Why go?
Check into 1 Hotel Mayfair for a stylish, eco-luxe city stay in the historic heart of Mayfair – the capital’s leafy, swishy neighbourhood that is undergoing something of a renaissance.
Honeymoon style
If you’re looking for an inner-city retreat having tied the knot, this is where to drop your bags and celebrate away from the crowds. Here is an oasis of calm amid Mayfair’s chic bustle, where couples can exhale and recalibrate à deux. A slew of London’s most iconic landmarks sit right on its doorstep for romantic evening walks or any cultural hits – though couples will be forgiven for simply holing up in this eco-conscious hotel – where no green stone is left unturned.
Set the scene
It’s hard to miss 1 Hotel Mayfair whose charcoal, chocolate bar-shaped exterior, festooned with leaves, greatly contrasts Mayfair’s Dickensian facades surrounding it. Dressed in tweed hats, linen jackets and tanned leather shoes, doormen greet guests with a smooth, unpretentious manner and whisk them and their bags inside. Upon entering the hotel you will be wowed by an enormous – yet beautifully delicate – ‘living’ chandelier which hangs proudly above the lobby. Carved from a fallen tree, the check-in desk is chiseled into a bumpy stone wall, all honouring this eco-hotel’s eco-friendly credentials. As you move around the hotel, woods and natural textures unfold in creative ways, blending a chic, city stay with a nature-first design brief.
Rooms
In line with the eco-thrust, every room here is designed to bring the outside in, and floor-to-ceiling windows do a stellar job of pulling in oodles of natural light. Neutral tones hold sway throughout and are integrated into soft linens, rattans and deliciously soft oak floors. Each room features a ‘living wall’ and filtered water tap, showcasing the commendable sustainability efforts of 1 Hotel Mayfair. Bathrooms feature vast rain showers dotted with gorgeous-smelling Bamford products and couples can wrap themselves in fluffy, hooded towels – a soft reminder that luxury and sustainability can certainly coexist. Playful design features such as swinging hammocks add to the innovative, almost green Silicon Valley feel throughout. Book the penthouse suite, with its cathedral ceilings for an indulgent start to married life.
Food and drink
The main restaurant here, Dovetale, is set to be a destination in its own right with its creative blend of British and Spanish cuisine. It’s a sumptuously earth space with beamed ceiling, soft banquette style seating and a moody glow from lanterns which sit closest to Mayfair’s brooding, bouji character. An open kitchen keeps things wholly modern and convivial, while palms and exotic plants offer tables a botanical boost of privacy. A Mediterranean-style soundtrack transports guests to somewhere where citrus fruits and salt permeate the air and nights are balmy. Menus are radically seasonal, with the freshest produce left to do most of the talking. Try the scallop ceviche with zingy dressing or the ribeye steak for two with all the scrumptious trimmings. For afters, why not beckon over the naughty Knickerbocker glory trolley for a fun theatrical pudding or veer back onto the garden-to-fork track with a strawberry and elderflower tart from the menu. A little insider tip – book table 48 – a hopelessly romantic booth-for-two tucked away in the corner.
The story
The latest addition in the 1 Hotel portfolio, 1 Hotel Mayfair joins a flora-first family of hotels across North America, Europe and Asia. Each is designed with nature taking centre stage and all are best described as a sustainable retreat rather than a hotel. Across the green board, architecture is innovative, – which it has to be, working in harmony with the surrounding landscapes to create something truly striking and sustainable in one breath.
Family-friendly
Unlike most of Mayfair’s institutions, little ones are made to feel very at home here, and their stay is guaranteed to be as luxurious as their parents’. Tinies are bestowed with baby baths, cots and sensitive skin-friendly eco toiletries. Staff at Dovetail welcome families with open arms and we challenge you to find a child who doesn’t wax lyrical about the Knickerbocker Glory pudding trolly for years to come.
Eco-friendly
1 Hotels have set a rather ambitious mission – to consolidate their hotels as leaders in sustainable hospitality. 1 Hotel Mayfair was meticulously planned and designed with this front of mind, retaining 80% of the original structure and creatively plying the spaces with with natural and recycled materials. Home to 400 square metres of living walls, 13,000+ plants (just a few of their clever carbon offsetting initiatives), the hotel’s attention to green detail is simply mind boggling. Menus are curated with seasonality and locality at their core, water systems are right-on in the recycling department and really, every head-to-toe, detail has a sustainability element that will raise the eyebrows of the most conscious traveller.
Location
Moments from Green Park, the hotel is in plum position for the very best that Central London has to offer. In the heart of Mayfair, Piccadilly Circus, Buckingham Palace and Bond Street are all within walking distance. And if you’re planning a trip to theatre land or the nearby warren of hot ticket museums and galleries, this is an unbeatable base and also an oasis of calm after a busy day in the bustling city.
Doubles from £500; to book, visit 1hotels.com
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