Does age matter? A jaunt across the pond provided a perfect opportunity to ponder this question—with regard to hotels, that is. In London, the city’s self-proclaimed oldest hotel stays fabulously young at heart, while in Paris, a trendy new brand serves up hipster flair.
BROWN’S HOTEL IN LONDON, A ROCCO FORTE HOTEL My sizable suite in this historic Mayfair property—which just unveiled its newly renovated, vastly elegant Kipling Suite, named for canonical English author Rudyard Kipling, who wrote The Jungle Book during a stay here—featured a framed photo of Queen and a copy of The Wicked Wit of Winston Churchill propped up on the desk. But it also boasted clean, modernist lines, vivid pops of color and a funky portrait by local up-and-coming artist Josie McCoy. Such is the beauty of Brown’s: It’s as classically London as they come, but thanks to lively contemporary touches and persistent renovation, it’s far from stuffy or outdated.
Take, for instance, the hotel’s wood-paneled English Tea Room, where guests and locals line up for the elegant, uber-posh afternoon tea experience. Enjoy the scones and English breakfast brew, then make your way to the neighboring Donovan Bar for something more potent—and more modern. Terence Donovan’s iconic black-and-white photographs line the walls; an original 18th-century stained-glass window adorns the bar; the décor is chic and sexy. Sip a Donovan Martini in the “naughty corner” and try not to ogle Donovan’s, er, body of nude work.
At The Restaurant at Brown's, the hotel’s seasonally focused, locally sourced restaurant, a divine breakfast menu includes standard English breakfast options, but also international, unconventional delights: shellfish omelette with scotch bonnet hot sauce, halloumi with red pepper relish, brik a l’oeuf de canard, kale and cumin shakshouka, congee with egg, green onions and pickled ginger. The Spa serves up “Feeling Glamorous” and “Feeling Fabulous” massage and beauty packages, and the hotel is big on creating experiential stays for its guests, such as a “Celebrate British Art and Cuisine” tour, with gallery visits followed by a three-course lunch at The Restaurant. This local-meets-luxury package is the crux of the new Rocco Forte Suite Experience, in which each of the brand’s ten European hotels offers not simply a stay but a VIP local experience. At Brown’s, guests in the Forte suites enjoy a host of goodies: two half-hour treatments in The Spa, a make-your-own martini experience, a private tour of Peter Harrington Rare Books on Dover Street and a personal shopping experience at Paul Smith on Albermarle Street. It’s so very Mayfair, from old to new. Roccofortehotels.com/hotels-and-resorts/browns-hotel
Your guide to luxury travel—and life's other indulgences.
THE HOXTON PARIS Any hotel brand launched in Shoreditch—as The Hoxton was, in 2006—instantly makes a statement: I am cool. The north London neighborhood is one of the world’s hipster meccas, and Hoxton Hotels, now open in London, Amsterdam and Paris, are about creating cool spaces and making you, the guest, feel cool simply because you had the savoir faire to book a room there. Such, well, cool, is exuded immediately upon entering The Hoxton Paris; there’s no reception area—that’s in the very back—but there is a gorgeous cobblestone courtyard, glorious spiral staircase and lobby café/bar, brimming with the young and trendy. They’re sipping rose and snacking on cheeseburger sliders.
172 rooms in four sizes—Shoebox, Cosy, Roomy and Biggy—are situated in a gorgeous 18th-century building, with quirky angles, terraces and views that feel very Parisian. Chevron timber floors, contemporary tiled bathrooms and leather detailing in shades of brown and dark blue create an industrial, retro-chic aesthetic. Nooks and crannies abound, the best of them being Jacques’ Bar, a wallpapered haven where I found the well-heeled bartender taking his drinkmaking very seriously. Upon tasting his delicious Moroccan-inspired concoctions—I savored a Caminito, with tequila, cumin, amontillado and angostura—I appreciated this studied approach. Rivié, the all-day restaurant, didn’t wow me but made the grade; it serves French-inspired dishes like courge epicee, croquet and the Hox cheeseburger (yes, cheeseburgers are oh so Francais) along with what it calls “Hoxton comfort food classics” like mac and cheese, truffle fries and avo and eggs.
Like Brown’s, The Hoxton is determined to create an experiential stay for guests—only a much younger, hipper version of one. It thus curates “Hoxtown,” an eclectic monthly events program with an impressive arts lineup. I did enjoy album cover art on display in the downstairs gallery area, and was disappointed to miss the hip-hop and jazz masterclass held the week before I arrived. It was all quite—you guessed it—cool. But cool can also make a hipster hotel sometimes toe the line with "glorified youth hostel." I was disappointed with what was missing from The Hoxton Paris—no onsite gym, no body lotion in my room (“we keep it simple,” explained the bubbly young woman at reception), no late checkout without a fee—and equally dismayed at what was allegedly included: “in-room breakfast” means a banana, granola and yogurt in a bag. Bottom line: I would happily hang out at The Hoxton, but there’s something extra special about staying somewhere more, well, grown-up. Thehoxton.com
