HotelMap??: Brand new London hotels for designjunction 2019

Part of the city-wide London Design Festival, designjunction moves to King’s Cross this year, contributing to the area being named a Design District for the very first time. With so many London hotels to choose from, we’ve detailed the best new openings in the city, focusing on design-led properties located within easy reach of King’s Cross – perfect for the 30,000 design professionals attending the event. 

If you’re attending designjunction, which takes place throughout King’s Cross from 19th-22nd September 2019, you can access the official hotel deals from HotelMap?? here.

by Steven Potter & Vicki Forde

The Standard, London

Having opened its doors just last month, The Standard, London is the capital’s hottest new hotel. Transforming a brutalist council office block in King’s Cross into a ￡20 million five star boutique property, the hotel is the brand’s first opening outside of the US and offers Seventies-inspired, design-led guest rooms and destination dining within the meticulously restored building. The original brutalist facade remains but there’s the striking new addition of a top-floor glass extension – where Michelin-starred chef Peter Sanchez Iglesias is set to open a Latin American-inspired restaurant and club – and a pillar box red external lift that transports guests directly to the 10th floor. The ground floor, meanwhile, is Adam Rawson’s territory. It’s here that the former Lucky Chip and Pachamama chef heads up all-day coastal-inspired restaurant, Isla, and late-night bar, Double Standard.

Bankside Hotel

Part of Ian Simpson’s striking One Blackfriars development, the Bankside Hotel sits within a futuristic, six-storey glass building close to Tate Modern and the Hayward Gallery. With interiors by former film set producer Dayna Lee, the hotel puts the focus on design with stylish mid-century modern features that perfectly contrast the ultra-modern exterior. An eclectic mix of bespoke furniture and art pay homage to local craftsmanship and heritage with notable touches including kid-leather covered furnishings and post-kiln pottery drying rack shelves. As well as 161 guest rooms, each of which come equipped with Nespresso coffee machines, rain showers, state-of-the-art technology and work desks placed next to floor-to-ceiling windows, the hotel also houses a creative space with live-work lounges, a restaurant and bar with an outdoor terrace, co-working and meeting spaces, and a 24-hour gym.

Nhow London

Set to open this month, Nhow London will be the first UK outpost from the quirky, design-orientated NH Hotel Group. Located with Sir Norman Foster’s 250 City Road development, the hotel will take the theme ‘London Reloaded’ with a Big Ben rocket sculpture in the lobby, huge gold bell lights as a nod to the city’s church bells, and tables decorated with cockney rhyming slang. The 190 rooms will blend graffiti, graphic prints and monarch paintings with high-tech gadgets while the on-site restaurant, The Bell, will be an avant-garde take on the traditional British pub. Other hotel features include a gym, several meeting rooms and networking spaces.

The Biltmore, Mayfair

Due to open early this September, The Biltmore, Mayfair will be the first European property from Hilton’s luxury brand, LXR Hotels & Resorts. Sitting within Grosvenor Square, in the former location of the Millennium Hotel London Mayfair, the hotel has undergone a ￡50 million renovation and is now home to 308 guest rooms, many of which offer views over the square, and 57 curated suites all designed by Goddard Littlefair, known for the Gleneagles Hotel and Hans’ Bar and Grill in No.11 Cadogan Gardens. Jason Atherton will oversee the in-house restaurant, The Betterment, where an open grill will sit at the heart of the dining room to add a sense of theatre to the experience. 

The Hoxton, Southwark

Also opening in September, The Hoxton, Southwark will be the third London opening from the pioneering social hotel brand. Occupying the lower six floors of a 14-storey new build on Blackfriars Road, the hotel will bring its image-conscious interiors, buzzing social spaces and hipster vibe south of the river. The 192 guest rooms will blend concrete ceilings and bare brick walls with panelled headboards, leather lounge chairs and retro accents to create an urban yet high-end design while the lobby will continue the brand’s dedication to offering a space for locals and guests alike to work, rest or play. There will also be a dedicated co-working space and a rooftop restaurant.

Hard Rock Hotel London

In the same year that London launched a new flagship Hard Rock Cafe in Piccadilly Circus, the brand-new Hard Rock Hotel London opened its doors. A twenty-minute walk from the original Hard Rock Cafe, which opened on Park Lane back in 1971, the behemoth 900-room hotel sits on the corner of Oxford Street and Park Lane, placing it near Marble Arch and Hyde Park. A large lobby lounge has been designed with both cocktails and live music in mind while carefully curated memorabilia reference the site’s musical past – Jimi Hendrix, Nina Simone and Bob Dylan are all former residents. There is, of course, a Hard Rock Cafe on site along with a Rock Shop, a restaurant and a speakeasy bar. Rooms come equipped with the signature Sound of Your Stay and Rock Om experiences while the Rock Royalty suites include a personal concierge and access to a private lounge.

The Nadler Covent Garden

Housed in a beautifully restored Edwardian building, The Nadler Covent Garden is the fifth boutique property in the Nadler Hotels group. Spread over six floors, the 57-room hotel is just a short walk from Charing Cross and Covent Garden stations, and many rooms offer views over the Strand. The building has been meticulously renovated with many original features still intact while rooms showcase British design and craftsmanship with bespoke furniture handmade in west London, fabrics from the Isle of Bute, Scotland and special edition Paul Smith Anglepoise lamps.

Further reading for designjunction 2019

If you're attending designjunction 2019, be sure to also check out HotelMap?'s pick of the best bars and restaurants in King's Cross. From the ever-popular Caravan and the brand-new Double Standard to the striking Booking Office and indulgent Morty and Bob's, all of them are ideal for post-event drinking, dining and networking.

BOOK NOW

A number of special hotel deals have been arranged for registered visitors and exhibitors for this year's designjunction: Check out the hotel deals for designjunction 2019.

CONTACT THE DESIGNJUNCTION CONCIERGE TEAM

If you are attending designjunction you can access the official hotel deals from HotelMap? here.

Alternatively, email: [email protected]

Telephone: +44 20 7292 2320. Get your local number.