The Beaumont
An ode to 1920s glamour with swish service and an unbeatable Mayfair location
Compared to the 2020s, the roaring 1920s sound like an absolute hoot. Flapper girls were knocking knees, Gatsby was gadding about, and technology was leaping forward, bringing entertainment to the masses, from cinematic talkies, owning your own radio, or even glimpsing a box called a television. The triumph of the transatlantic alliance during the Great War saw ties tighten between the Old and New World, with luxury liners sallying forth across the Atlantic, dropping off wealthy Americans in London — often with the specific aim of marrying off the nouveau riche oil-and-train heiresses to a member of the British aristocracy. A Lord would do, but a Duke would hit the bullseye.
Then, as now, those in the know were flocking to Harry Gordon Selfridges’ eponymous Oxford Street store, revelling in its ser
vice, choice and innovation (indeed, the world’s first television images were broadcast by John Logie Baird from Selfridge’s first floor in 1925). Radiating out from the shop are the elegant streets and squares of Mayfair, from Bond Street to Hanover Square. And today, those chic thoroughfares are bustling with elegant Middle Easterners, enjoying the same tony London delights. So, of course, you need a hotel to match. One that sings of history, of that 1920s Art Deco elegance, but has all the amenities that you need after a hard day’s shopping. You need staff that are so charming they immediately make you feel like family, a fantastic restaurant, and a bathroom with a tub big enough to properly soak in (a rarity in central London).
The Beaumont has all this in spades. Brilliantly located on Brown Hart Gardens, the hotel is less than three minutes from Selfridges and yet is cosseted from the mayhem of Oxford Street. And before we go anywhere, let’s talk about those bathrooms: acres of white calacatta marble, a zingily powerful shower, and invigorating D. R. Harris lotions and potions. Prepare to get slightly addicted to the endless supply of bath salts, an amenity more hotels need to adopt. If you can, go for a suite. They are large (81sq/m minimum), fabulously appointed with whimsical paintings, and filled with books you actually want to read. There is something delicious about being in the very heart of London and padding around so much space while admiring the Mayfair rooftop gardens in front of you, and the Sonic Bloom installation, designed by sound artist Yuri Suzuki, in the public square below.
The odes to the 1920s continue downstairs in the Gatsby Room, where all-day dining and, most importantly, afternoon tea is served, and in The Colony restaurant, which is a paean to the clubby restaurants of Stork Club-era Manhattan — think deeply comfortable red leather booths, vibrant murals and a food and drink list to get lost in. Afterwards, wind your way down the transatlantic liner-esque curved mahogany staircase to the lower ground floor and enter the spa, surely one of the chicest hidden gems to be found in central London.
The Beaumont is an Art Deco jewel in a fabulous location and with immaculate service — Zelda and Jay would almost certainly be permanent residents if they were transported from the roaring Twenties to the 2020s. thebeaumont.com