First Look: London’s Broadwick Soho
The first U.K. hotel dressed by Martin Brudnizki, Broadwick Soho makes an effervescent and artful debut in London.
With international launches from Raffles, Mandarin Oriental, and The Peninsula, London’s luxury hotel scene has never been hotter, but the new Broadwick Soho stands apart for not only being independently owned but also one of a kind.
Commandeering an eight-floor, black-brick, and gold-ornamented building in the thundering heart of Soho—famed for its nonstop nightlife and buzzy entertainment—the new 57-key charmer is the first U.K. hotel styled by designer du jour Martin Brudnizki, whose work can also be seen at the new Le Grand Mazarin in Paris and The Fifth Avenue Hotel in New York. Those familiar with the designer’s work will not be disappointed. This is Brudnizki maximalism at its best with tassels, velvet, and busy-patterned wallpaper at every turn. No nook is boring. No wall is left without art. No ceiling is ignored. The spirit of Soho—in particular ’60s and ’70s Soho, with its strong Italian community and insouciant gritty side—serves as a point of inspiration for the hotel’s Italianate vintage and disco-edged air. It’s a vibe that feels at once nostalgic and deeply au courant.
The elephant is Broadwick Soho’s official mascot. Two larger-than-life circus elephants balanced above the door during the first few months of opening, but now the symbol is more discreet. Elephant pins dot the velvet lapels of the staff’s cheetah-print blazers, and suites come outfitted with hammered-brass elephant minibars, made by hand in Jaipur.
Over 300 pieces of art grace the walls of the hotel, including several pieces by figurative painter Francis Bacon, a famed Soho habitué during the last few decades of his life. A triptych of his is displayed in the primary bedroom of the hotel’s sixth-floor penthouse, where the deep burgundies and brown tones inform the room’s muted colour palette, while the rest of the space is decked out in carnival hues of lemony yellows and punchy pinks. The penthouse also includes an elegant bathroom of golden-veined Giallo Siena marble (and dreamy Ortigia toiletries), and a balcony runs the length of the space.
A colourful series of Andy Warhol shoe sketches, which property owner Noel Hayden acquired from the David Bowie estate, adorn the walls of the light-filled private event room on the eighth floor. These were the very first art pieces bought for the hotel. On the floor below sits the ultraglam bar Flute, with glittery party-ready decor of bubble lights and cork walls, rooftop views over London, and retro cocktails like Blue Hawaiians and Midori Sours updated with 21st-century glassware and upscale ingredients. It’s quickly becoming the place to be in the West End.
Downstairs in the hotel’s basement hides Dear Jackie, a dolce vita fever dream of Italian fare and glamour, named after Hayden’s mother. The restaurant is connected to the all-day Bar Jackie at street level.
Hotel guests have exclusive access to the appropriately named Nook, a snuggly dressed lounge bar with a cozy fireplace, an old-school record player, and moody lighting. It’s a true hideout in Soho, from , should you need one.
