What it’s like staying at The Londoner, an enormous ’boutique’ lodge in central London

London has top-of-the-line lodge scenes in your complete world, and practically each main lodge chain — from playful life-style properties to the higher echelon of luxurious manufacturers — is represented within the capital metropolis. However when a brand new lodge describing itself as “the world’s first tremendous boutique lodge” opened again in 2021, it had us questioning … what does that even imply?

On a current journey to London, I lastly obtained the prospect to verify into the “tremendous boutique” to see what it was all about. Here is all the pieces you have to find out about staying at The Londoner — and whether or not or not it lives as much as the lofty title it gave itself.

What’s The Londoner?

Situated in ultra-touristy Leicester Sq., The Londoner is a design-forward lodge with 350 rooms and suites, a number of bars and eating places, an indoor swimming pool, a spa, and many stylish nooks and crannies to cover away in or discover. Fashionable with each visitors in search of a keep close to central vacationer points of interest and locals in search of an upscale cocktail, The Londoner has loads to supply.

How one can e-book The Londoner

Resort charges in London, particularly Central London, are virtually at all times on the costly facet. Charges at The Londoner sometimes begin at greater than $500 an evening or extra.

The Londoner won’t have its personal loyalty program to assist earn a few of that nightly charge again, however there are a number of nice methods to earn elitelike advantages. When you carry The Platinum Card® from American Categorical, you possibly can e-book The Londoner by Amex Nice Resorts + Resorts to get a assured 4 p.m. checkout, every day breakfast for 2, $100 amenity credit score, potential room upgrades and early check-in.

The lodge can be a part of Chase’s luxurious lodge program, The Edit. If booked by this channel utilizing a qualifying card (just like the Chase Sapphire Reserve®), you will earn elitelike perks, together with as much as a $100 credit score, every day breakfast for 2, and availability-based room upgrades and check-in and checkout.

The Londoner additionally participates within the Most popular Resorts I Choose loyalty program, with nights beginning at 20,000 factors. Or, for those who e-book utilizing money by Most popular, yow will discover rooms beginning at $359 and earn I Choose loyalty factors to make use of on future stays at Most popular Resorts & Resorts properties.

A set I need to stay in

For my two-night keep, I used to be in a Nook Suite that was spacious and filled with eclectic patterns and prints. It felt fashionable and homey on the identical time — precisely what you’d anticipate from a boutique lodge (and what I need my precise dwelling to really feel like).

My room, quantity 232, was on the finish of a classy, monochrome yellow hallway behind a shiny yellow door with an ornate heart doorknob. The door featured a doorbell that had a light-weight to sign whether or not I wanted privateness or wished my room made up.

Contained in the suite, I used to be greeted by a phenomenal wood wall with sq. paneling contrasting a lighter hardwood flooring, a pink velvet trendy fainting sofa and an umbrella hanging from a peg by the door — handy for wet London days.

By the door was a small desk with a number of energy shops and USB plugs, plus a number of journey magazines.

A small espresso desk and a sitting chair have been positioned throughout from the pink lounger. There was additionally a full-length mirror and my first glimpse of the floor-to-ceiling home windows that appeared out at a public library throughout the road.

A minifridge and a tea and occasional space have been hidden in a wood closet subsequent to the desk. Choices included sodas, wines, beers, Nespresso pods and varied teas.

The king-size mattress was plush and cozy, and I tremendously appreciated having the choice to manage the lights and the do-not-disturb signal proper from the nightstand. A bottle of water and a glass ready by the mattress have been a pleasant luxurious contact.

One factor I didn’t discover luxurious: The curtains that coated the floor-to-ceiling home windows weren’t computerized, requiring visitors to get off the bed to regulate.

The big and useful closet had loads of house to retailer my carry-on bag and backpack. It saved two robes, slippers, a Dyson hair dryer and a steamer.

On the far finish of the room was the toilet decked out in head-to-toe subway tile that was a mixture of deep greens and blues. I really like a lodge bathtub, and this one appeared like a deep soaking tub at first look. Nevertheless, I spotted as soon as I used to be inside making an attempt to soak that it was truly on the shallower facet.

The remainder of the toilet consisted of an equally dramatic inexperienced sink with loads of rest room facilities (assume: toothbrush equipment, cotton swabs, nail file) and Miller Harris Tea Tonique soaps, shampoo, conditioner and lotion.

The electrical Toto rest room was separated from the remainder of the toilet, as was a robust bathe that turned on with the press of a button.

Consuming and consuming at The Londoner

The Londoner is dwelling to a French-Mediterranean restaurant known as Whitcombs, a Japanese izakaya-style rooftop bar known as 8 (that was sadly closed the nights of my keep) and a pub-style gin bar known as Joshua’s Tavern. Additionally, a foyer Champagne bar known as The Stage, serves breakfast, afternoon tea (with Champagne), and small bites and drinks into the late hours.

I ended for dinner at Whitcombs on the Sunday night time of my keep, and although the restaurant was completely gorgeous, it was additionally near-empty. It additionally appeared to lack a delegated host. I stood round ready for over 10 minutes to get my desk earlier than lastly heading into the eating room to ask for assist.

Total, Whitcombs was a blended bag for me. Contemplating the restaurant was so empty, it took a very long time to only get water and the menu — and even longer to get a lackluster martini. After these preliminary hiccups, although, the workers was way more attentive and really useful in navigating the menu.

I ordered a contemporary and lightweight inexperienced bean salad with Datterino tomatoes and balsamic ($18); two Rock oysters ($18) that I discovered to style overly dressed (with Veuve Clicquot and inexperienced Tabasco, which overpowered the oysters’ delicate taste); an expertly ready filet mignon with chanterelle mushrooms and wealthy, scrumptious Parmesan creme ($54); and a facet of delicately sliced portobello mushroom carpaccio with Dijon mustard and aged balsamic ($12).

I additionally stopped at The Stage for a nightcap after spending a number of hours popping across the vigorous pubs in close by Chinatown. Although I had missed the music (it is within the afternoon on Sundays), I did get pleasure from a scrumptious however steeply priced soiled Oxley gin martini ($36); I sipped it whereas listening to the late-night crowds recounting their sunny Sunday exploring one of many world’s most cosmopolitan cities.

One other dwelling away from dwelling

Friends of The Londoner have entry to 3 particular rooms known as “The Residence.” Its library-like house known as The Drawing Room is filled with espresso desk books, board video games, couches and tables, in addition to snacks, drinks and occasional. The Y Bar has a literal Y-shaped bar the place you possibly can order cocktails and meals (at a value). The Whisky Room is a speakeasy-like whisky bar with a 50-plus assortment of whiskeys from world wide.

My busy schedule throughout my fast journey to London did not enable me to spend a lot time right here, however I did make a fast pass-through. I may inform that this could’ve been an important place to work on my laptop computer because it felt like a stylish coworking house that folks pay high greenback for.

There’s additionally a wellness ‘Retreat’ throughout the lodge

Within the lodge’s basement, visitors will discover “The Retreat,” which is an indoor pool, fitness center and spa open to visitors and nonguests. It even gives a membership program for locals.

The pool space is relaxed and stylish, with non-public cabana areas, a hydro pool and a barely bigger most important pool.

Whereas the realm feels relaxed and upscale, there are designated occasions for kids to splash about with out bothering these of us who want to sit again and skim a e-book.

The spacious fitness center space featured Technogym tools equivalent to bikes and treadmills, free weights, mats and a separate health studio.

On the spa, visitors can e-book facials by Omorovicza, physique therapies by Ishga, massages by Ila and coverings designed particularly for males by Gents’s Tonic. There’s additionally a salon providing hair and wonder therapies, in addition to males’s grooming providers.

The situation is in the course of all of the motion

The Leicester Sq. space surrounding The Londoner could be very touristy. Nevertheless, you possibly can’t deny that the lodge’s location places visitors within the heart of the town and inside strolling distance or a fast Tube journey to most main points of interest. Chinatown is mainly throughout the road, West Finish theaters dot the realm, and vacationer sizzling spots like Covent Backyard, SoHo and Picadilly Circus are all tremendous simple to entry on foot.

Causes The Londoner won’t be for you

• These in search of an accessible value level would possibly discover The Londoner to be too expensive.
• Leicester Sq. is a bustling, tourist-centric space that could be too buzzy for vacationers trying to find a quiet hideaway throughout the metropolis.

Accessibility

The Londoner gives an assortment of accessible rooms, although that info is almost unimaginable to search out on its web site. As it is a trendy and new lodge, visitors with completely different bodily wants can anticipate comfy and sensible accessibility options equivalent to seize bars in accessible rooms and public areas, wheelchair-friendly elevators, huge hallways and accessible entrances.

As at all times, I extremely advocate calling the lodge earlier than reserving to substantiate that rooms can be found to satisfy your particular wants.

Testing

The Londoner is a superb lodge with enjoyable and stylish design parts, an important location and loads of facilities (like a spa and indoor pool) to make it really feel extra luxe than a typical boutique lodge. Whereas the entire public areas have been gorgeous, my suite felt completely palatial for a London lodge. On the finish of the day, it was a snug place to retreat from the hustle and bustle of an enormous metropolis.

However is it a “tremendous boutique?” Given its measurement and overwhelming variety of facilities — from the a number of eating places and bars to The Retreat and The Residence — I see why The Londoner touts itself as such. I give my kudos to the advertising group that coined the time period.

Personally, I simply assume it is a fairly strong lodge that I would gladly keep in once more, due to the room and site alone.

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