The Arch - London

The two-metre high multicoloured female silhouette greeting guests as they enter The Arch makes a clear statement that this is a London townhouse hotel with fashionable aspirations. Entitled ‘New Shoes’, the artwork, by Vincent Poole, comprises a collage created from thousands of images referencing nearby locations such as Marylebone High Street, Selfridges, Bond Street and Harley Street – the places where the lady depicted would perhaps go shopping for her handbag and shoes, before nipping down to Harley Street for a spot of plastic surgery.

The project team has effected its own surgery on this collection of Georgian Grade II listed townhouses on Great Cumberland Place, near Marble Arch, but the transformation has been more than skin deep. Designers RDD, working with architects Graham Seabrook Partnership, contractors EE Smith, and bar and restaurant consultants The Gorgeous Group, for developers and operators AB Hotels, have undertaken a significant restoration, refurbishment and enhancement of the buildings, which has taken some six years to come fruition, the latter stages fast-tracked in a 12 month programme of works culminating in the official launch in January 2010. ReardonSmith Architects originally obtained planning permission for the development in 2004, with Graham Seabrook Partnership later taking on responsibility for the shell and core, with RDD plc handling the space planning and interior design.

Behind the elegant restored Portland stone exterior, significant structural alterations have taken place. At one end of the building, recalls Jeremy Scarlett, the RDD Director leading the design team, only the façade was retained, with an entirely new structure created behind. Other areas of the hotel have been converted from the existing set of buildings, which combined a mixture of offices and residential accommodation – occupied by squatters when the team started on site – with the existing Bryanston Court hotel, acquired by AB Hotels as the linchpin for the development. Floors were dropped, ramps inserted, heights juggled and holes punched through from one building to the other to create the smoothly flowing layout of the new hotel.

This potentially disparate set of spaces now sits together remarkably well, considering there are ten different design schemes for the bedrooms, and four F&B areas.

As guests enter, they are immediately offered glimpses through dark stained timber and glass screens of the reception, lounge and study. There is a confident mix of bold original artwork, sumptuous finishes and elegant, modern and classical furnitures.

The lobby features a a reception desk in Nero Portoro marble with a deep-buttoned upholstered leather front. Behind the desk a large video wall offers a constantly changing projected artscape.

Opposite, an electric blue wall sculpture and vivid crimson leather bench provide a counterpoint. The study area has black and silver hand printed wallcoverings, a bespoke red lacquered writing desk and a deep red and black sofa accented with black and cream geometric cushions. Here, as throughout the hotel, the designers have used every square inch of space, delineating areas with a specific function by careful deployment of lighting and furniture pieces.

The Cocktail Bar, Le Salon du Champagne, Kitchen restaurant and Martini Library form a family of spaces united under the banner of ‘HUNter 486’, named after the Marylebone direct dialling code of the 1950s. Here, RDD have collaborated with bar and restaurant branding specialists The Gorgeous Group to create and design a collection of areas imbued with a timeless sense of glamour. Le Salon, the Cocktail Bar and the Kitchen restaurant area are open plan to one another, but each forms its own environment. Although each area is carefully delineated from the other, the space flows harmoniously with the separate areas demarked by features such as voluptuous, semi-circular floor-to-ceiling leather banquettes with shimmering sheer curtain surrounds; a dark, gloss brick wine dispenser, and the pewter fronted, pearl-etched glass cocktail bar.

A procession of contrasting light fittings leads the eye through the room. In Le Salon, cascading columns of lit glass rods illuminate each dining table. In the central bar area, three large clusters of brosilicate lamps, supplied by R&S Robertson, are suspended from a pressed tin ceiling. Towards the Kitchen dining area, industrial-style pendants by Original BTC define a more down-to-earth, inclusive tone.

The Martini Library is set apart from the other HUNter 486 areas, along a corridor which forms a transitional zone between the buzz of the bar and the tranquility of the Library, reminiscent of a private townhouse drawing room with its charming “collectibles” – coffee table books jostling for space with small paintings propped on bookcase shelves, clusters of vases and other ornaments, a delicate glass teapot display and a series of “pencil-going-for-a-walk” line drawings of urban streets. Working fireplaces with period stone surrounds generate a relaxed, clubby feel. Traditionally inspired leather wing chairs complement contemporary furniture pieces, including a large circular table with a silver powder coated base and dark stained timber top. The centrepiece is a beautifully crafted Martini cabinet. A waiter will appear to serve a martini or afternoon tea at the push of the discretely located ‘Press to Refresh’ button.

There are 82 guestrooms over six floors and ten different design schemes. However, the reality of planning bedrooms in a series of old townhouses meant that RDD had to individually design each room to incorporate modern technology without impacting the natural charm of the carefully restored architectural detail. The ground and first floor guestrooms retain the traditional high ceilings and elegant original casement windows. Bold wallcoverings and luxurious fabrics combine to create rooms with individual flair and character. Artwork plays a key role with original works by several young artists, including a charming series of images depicting love letters that trace the lives of a couple separated by World War II.

There are nine suites, two of which have small sunken courtyards leading off the guestrooms. The WHItehall 944 meeting room is located between two suites, allowing it to convert easily into a large sitting room with access from one or both of the suites. A small gym cleverly makes use of the existing basement vaults to create a functional yet intimate fitness experience and incorporates rich macassar ebony timber panelling and deep black back-coated glass panels, which softly reflect the dramatic interiors.

“We have aimed to make a story out of every nook and cranny at The Arch London,” concludes Jeremy Scarlett of RDD. “But it is not overwhelming because there are many areas and spaces within spaces where guests can withdraw and be private.

“The experience should not be unlike being in the home of a good friend who is both generous and has innate sense of style,” he adds. “This person understands the value of a good kitchen; he or she also knows how to throw a good party and then, for the end of the evening, has made sure that the guests enjoy a very comfortable nights sleep.”

The Arch
50 Great Cumberland Place,
London, W1H 7FD, UK
Tel: +44 (0)20 7724 4700
www.thearchlondon.com

Rooms 82 guestrooms (inc 9 suites)
Dining HUNter 486 Kitchen & Dining Room
Drinking HUNter 486 Martini Library
Leisure Gym
Facilities WHItehall 944 function room