What’s the draw?
A stay at Broadwick Soho is an exercise in firsts. That is, unless you’ve previously stayed in a five-star hotel that pays homage to a hotel in Bournemouth, staffed by a concierge in leopard-print waistcoats, and overseen by a proprietor who happens to be both the son of a magician and the grandson of a professional clown. While this may sound like the beginnings of an Ab Fab fever dream, Broadwick Soho is one of the capital’s most captivating, recent independent hotel openings. Dreamed up by five friends and spearheaded by owner Noel Hayden, this whimsical wormhole is a tribute to the family hotel that he grew up in during the 1970s – Mon Ami on Bournemouth seafront.
A superior bedroom at Broadwick Soho
The interiors, masterminded by Martin Brudnizki (the designer behind Le Grand Mazarin in Paris and Annabel’s in Mayfair), channel the theatricality of the West End, with nods to Mon Ami’s legacy woven throughout. Keep your eyes peeled for family photos printed on matchboxes, photos of five-year-old Hayden hanging in Bar Flute, and the family’s pet, a Great Dane called Bubbles, immortalised on tote bags. The 47 rooms and 10 suites are flamboyant and fatigue-relieving in equal measures. High-camp cocoons are sealed with double glazing thick enough to ensure that the hum of Soho stays firmly outside the window and kitted out with bespoke furniture by Brudnizki, vintage curios and trompe l’oeil wardrobes. The suites feature bathrooms so spacious they’d rival the square footage of many London apartments, while minibars masquerading as brass elephants conceal the magician’s snack of choice: a pack of Torres and a bottle of chianti.
The food and drink?
While the hotel nods to the Costa del Bournemouth, its restaurant, Dear Jackie, is an ode to modern Italian dining, named after Hayden’s mother. Helmed by Harry Faddy (formerly of Aquavit London), this subterranean, silk-walled space glows under Murano chandeliers, setting the stage for reimagined and well-executed Italian classics. The winners are the champagne-seared scallops, which pop with finger lime and fish roe, alongside crudités plunged into a bagna càuda and the deeply savoury mushroom agnolotti.
Champagne-seared scallops at Dear Jackie
Ascend to the seventh-floor Bar Flute, a mirrored-ceiling boîte primed for cocktails and chandelier-swinging revelry – just ask recent visitors Zoë and Lenny Kravitz. Its terrace offers panoramic city views, sure to be a summer hotspot. For those still with (wood) wind in their sails post-Flute, The Nook awaits on the ground floor – a velvet-clad 24-hour den tucked behind Bar Jackie, with a Bluetooth sound system and a dinky hidden alcove – some might call it a nook within The Nook. Come morning, Bar Jackie revives guests who hit The Nook hard with Burford Brown eggs, granola and pastries.
The Nook
What’s nearby?
This is Soho – the city is at your fingertips. Theatres, West End boozers, music venues and boutique clothing brands are mere steps away, while Oxford Circus and Regent Street caters to the more committed shopper. When the sensory overload of Zara becomes too much to take, beeline to Chinatown for a restorative dim sum spread at Old Town 97 followed by a wedge of pandan cake at Kowloon Bakery.
For more information visit broadwicksoho.com
