Last Updated on February 28, 2025
London’s first five-star B Corp hotel, One Aldwych, is welcoming guests back again for a luxury experience.
If you’ve never stayed in this area of London, I can assure you it’s a great location, in the heart of Covent Garden close to the Underground (or the Tube as the Brits call it) with close proximity to extraordinary dining and countless theatres and shopping.
Following updates to the property including enhanced design and installation elements across its most iconic areas, namely the Lobby Bar, Indigo restaurant, and its Signature Suites, the hotel has reopened its doors to guests.
The cultured, independent hotel, a true modern oasis and privately-owned, stands proud within a distinctive, stand-alone, triangular corner building built in 1905 as the home of the Morning Post newspaper, at a point where the city meets the West End.
Stunning spacious, clean, contemporary interiors by Fabled Studio and Robert Angell, embellished with Art Nouveau flourishes inspired by the building – and spirited English touches create a warm, welcoming and yet a bit unconventional ambience. The result is an exquisite, expressive, original style befitting a truly independent London hotel.
Spectacular Enhancements
London-based designers Fabled Studio were invited back to the hotel to further re-imagine the seminal Lobby Bar and Indigo restaurant, adding layers of modernity and heritage influence in equal measure.
Harnessing the progressive and unique energy the hotel embodies, the new installation within the Lobby Bar is a bold design-art sculptural ceiling that coronates this dramatic space, aligning with the modern art collection the hotel showcases and champions.
This intervention comprises a large-scale organic ceiling sculpture and a flowing and amorphous metallicized texture rippling throughout the space and bringing a striking depth, clarity and intrigue to the interior, enhanced further by a recently launched gallery cocktail list of exquisite drinks inspired by individual pieces from the hotel’s impressive art collection.
Indigo Restaurant
Indigo, both the hotel’s signature restaurant and a neighborhood jewel, open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and pre-theatre dining has also been deeply embellished with a further nod to the building’s heritage. Deep-set arched windows looking outward of the restaurant onto the hustle and bustle of theatreland are now lined in English oak, embodying the texture and detail of the original historic and listed windows.
Modern lighting coffers and patterned wall coverings add layers of intimacy and comfort that create a buzzing tension with the colorful and striking abstract art pieces hung throughout this truly modern British brasserie. The restaurant reopens with a new spring menu from Executive Chef Dominic Teague packed with seasonal, British produce, in keeping with the hotel’s overarching ethos of championing the best of British makers and growers.
Steven Saunders, a Founder of Fabled Studio commented, “At One Aldwych, we have been given an expansive creative freedom aligning with their bold vision, owing to the hotel’s independent status and spirit, and we are proud to add these modern embellishments to one of London’s most iconic hotels.”
New Signature Suites
New styling to two of the hotel’s Signature Suites – The Somerset and The Waterloo Bridge – were designed by Robert Angell in 2019 and now include the addition of interesting objects by American potter and interior decorator Jonathan Adler. In response to the high demand for flexible family accommodations, The Somerset Suite can now be configured with four spacious bedrooms and the hotel has adapted two bedrooms into dedicated twins for families coming to explore Covent Garden.
“These works mark an exciting period in One Aldwych’s evolution and have been led by our desire to continually adapt to guest demand and create the best possible experience, from style through to service,” One Aldwych’s Managing Director, Janine Marshall, said. “We want our design to reflect our independence, as a brand and as a building, which we feel we have captured working with incredible design talent such as Fabled Studio over the years.”
Other Impressive Amenities
One Aldwych’s magical Charlie and the Chocolate Factory afternoon tea inspired by Ronald Dahl’s iconic story, is a popular favorite with both the young and old alike. The hotel also sports The Library, an elegant guest-only lounge and a Health Club with an 18-metre /59-foot chlorine-free swimming pool, spa and gym.
