In this post we will be describing our stay in one of the most exclusive hotels in London: The Beaumont.

A bit of history

This elegant hotel in the heart of Mayfair was initially designed in 1926 to be a garage, offering free parking to the customers of nearby Selfridge’s department store. The building was originally called Macy’s. It was set out on four floors with a ramp to the first floor and a lift to the higher levels, and its exterior columns had a somewhat Egyptian appearance set in a white stone facade. However, this remarkable architecture was way too elegant for a simple car park. The 29 September 2014 Jeremy King and Chris Corbin took advantage of these classical features to open their first hotel. The Beaumont was defined by Departures Magazine 100 as an ‘instant classic’, and soon you will find out why.

Our stay

So we checked in at The Beaumont early in the afternoon, and we were welcomed by a member of the staff, Peter, who very kindly showed us around the hotel and told us a bit about its history while our luggage was taken to the Woolcott suite on the fourth floor. The lobby was very richly decorated with antique and vintage objects d’art, probably dating from the early 1900s to the mid 1950s. The interiors of the hotel, inspired by the building and its surroundings, encapsulate the elegance, glamour and personalised hospitality of pre-war Mayfair, evoking in detail the uniquely rich aesthetics of the time.

 The Woolcott suite

The suite was simply wonderful! The interiors of the room matched the atmosphere of the hotel and we had every comfort you can desire, from the silk bathrobes to the complementary bottle of champagne, not to talk about the beautiful view on Brown Hart Gardens. The attention to detail was impressive, and our guide also told us that the service was already included in the price, that means avoiding those nasty looks when you don’t tip the waiter enough! Another thing that caught our eyes straight away was the huge amount of books and up to date magazines that were in every corner of the room. Peter explained to us that the books were carefully selected by Jeremy King himself and they were mainly short stories, so that whoever stays in the hotel can start and finish reading their book. Well enough talking, here are the pictures!

The Colony Grill

After having spent the afternoon sipping champagne and watching Breakfast at Tiffany’s, we were starting to get hungry. We were called for our reservation at The Colony Grill, the hotel’s restaurant. The room was quite classical in style, taking its lead from the traditional Grill Rooms originally found both in London and New York. On the wall there were a number of black & white cartoons of famous characters from the ’20s, who were prominent on both sides of the Atlantic in the worlds of arts and politics, and also possibly  the kind of guests you would expect to hang out in this kind of environment. The menu featured, as well as grills, appropriately classic dishes from both sides of the Atlantic. We went for the Lobster à la Russe for starter together with a cold glass of Montannay and for the New York Strip Steak ‘Tagliata’ and the Grilled Dover Sole for mains. Even though we were almost full after all that delicious food, we couldn’t resist ordering The Colony Club Sundae and a Crème Brûlée for dessert.

Breakfast time

After a peaceful night sleep, far away from the city chaos, we were ready to start a new day. And what better way to this if not with a classic English breakfast? We were asked by the staff if we preferred to dine in The Colony Grill, the American Bar or the Cub Room. The American Bar was right next to the Restaurant and had a very similar style, with walls entirely covered by black & white photographs of prominent public figures from the fields of the arts. The Cub Room is the residents’ lounge and bar and is exclusive for the hotel’s guests, in case they wan’t to have a little more privacy. As we had really enjoyed our dinner the night before, we decided to dine in The Colony Grill, where we spent the last our of our lovely stay in the Beaumont.

Our view

Even though this hotel has only been opened in 2014, you really have the feeling that it has been here for decades. Its artwork and antiques, chosen by the founder Jeremy King and his wife Lauren Gurvich King, give you the feeling that those walls have many stories to tell. The atmosphere in the American bar and The Colony Grill brings you back in time, and the pictures on the walls of famous artists from the past give you the feeling that this was home to secret meetings and liaisons dangereuses. The position of The Beaumont is ideal, as it is amazingly quiet and yet so close to where all the action is in Oxford Street and to all the luxury boutiques in Mayfair. The staff is really polite and warming, and there are a number of exclusive services available for guests, starting from the small Art Deco Hamam and Spa and ending with the vintage Daimler for the use of hotel guests for drop-offs within Mayfair. All in all we can say that Departures Magazine 100 was right, the Beaumont has become an ‘Instant classic’.