LONDON – A classic yet modern hotel in one of the world’s great cities. Not to mention great food and a nearly perfect location.
One Aldwych is a truly terrific hotel in central London, with wonderful design touches, large and comfortable rooms and an outstanding restaurant that’s creating a substantial buzz.
The hotel makes an instant impression with a beautiful, light and airy lobby area that has a great bar. They have a full-time person in charge of flowers and plants, and when we there someone had cleverly taken a huge bouquet of flowers and hung them upside down in the lobby bar; a tremendous and unusual effect I thought was terrific. They also put flowers in every room for a lovely, homey touch.
The handsome lobby at One Aldwych Hotel in London. JIM BYERS PHOTO
I often find London hotels to be a little on the teensy side. As someone who tends to overpack (I know, I know), I find it annoying to be squished into a tiny room with no place to put my stuff. Rooms at One Aldwych are much bigger than most in London, at least from my experience.
Ours was decorated in burnt orange shade with a comfortable, lighter orange comfy chair and cool art. The bathroom was quite large for London, with lots of shelf space (another feature I quite value given my tendency to cram an entire drug store into my toiletry bag).
One Aldwych’s owners have sprinkled some 350 works of art around the hotel, so there’s plenty of beautiful work to admire.
They have 105 rooms right now, including 12 suites. That will change to 102 rooms (16 of them suites) after the renovations, which are slated to run from mid-January to mid-April. I was given a quick look at one of the “new” rooms they’ll have after the renovations. I’m sworn to secrecy, but suffice to say they’re both homey and spectacular, with some great design touches I don’t recall seeing at any other hotel.
Leading British designer Robert Angell (The Connaught, The Berkeley, Lime Wood Hotel, Belmond Grand Hotel St Petersburg) has been appointed to redesign the guest rooms and suites. The interiors “will be richly layered, sophisticated and textured to evoke the style of an elegant, modern residence,” and the latest user-friendly technology will be introduced throughout.
It’s being billed as the most important enhancement to the property since it opened 20 years ago.
A lovely salad at Eneko, a wonderful restaurant at One Aldwych Hotel in London. JIM BYERS PHOTO
The downstairs restaurant, Eneko, is a magical dining spot that’s getting a lot of attention, including a story in the New York Times not long ago. Chef Eneko Atxa hails from Spain and makes use of traditional Basque and Spanish recipes with some fresh additions.
We sampled lovely beet root tartare, as well as deeply flavoured pork cheek, croquettes with cheese, super-tender lamb chops cooked in a Josper Oven, hake tempura and, best of all, an incredible pizza-like dish called Crystal Bread (Pan de Cristal in Spanish), with a light-as-a-feather pastry, tomato reduction and Iberico ham from Spain.
Because of the noise and general disturbance surrounding the renovations, the restaurant will sadly be closed until the work is finished.
One of the cool features at the hotel is a 36-seat cinema. They do special dinner and movie specials called Film and Fizz, with a three-course dinner, a movie and Champagne with either sweet or salty popcorn. All for 55 British pounds (about $93 CAD).
“We don’t make money at it; it’s just a nice thing to do for folks in the area,” said PR director Howard Rombough, who hails from Toronto.
The swimming pool at One Aldwych Hotel is a true stunner. PHOTO COURTESY ONE ALDWYCH
In addition to it being a fine property, One Aldwych also has a fantastic location in the heart of the city. The London Underground is only a few minutes away by foot, and you’re within five to ten-minutes of several theatres. The Lyceum Theatre is literally across the street, and Covent Garden is a short walk up the road. You’re also close to the Thames River, a short walk from Trafalgar Square and close to The British Museum.
They have a special bar cart that’s meant purely for old-fashioneds, and the bar makes its own bitters and syrups for speciality cocktails.
The hotel, a handsome structure that once housed The Morning Post newspaper, boasts a massive gym and a fine health club that includes an 18-metre, chlorine-free pool with an underwater music system, plus steam and sauna rooms. It’s quite something. Of course, as a 32-year veteran at The Toronto Star I can’t help but love an old newspaper building.
Rombough told me Canada is an important market for the hotel, representing perhaps five per cent of their clientele.
“Our customers are very loyal to us. They like something, and they keep coming back.”
The hotel’s landmark building was created by Anglo-French architects Mewès and Davis in 1907. Inspired by its Edwardian elegance, London-based Fabled Studio (Dinner By Heston Blumenthal, Margot, St Leonard’s) has been appointed to reimagine the public spaces including the iconic Lobby Bar, Hotel Entrance, Reception, Indigo restaurant and private event spaces.
Simon Hirst, the hotel’s opening General Manager for 10 years, has returned as Managing Director after four years at Raffles Hotel Singapore to oversee the renovation.
It’s a fabulous property now. I can only imagine what it will be like once they’ve finished the renovations.
