To be found in Leicester Square, the centrepiece of London’s West End, The Londoner is a new 5-star hotel offering 350 rooms, 35 suites, multiple restaurants and lounges, an open rooftop bar, an underground spa, swimming pool, cinema and a ballroom for up to 1,000 guests.
The Londoner is part of Preferred Hotels & Resorts Legend Collection, and last Friday I was invited to visit and experience what at a cost of £500 million has been added to London’s luxury hotel scene.
A courteous doorman opens the door to the lobby and you are immediately transported into somewhere very special, it’s not obvious exactly why, it just is. Staff are plentiful and helpful when asked for directions to the rooftop bar, 8.
As the lift door opens, again, you have arrived somewhere special, this time it is very obvious why. There is no roof, it is retractable and as the day was bathed in glorious sunshine it was open. The area is described by the owners as ‘izakaya’, Japanese for pub, although unlike any pub I’ve ever been to. It is a tranquil space and like the lobby is fully staffed by extremely capable people, dressed in uniforms that were tailored perfectly. Attention to every detail had clearly been considered.
Brenda Collin, EVP Europe, Preferred Hotels & Resorts welcomed the assembled group of journalists and hoteliers from across Europe to The Londoner, who then joined her for lunch at Whitcomb’s to talk hotels, and all things The Londoner.
Speaking with Brenda Collin she told me: “We’re delighted to welcome The Londoner into Preferred Hotels & Resorts’ prestigious Legend Collection, joining only five other properties in this collection across the U.K., including The Stafford, The Beaumont Hotel, L’oscar, Grosvenor House Suites, and Old Course Hotel.
“The Londoner opened its doors on September 6, 2021, and is an urban resort set in the heart of Leicester Square. Designed by Yabu Pushelberg, the hotel is intimate in feel, yet staggering in scale. This “super boutique” needs to be on everyone’s London bucket list.”
Not only is The Londoner set to become a destination hotel, Whitcomb’s, offering French Mediterranean cuisine would seem equally set to become a destination restaurant. The food was exquisite and service unfussy, a winning combination.
After lunch a tour of the hotel took us 30m below reception, as six floors of The Londoner are underground. The hotel has the deepest habitable-grade commercial building basement in London.
The basement houses exceptional leisure and banqueting facilities including a two-screen cinema, and a ballroom capable of hosting up to 1,000 people.
The Londoner a destination in its own right, created through transforming a very-restricted site into a world-class destination.
Thank you, Brenda and team Preferred for the privilege of such an enjoyable experience.
For further details of The Londoner see here.
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Hospitality & Catering News: Preferred Legend status aptly applied to The Londoner. – 30 September 2021 – Preferred Legend status aptly applied to The Londoner.
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