We’re huge fans of staycationing in our own city, checking in for a cheeky night or finding a cheap and cheerful joint when the family is in town. And even if you’re not staying, London’s hotels are increasingly home to the city’s best restaurants. Here’s the most exciting London hotel openings for 2020 including a West End behemoth, a new Nobu Hotel and another hotel in Stratford.
DND’s at the ready!
1. Ruby Lucy
Munich-based Ruby Hotels has come to London with Ruby Lucy on the Southbank, and they already have plans for a second London location. Each of the 76 bedrooms will have a Marshall amp in it, so you can plug in your own guitar or borrow one from reception for a jam session, and you’ll also be able to play Ruby Radio, their own internet station. The hotel also operates self check-in and there are galley kitchens, vending machines and ironing stations for your use too. Opens: January 2020
2. Hart Shoreditch Hotel London
Hilton is adding another property to its Curio brand with the Hart Shoreditch Hotel London. Taking its name from the property’s previous occupants, cabinetmakers The Harts who were residents here back in the 1800s, the hotel will have 126 rooms and feature design details that nod back to the bulding’s industrial past. It’ll also be home to a fitness centre, Eastern Mediterranean restaurant Barboun (which is already open), and the Tavla bar. Opens: February 2020
3. Locke at Broken Wharf
Locke at Broken Wharf is the Locke group’s second hotel in the capital (with more in the works) and it’s right on the north bank of the river. The property will have 113 rooms, which blur the lines between hotel and apartment – there are studios for short stays and suites for longer term occupants, and each room will have a fully-equipped kitchen, smart TV and super fast WiFi. If you don’t fancy cooking yourself, there’s the all-day deli and coffee bar Deli Cat & Sons on site, as well as a co-working area and cultural programme for residents. Opens: March 2020
4. Middle Eight
Luxury lifestyle hotel Middle Eight will be opening in Covent Garden this year, with 180 rooms (12 of which are suites) and interiors inspired by nature. Sycamore Vino Cucina will be open all day, serving an Italian-Californian menu, with DJs spinning in the evenings, whereas The Balcony, with its all-day, globally-inspired menu will be a more relaxed spot. And if you’re after some entertainment, downstairs space QT, which’ll host live music, comedy and screenings, is the place to head. Opens: May 2020
5. The Londoner
When The Londoner does finally open its doors, it’s probably going to be the best reason to head to Leicester Square, with 350 rooms, 35 suites, and a six floor mega basement featuring two Odeon cinemas, a luxury spa, and a ballroom. It’s essentially London’s largest basement and it means that they can pack in all that stuff and still only have eight stories above ground, meaning that it won’t be towering over the rest of Leicester Square – which would have probably looked a bit odd. There’s also going to be a rooftop bar and a whopping six restaurants, including a Japanese lounge bar complete with a roof terrace and fire pit and a tavern on the ground floor, which’ll host daily unplugged music performances. Opens: June 2020
6. The Guardsman Buckingham Gate
If you fancy having Her Maj as a neighbour then The Guardsman is the hotel for you. Part of the Shiva Hotels group, the boutique hotel will have 53 rooms and six residences (with bedrooms, living spaces and fully fitted kitchens) across the top three floors, with a wraparound terrace at the penthouse, plus a residents-only restaurant. Opens: June 2020
7. Nobu Hotel London Portman Square
Nobu Hotels is heading central for its second London property (the Shoreditch hotel opened in 2017) taking over the old Radisson Blu site on Portman Square. Naturally the hotel will be home to a Nobu restaurant as well as 249 rooms and suites, meeting spaces and a ballroom. all designed by David Collins Studio. Opens: summer 2020
8. NoMad London
NoMad is officially crossing the pond as the hotel, which has outposts in NYC, Las Vegas and LA, is opening in Covent Garden. The hotel will take over the Bow Street Magistrates Court and Police Station, turning the space into 91 bedrooms, drawing on the original architecture and features for the design. The original courtroom will be turned into a private events space, there’ll also be an on-site museum with rotating exhibitions that touch on the history of the Met Police, and the hotel will also be home to the first NoMad lounge. Opens: summer 2020
9. The Gantry
The Stratford only opened last year but the hotel openings for E20 just keep on coming. Hilton is the latest group moving in with The Gantry, with another addition to its Curio collection, and Ardmore, who did The Ned and Corinthia London, is in charge of the build. The 18-storey building will have 290 rooms, a first floor restaurant and a sky bar up top for the obligatory views over the Olympic Park. Opens: summer 2020
10. The Mayfair Townhouse
Luxury Hotels, the group that also boasts Cliveden House and Chewton Glen amongst its portfolio, is adding a fifth property in the shape The Mayfair Townhouse. The hotel on Half Moon Street (the setting for Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest) will be made up of seven listed Georgian buildings, with a total of 172 rooms, including penthouse and garden suites, plus The Dandy Bar, a private gym and an events space. Opens: September 2020
11. Pan Pacific
All that building work opposite Liverpool Street station is for Pan Pacific London, the first European hotel for the Singaporean group. And it’s set to be quite the properly with 237 rooms and suites (the 18th floor Signature Suite will have epic views of The Gherkin), a 370-person ballroom, an indoor pool, spa and fitness centre. Opens: late 2020
