What can an unassuming residential block by Hyde Park be turned into?
That’s the question Maybourne — the operator of some of London’s most legendary hotels, including Claridge’s, The Connaught, The Berkeley, as well as The Maybourne Beverly Hills in the U.S., and The Maybourne Riviera in France — has been mulling since acquiring the lot more than 20 years ago.
It couldn’t rely on history or tradition, since there isn’t any. And there was no point in trying to create another Claridge’s; it would never be as good. The only logical solution was to come up with something new — and do it well.
For that, the Qatar-backed Maybourne turned to the late high-tech architecture pioneer Richard Rogers, whose well-known work includes Lloyd’s Building, Centre Pompidou, and Heathrow Terminal 5, and Ivan Harbour of architectural firm RSHP to design The Emory, a steel, ultra-modern, all-suite hotel with home-like, understated furnishings envisioned by some of today’s most celebrated interior designers.
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The hotel’s name is an old English word meaning industrious leader, paying homage to Rogers’ forward-thinking, modernistic design, says Jasper Anderegg, The Emory’s hotel manager.
While The Emory is joined at the hip with The Berkeley, sharing an entrance with Cédric Grolet’s first London outpost, the hotel is managed separately.
“That translates itself in everything we do, the behavior of the staff, and the language we use. We have our own identity and our own uniforms. The Berkeley is very established but also quite a progressive type of hotel. Our general manager usually refers to The Berkeley as the naughty sister of Claridge’s and The Connaught because it is quite different, creative and quirky,” says Anderegg, who served as director of front of house at The Berkeley until May 2023.
The aim with The Emory is an elevated, elegant and chic service experience, Anderegg adds.
“Privacy and discretion,” he says. “That translates itself into the way you arrive at the hotel. You come through the Old Barrack Yard, which is off the main roads.”
“It’s not so much in your face and out there. It’s more discreet and understated, which I think will appeal to certain types of guests, who aren’t necessarily looking for that sort of grand environment,” Anderegg continues.
The Emory is going for ultra quiet luxury, with high price tags to match. Suites cost 1,620 pounds a night for a courtyard-looking junior suite and 8,700 pounds for a park-facing balcony one. The hotel officially opened in April.
Every booking comes with a wealth of amenities, including two-way airport transfer, a personal assistant, access to the guest-only rooftop and wellness spaces, as well as five items of pressing upon arrival and complimentary helicopter transfer via new partner Flexjet for those arriving in London via the private jet terminals at Farnborough, Biggin Hill, Luton or Stansted airports. Guests are whisked directly to the London Heliport at Battersea, and taken to the hotel by limo.
The Emory plans to carve out its identity through a focus on time, time well spent, and by extension, the world of watchmaking, in addition to being the only five-star all-suite hotel in London, according to Anderegg. The hotel is working on a podcast series featuring individuals who are well-known in the watch world.
“Our stories are told in different ways. If you look at our portfolio in London, both Claridge’s and The Connaught are very established hotels. They have a history to tell that goes back decades. Whereas The Emory is more progressive and modern. We felt that there were some similarities there between the world of watchmaking and the architecture and the care that have gone into the design of this building,” says Anderegg.
Longtime Maybourne collaborator Remi Tessier designed the hotel’s public space, including the welcome pavilion, the courtyard, the bar, chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s abc kitchens, the guest-only rooftop Bar 33 and Cigar Merchants, and the four-floor, 20,000-square-foot underground members’ only wellness offering, Surrenne, which is designed as an underground city spa.
There, Tessier says, visitors immediately find calm among the 22-meter swimming pool, steam room, fitness center, seven treatment rooms, and café.
Maybourne plans to take Surrenne, its standalone wellness brand, into other locations around the world, Anderegg says. The spas at The Maybourne Beverly Hills and The Maybourne Riviera will be among the first to be rebranded as Surrenne, and the brand potentially will open outside of a Maybourne property as well.
Rogers’ signature steel structure is visible from the ground-floor restaurant space that hosts abc kitchens. Tessier added a wood-paneled ceiling and copper and amber interiors to warm up the space, he says, resembling “a bottle of cognac or flame of a candle.” For the rooftop space, Tessier brought a touch of vintage flair into a high-tech glass box overlooking the London skyline with retrofuturistic furniture in a bronze hue.
Artworks by Damien Hirst, a close friend of Tessier’s, can be found across the hotel as well. Outside the welcome pavilion, for example, there are two sculptures by Hirst: “Metamorphosis,” an armless woman with a fly head and legs on the back, and “Exquisite Pain,” a skinless golden Saint Bartholomew, a saint who was said to have been flayed alive. Tessier found them “absolutely beautiful and appropriate to the context.”
“It’s a great place to be. It’s different from any other hotel experience I have had. It’s fantastic to be in the middle of Knightsbridge with a four-floor spa, a one-of-kind rooftop bar, and a restaurant that you can eat every day. Jean-Georges’ food is fantastic,” adds Tessier.
The rooms, meanwhile, were designed by Pierre-Yves Rochon on floors one and two, Patricia Urquiola on floors three and four, Alexandra Champalimaud on floors five and six, and André Fu on floors seven and eight. The penthouse on floor nine was done by the London-based design company Rigby & Rigby.
With new openings like The Peninsula, which is just around the corner from The Emory, The Mandarin Oriental in Mayfair, and the upcoming The Chancery Rosewood, Anderegg acknowledges the ultra-high end competition, but says that The Emory’s unique composition is attractive to the ultra discerning 1 percent.
Its boutique size, 61 suites in total, and unique layout make it a great option for delegations and families as well. “It’s the perfect hotel for those who want to have that extra privacy. Privatizing the floor could be quite easily achieved here without having to take out too many rooms or suites,” he says.
And so far, so good.
“We’ve had a great June and July already so far with Royal Ascot, Wimbledon, and the Farnborough Air Show. The restaurant is doing fantastic. It’s very busy day in and day out. So summer is looking great,” says Anderegg.
