Reimagining the role of the hotel, not as a destination, but as a no-frills base …
There’s so much on in London, from Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art at the V&A, to Wes Anderson: The Archives at the Design Museum, as well as the interesting exhibition The Sun and The Moon: Art Inspired by the Celestial at the Saatchi Gallery. This includes Luke Jerram’s monumental sun sculpture Helios, while Jerram’s Gaia dominates Trinity College Dublin’s Old Library.
Also food for thought is Anya Hindmarch’s “Ice Cream Project” in Belgravia that comprises a menu of scoops inspired by kitchen cupboard essentials, from stock cubes to soy sauce and cheese. Visitors can book a blind tasting session at the Anya Café.
If you can get in, the place to dine is Café Clement. The all-day restaurant is part of St Clement, a new hotel by founder of Soho House, Nick Jones. It’s an alluring space serving diners from breakfast to dinner. Further good news for gourmets, in August, Simon Rogan’s Michelin-starred Aulis London is hosting its first Aulis Social, swapping its tasting menu for a one-day-only menu of cocktails and signature small plates, including truffle pudding, Herdwick lamb skewers and rock oysters, with cocktails inspired by produce from Rogan’s Our Farm.
Always worth a visit is the posh Piccadilly store, Fortnum & Mason, where there’s a new section dedicated entirely to biscuits. With a library of more than 70 flavours and a new selection of decorative tins, it’s a chic spot for a little indulgence or for picking up a thoughtful gift.
For those who want to maximise on these sorts of experiences and save on accommodation, the newly opened Otherwander Soho may help with travel budgets. Overnight stays cost from only £70stg!
“Otherwander Soho represents a distillation of what guests truly need – and should pay for,” believes CEO Fredrick Korallus. “No frills, no wasted space, no friction. We offer a seamless, fully digitised guest journey, considered design, a comfortable night’s sleep and exceptional value in the epicentre of one of the world’s greatest cities.”
At the heart of the concept are 566 enclosed pods, known as nests, available as single or double occupancy. Guests check in online to access both the building and their pod via a QR-enabled Wanderpass.
Amenities include good quality bedding, lighting and temperature controls, blackout windows, sound-softened walls and integrated storage. USB charging ports and superfast Wi-Fi are non-negotiables. Shared facilities include spa-quality bathrooms with rain showers, touch-free taps and vanity areas with hair dryers.
There’s also a social hub where guests can get fresh coffee, pastries, snacks and a self-serve bar. Sustainability is built in, from multi-stage filtered water systems to reduce single-use plastics to smart sensors that optimise energy use by powering down spaces when not in use.
A further bonus is the location on 92 Dean Street, moments from the Elizabeth line at Tottenham Court Road station, surrounded by theatres, cafés, boutiques, restaurants and nightlife in the neighbourhood. For Cate Blanchett fans, a must-see is Electra/Persona from August 19 at the National Theatre. The play is described as a mash-up of ancient Greek Electra myth and the Ingmar Bergman masterpiece Persona. Tilda Swinton also takes to the stage at the Royal Court Theatre in Man to Man, a reprise of her role as a widow who assumes her late husband’s job and identity in inter-war Germany.
Korallus says the Otherwander Soho is the first step in a global expansion plan. It’s also a further indication that capsule hotels are on the rise.
SEE MORE: Would You Stay In A Capsule Hotel?
