Minimalists, avert your eyes. Soho’s newest hotel opening is a celebration of unadulterated maximalism in all of its frivolous, flamboyant glory. Broadwick Soho, which opened its doors in November, offers 57 bedrooms (including nine suites and a penthouse), four distinctive drinking/dining spaces and a chance to experience the louche, gritty glamour that made the neighbourhood famous.
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Location
A former unloved office building on the corner of Broadwick Street and Berwick Street in the heart of Soho. The site was bought by owner Noel Hayden, the serial tech entrepreneur and investor, in 2016, although it is difficult to imagine its drab former life when one lays eyes on its current incarnation. There’s no missing it: ‘Broadwick Soho’ shouts from the façade in fairground lights, topped by two top-hatted circus elephants.
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Design
Hayden opened Broadwick Soho in collaboration with a group of friends and together they enlisted prolific interior designer Martin Brudnizki – a London private members’ club veteran and favourite of Birley Clubs owner Richard Caring. Brudnizki is famous for bringing his signature flair to Annabel’s, Scott’s and Vesper Bar at The Dorchester (as well as a string of overseas successes) but Broadwick Soho marks his first complete hotel project.
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Fans of Brudnizki’s eponymous design studio and signature theatricality will be delighted. From the first step through the Georgian front door into the pink and pistachio wallpapered lobby, guests are transported to a world of Seventies disco-inspired excess – heightened by employees’ double-breasted leopard print blazers.
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Each room is a confectionery kaleidoscope of sumptuous fabrics, high-gloss paint, botanical prints, fringed cushions and elephant motifs. The artwork is just as eclectic and vibrant. The walls of Dear Jackie, the main restaurant, showcase hand-painted plates; the private dining room on the eighth floor hosts Andy Warhol’s ‘Shoe Series’.
Rooms & Suites
Guests fearing overstimulation will be relieved to learn the bedrooms are relatively low-key. However, our Deluxe Room boasted geometric curtains, an upholstered free-standing wardrobe and bold blue walls that juxtaposed pleasingly with the king-size bed’s rose pink headboard. The marble bathroom was wallpapered in blue leopard print.
Mini-bars are well-appointed and bedrooms also benefit from Ortigia toiletries and a Dyson hair-dryer.
Rooms range from Standard (queen-sized bed, 194 sq ft) to the Penthouse (a king-sized bed with separate living over, spread over 958 sq ft).
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Drinking & Dining
The F&B offering at Broadwick Soho is impressive, particularly for the size of the hotel.
In the basement is Dear Jackie (named after Hayden’s mother), a seductive Italian restaurant with Murano glass light fixtures, red silk walls and comfortable booths that feel deliciously intimate. The menu is thoughtful and elevated. To start, Spear’s sampled the seared hand dived scallop and the burrata (a dish big enough to share). This was followed by a pasta course of orecchiette puttanesca, and mains of seared yellowfin tuna, and farinata served with Delica Pumpkin, cavolo nero and roasted pine nuts.
Dessert was enjoyed by the roaring fire in The Nook – a cosy guests-only space that is perfect for a nightcap.
Breakfast is served in Bar Jackie, the street-level café bar and terrace which also serves coffee and bomboloni, arancini and antipasti, as well as negronis, vermouths and homemade gelato and granita.
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The crowning moment is Flute, a seventh-floor rooftop bar and terrace which was abuzz with the chatter of bonnes vivantes, even on a Sunday evening. Think a cross between Studio 54 and an eccentric’s sitting room. There’s an onyx-topped central bar, mirror tiled ceiling, cork walls and even more pattern. In one corner there is a metallic gold curtain which conceals a DJ booth. All that’s missing is the party!
Each of the four spaces seems to cry out for sequinned revellers and after-dark antics, and are already proving popular with London’s glitterati.
Service
Staff are convivial and professional, although there seems to still be teething issues regarding efficiency in some areas.
The Verdict
A luxurious, fun and fabulous stay in the heart of one of London’s most vibrant neighbourhoods.
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