One-Minute Hotel / The Mayfair Townhouse, London
The address and the look of the place might seem very establishment but step inside this grand townhouse across the road from Green Park and you’ll find a decadent and dandy take on the overnight stay.
So, where are we?
In the relatively quiet Half Moon Street in the beating heart of Mayfair, which means Green Park is just there, Bond Street over there, Buckingham Palace a short walk across the park and Soho about ten minutes away. When it comes to London real estate, it don’t get no realer than this.
And where we’re staying...?
The Mayfair Townhouse, a new pied a tierre, which may be in a classic London, erm, townhouse - or 15 of them stuck together, some Grade II listed - but which has a vibe altogether decadent, thanks to links to Oscar Wilde and Alexander McQueen, who had an atelier round the corner. That’s who the gold safety-pins that the staff wear are an homage to, by the way.
What’s the style?
At first glance it all seems very respectable and slick but look closer and you’ll pick up on the decadent touches: original art, much of it commissioned to tell the story of the Reynolds family, who use to live here (the fox - or ‘renard’ - door knockers are another wink), huge Swarovski peacock - with real feathers - called Alfred, after Oscar Wilde’s notorious lover Bosie, greeting you at the door, while the labyrinth of corridors upstairs picks up on an Alice in Wonderland vibe.
And the rooms?
They like to think of themselves as a townhouse rather than a hotel at The Mayfair, which means rooms are cosy and strictly non-corporate, like you were staying in a friend’s house. Farrow & Ball colours, like navy blue and sage green, brass fittings, bathrooms that are marble and chrome and strange decadent photographs on the wall. We even got a gold-embossed copy of The Importance of Being Earnest by our beds.
Is there a story?
Oscar Wilde fans will recognise the address as that of Algernon in The Importance of Being Earnest and Oscar himself used to haunt the area of Half Moon Street, getting into trouble at the pub at the end of the road. In fact the rooms in these townhouses were rented out by the hour back in Oscar’s day, presumably so one could, erm, freshen up before hitting the town again.
And to eat?
You probably won’t make it past the bar - called The Dandy - where they serve food, to be honest. The mixologists are so cheeky and stir up such amazing cocktails - we tried all the Oscar Wilde-related ones, especially the one with Dubonnet and gin, that the Queen likes - and the vibe is such fun that you end up staying for dinner. There’s an amazing room downstairs where you have breakfast that will eventually be a restaurant - well, the whole place only opened last December... and then shut for lockdown - but the bar is where it’s at for now. We had padron peppers and vegan burgers from the small but perfectly formed menu.
So, to sum up...
If you’re looking for an overnight up West, you couldn’t do better than this cheeky, decadent little hangout where the staff get it just right and where, despite 150-odd rooms, you feel like you’re in a little hidden boutique jewel of a spot. Oh and it’s part of the Iconic group, so, you know, fancy.
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