.
There is also a hidden whisky den back there if you can find it.
The secret speakeasy is just one of the hotel’s countless quirky touches. Look out for the peepholes in the lifts.
A little over a month since it opened, The Londoner has made itself at home in the capital city.
In its first two weeks it hosted two London Fashion Week parties, charming the likes of Kate Moss, British Vogue editor Edward Enninful and US Open winner Emma
Raducanu. The young tennis ace was staying at the hotel at the same time as us. I spotted her at breakfast.
Ah breakfast. If I was to quibble about anything it is that. The buffet offering in Whitcomb’s was a little average. The à la carte dishes were excellent, especially the eggs Benedict, but getting a waiter’s attention was a task. Still, it was early days. I am sure these are just teething troubles.
Any grumbles about waiting 20 minutes for an espresso melted away when I visited The Retreat – the hotel’s subterranean spa.
A whole floor dedicated to wellness, there is a swimming pool surrounded by cabanas, steam rooms, a barber’s, hair salon and gym.
Grab a health-boosting vitality shot, or an ayurvedic morning ritual bowl at Refuel, The Retreat’s ‘superfood and drinks clinic’. The Cloud Nine purifying smoothie (£8) was a hit with us.
Mind you, after my Omorovicza gold facial (£110 for 60 mins) by my magic-fingered therapist Dolce, I was on cloud nine. I certainly didn’t feel like I was deep underground at the bustling heart of one of the world’s busiest cities.
That, I guess is The Londoner’s USP. To take you away from it all, at the centre of it all.
Now there’s a concept I dig.
Rooms from £400 per night B&B, thelondoner.com, @thelondoner