On a cold, wet Friday night, the lobby of the Dean Street Townhouse is a welcoming sight indeed. Books line the wood-panelled walls, candles give off a soft glow and the deep sofas and chairs make me want to curl up and have a good snooze.
It’s like stepping into someone’s chic but cosy country-house. So much so it's hard to believe that this hotel — the latest addition to Nick Jones’s Soho House Group and, joy of joys, open to non-members — is right in the heart of London’s Soho.
The four-storey Georgian townhouse was, in previous incarnations, both the infamous Gargoyle Club and a Pitcher and Piano. Though you’d never guess. Jones has masterminded a seamless transformation, creating 39 individually designed bedrooms in tiny, small, medium and bigger sizes.
A charming staff member whisks us along the Dickensian style corridors to our room and, as we enter, I get a classic case of bedroom envy. I want to shove everything in my suitcase and run. There’s a huge wooden bed with plenty of plump pillows, hand-painted wallpaper, plantation shutters and lots of thick carpet.
Not to be outdone, the bathroom has a roll-top freestanding bath, a rainforest shower complete with a showerhead the size of a dinner-plate and beautiful black-and-white floor tiles (I took masses of photos in the vain hope of recreating this look in our new home).
Throw into the mix an abundance of Cowshed products, a Roberts radio and BOSE music station, Sony flat-screen TV, free wireless internet and a well-stocked mini bar, and the idea of a night on the tiles in the west end may lose its appeal.
Which is lucky really, as the hotel’s USP has to be its buzzing all-day dining room on the ground floor. Cut-glass chandeliers, red leather booths, wooden floors and a long bar lend the restaurant a glamorous gentleman’s club feel without being too stuffy.
Expect a local, seasonal menu. We tucked into Dorset crab, West Mersea Native oysters, pheasant goujons and Bannockburn rib steak. All washed down with a good Sancerre.
For the old-school, other favourites on the menu include Scotch egg, mince and boiled potatoes, side orders of English lettuce with salad cream and Brussels sprouts, trifle and treacle sponge and custard. They even do a proper high tea.
The staff were efficient — if a little rushed off their feet — and the clientele a glamorous, laid-back crowd. Gwyneth Paltrow has been to stay, as have Laura Bailey, Roland Mouret and Stephen Fry.
There’s no spa, but the hotel is happy to arrange treatments at the Cowshed spa, which is a short stroll away in Foubert’s Place. And guests can also request complimentary access to the local gym.
But the very best bit? Rooms start from a very modest £95 a night.
Dean Street Townhouse, 69 - 71 Dean Street, London W1D 3SE (+44 (0) 20 7434 1775; deanstreettownhouse.com)
