Josh Gabelich
When The Mayfair Townhouse was being built across 15 townhouses in central London a couple of years ago, no one knew what was lurking around the corner.
The capital thought it was about to gain another luxurious boutique hotel, but it has taken a little bit longer than expected for this lifestyle hotel to spread its wings.
The Mayfair Townhouse opened its doors last December but was forced to quickly shutter them due to a pandemic that has now launched a handful of invisible attacks on this part of the world, just like many places around the globe.
Keep your eyes on the foxes.
But now, The Mayfair Townhouse is the new kid on the block, with a particular emphasis on the word ‘kid’. From the team who brought you Cliveden House in Berkshire and Chewton Glen in Hampshire – two of the United Kingdom’s most luxurious country hotels – this neighbourhood hotel is an unexpected treat from Iconic Luxury Hotels.
Close your eyes and picture Oscar Wilde meets Alice in Wonderland and you’ll quickly see why this hotel is already standing out from the crowd in Mayfair, where overpriced and stuffy hotels from major players have dominated the market for decades.
At a time when travel has never been more difficult, expensive or downright not worth the fuss, Londoners are turning to staycations. And that’s why this place should be added to your list. Actually, scrap that. It must be top of your list.
Inside a bedroom at The Mayfair Townhouse.
From the moment you walk in the door at The Mayfair Townhouse, you are greeted with nothing you would expect, just like when Macaulay Culkin had the run of The Plaza Hotel in Home Alone 2.
Now, we are not suggesting you’ll have an endless supply of chocolate sundaes or oversized New York-style pizza delivered to your room, but you will be able to escape the stress of life in 2021 when you step inside.
We put that down to the unexpected flamboyance inside this building and the history associated with this neck of the woods, where seven Georgian buildings have been connected on Half Moon Street to mould a unique universe that previously housed many characters you will encounter inside The Mayfair Townhouse.
A tub with a view.
Design firm Goddard Littlefair has created 172 unique rooms that pay homage to those who have come before, while the captivating collection of contemporary art has been curated by Minda Dowling, transforming classical pieces with a modern twist. If these walls could talk, they would have plenty to divulge.
Keep your eyes out for foxes while you’re at The Mayfair Townhouse. They are everywhere, you won’t miss them. Not actual foxes, of course. The fox is the hotel’s mischievous motif, featuring across the art collection and in design elements across the property.
Back in the 1700s, Half Moon Street was the haunt of eccentric figures, from bachelors to bohemians to artists to poets to actors in Victorian London. If you like storytelling, as we do, then you will find plenty of tales in this building.
The Dandy Bar.
Wilde actually lived on this very street and it was where his most famous play, The Importance of Being Earnest, was set. Spoiler alert: there is a copy of this novel on every bedside table inside The Mayfair Townhouse.
Mayfair has always been associated with a dandy lifestyle, a mode of living where style and being fashionable are of the utmost importance.
It is why the bar is named ‘Dandy Bar’ and why one of their signature cocktails is named ‘Mr Boise’, after Wilde’s lover.
The famous peacock at The Mayfair Townhouse.
Before you enter this bar, you won’t miss a shiny peacock sculpture in the lobby covered in 25,000 Swarovski crystals. We are told, by one staff member in hushed tones, that they have named the peacock ‘Alfie’ after Wilde’s secret lover. Can’t help but say we love this theme here.
With Hyde Park, Green Park and Buckingham Palace surrounding all sides of the hotel, and Soho, Marylebone and Convent Garden all within walking distance, it is the perfect place to base yourself for a weekend of exploring this part of London, if you are that way inclined.
You might prefer to check-in and check out of the real world for the duration of your stay, hopeing you never have to leave.