London has many great hotels, some of them legendary, but the arrival of The Peninsula is still a major event that’s going to leave a profound impact on the city’s hospitality scene.
The hotel is set to open its doors to guests early this summer, with the exact date still to be approved by a Fung Shui master.
The Chinese lions at its main entrance overlooking Wellington Arch, a defining feature of the brand, still have their eyes covered because, according to Sonja Vodusek, managing director of The Peninsula London, covering their eyes will keep the lions in full energy so that they can protect the guests and the hotel after it’s properly open.
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This is one of many examples of how no detail is being overlooked. The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels Ltd., the parent company of The Peninsula brand, has assembled a team that includes architects, designers and creative partners in the hospitality industry to create this East-meets-West hotel.
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“We belong to one of the oldest hotel groups in the world. We are going to bring a lot of experience in the hospitality luxury space. We are a trusted and respected brand. Creating genuine connections and exceptional experiences is really something that we focus on as a brand as well as making sure that we are nestled in the community,” says Vodusek.
The idea to have a Peninsula Hotel in London stretches back more than three decades, says Vodusek, who previously held the same title at The Peninsula Tokyo, and has been working on the launch of the London branch for three years.
“We looked for a location in London for 30 years and it was never the right place. And we finally found Hyde Park Corner. It’s a strategic location. It’s just minutes away from Harrods and it’s close to the financial district, to the parks, and is nestled in sightseeing, culture and art. It’s all about location, location and location,” she says.
According to public records, The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels purchased a 50 percent interest in the lease of the hotel site, 1-5 Grosvenor Place, for 132.5 million pounds in 2013. The company assumed total ownership of the project by buying out equity partner Grosvenor for an additional 107.5 million pounds in 2016. Grosvenor will remain as the landlord under the 150-year lease.
The London branch, which was built with a whopping 800 million pound budget, will be the latest in an eight-year stretch of openings for the group, beginning with the unveiling of The Peninsula Paris. The other new venture is The Peninsula Istanbul. It opened to the public on Valentine’s Day.
Replacing a ’60s office block by Hyde Park Corner with construction starting in 2017, The Peninsula London, designed by luxury brands’ go-to architect Peter Marino, comes with a rare view of the garden of Buckingham Palace and is within walking distance of Knightsbridge and Bond Street, two of the city’s prime luxury shopping areas.
Clement Kwok, managing director and chief executive officer of The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, which is still owned by the Kadoorie family, says “the Belgravia neighborhood is perfectly aligned with our commitment to offering an exceptional standard of elegance and luxury.”
The hotel itself will come with a retail arcade, an offering The Peninsula has also constructed in sites such as Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing.
While the complete brand list for London has not yet been revealed, Vodusek says that more than 90 percent of the retail space has been taken. Confirmed tenants so far include the British luxury company Asprey, jeweler David M. Robinson, and Mouawad.
“In terms of fashion, we’ve got the British fashion designer Jenny Packham to develop our colleague’s wardrobe. She’s a real Peninsula fan with stores in our Beijing and Shanghai branches,” says Vodusek.
Packham’s designs will allow staff to mix and match colors and accessories and to dress differently for day and night. The designer says she drew inspiration from Marino’s interiors for the hotel, as well as ’60s-era British trendsetters such as Michael Caine and Julie Christie and traditional Asian designs.
The collaboration with Packham, a womenswear designer who specializes in red carpet looks and who has dressed public figures including the Princess of Wales, Kate Winslet, Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Adele, is part of the hotel’s “Best of British” partnership scheme. The program aims to create a unique but quintessentially British aesthetic by working with some of the best creative talents today.
Some 200 pieces of original artwork that will feature in the rooms, depicting British landscapes in various forms and styles, were created by more than 40 artists from The Royal Drawing School. The London-based perfumer Timothy Han has created a bespoke scent for the hotel’s collection of in-room bath products.
The Peninsula has also enlisted Michelin-starred British chef Claude Bosi to oversee the hotel’s rooftop restaurant Brooklands, while it commissioned designer and china expert Richard Brendon to come up with a bespoke line of porcelain dishware.
Living up to its reputation in Hong Kong for having an enviable automotive fleet, the London one will include four bespoke hybrid Bentley Bentaygas, an electrified 1960 vintage Austin taxi, and a restored 1935 Rolls-Royce Phantom, which will drop off guests inside the hotel’s off-street courtyard instead of the busy roundabout in front. Two 120-year-old Japanese maple trees, a symbol of longevity, have been planted in the courtyard as part of landscaping designed by Enzo Enea.
The hotel will have 190 rooms and suites as well as 25 residences. Sources said these ultra-luxe apartments have been popular among wealthy Americans. There will also be a grand event space, the St. George Ballroom, which can accommodate up to 450 guests.
In terms of dining options, Brooklands will serve contemporary European cuisine, with most of its produce sourced from the British Isles. Its interiors were inspired by the classic eras of British aviation and motorsport. A scale model of the Concorde will hang on the ceiling in the main dining room. There also will be a cigar-tasting lounge with some of the finest Cuban cigars on offer.
The ground-floor Chinese restaurant Canton Blue aims to reflect the hotel’s Far East link. As its name suggests, the place will offer Cantonese dishes with a twist. The menu, inspired by the spice trade between Asia and the U.K., was created by chef Dicky To, the mastermind behind the Chinese restaurant Lili at The Peninsula Paris. The interior, handled by Henry Leung of CAP Atelier, was inspired by Keying, a trading ship that sailed between China and Britain between 1846 and 1848.
But the grandest piece in its culinary offering undoubtedly will be the triple-height The Lobby restaurant, where guests will be able to enjoy the hotel’s famous afternoon tea service, as well as all-day dining classics, accompanied by live music performance.
In Hong Kong and Shanghai, the lobby restaurant at their respective Peninsula hotels is considered the most desired social gathering locations, where wealthy Tai-tais and influencers dress up and bring their most expensive designer handbags to show off.
Other amenities the London hotel will offer include a spa and wellness center, a gym, a 25-meter swimming pool, and a 24-hour concierge service.
A room at the hotel will start from around 1,300 pounds a night, while its prestigious The Peninsula Suite, which includes a private screening room and fitness center, will cost 50,000 pounds a night.
For Vodusek, the arrival of The Peninsula in London is a big coming-home moment. The Peninsula has been a symbol of cultural exchange for more than a century, having been among the first to serve English afternoon tea in Hong Kong, for example.
“The Peninsula is landing home because we’ve always supported many things British in our group. For example, Rolls-Royces and Bentleys are in our fleet. Our silver company always has been British. The first general manager in Peninsula Hong Kong was a Brit. The Kadoorie family had the first member in the House of Lords, Lawrence Kadoorie, in 1981. So there are a lot of similarities,” she says.
With regard to how the hotel will find its place in London, Vodusek says, “We are who we are, and we’re very proud of who we are, and we will stand proud on Hyde Park Corner and honor our heritage. As our chairman said, never forget the past. The future is built on the past. We’re a 157-year-old company born out of Hong Kong.”