So Soho (Venues - Hotels)
RedKarpet welcomes recession-retaliating optimism - and found £10m of it at newly opened boutique hotel Sanctum Soho. Abigail Parkin (9 July'09)
Ethos
"Whatever you want" is Sanctum Soho's mantra. From watching films in your own private cinema to hiring a Harley or soaking inbubbles on a rooftop garden soaking in bubbles; this is a place to play louche.
Who's behind it?
Concept Venues’ Mark Fuller spent two years masterminding Sanctum Soho with an investment of just under £10 million. The
restaurateur and club impresario Sanctum has combined a private cinema
events space, best of British 60-cover restaurant and a private
roof-top garden complete with 24-hour bar with an alfresco Hydro Spa.
With
rock star service levels to match, the 20,000 sq ft space comprises two
Edwardian townhouses which have been lavishly converted to create the
seven-storey hotel.
The Grade II hotel's interior has been designed by Lesley Purcell of Can Do, famed for luxury projects including Claridges, The Savoy, The Langham, Berkeley and Connaught.
The client's brief was to invoke avant-garde Soho bohemia with a rock and disco edge. Constant life and colour emerge from a gallery of modern art by Xavier Pick.
Rooms
The hotel's "crash pads" are sized for short stopovers while other rooms escalate to superior (pic left) and deluxe doubles, junior suites with in-room freestanding baths. The larger suites offer live, work and play areas.
A touch of traditionalism sees classic metal keys replace the plastic cards beloved of so many other hotels.
Décor
Five distinctive mood schemes; "Dark and sultry" (art deco timber veneers set against velvet Turnell & Gigon drapes and Abracadazzle chocolate walls), "Glittering and glamorous" (a monochrome of mirrored surfaces, silver drapery, glass-beaded wallpaper and liquid silver tiles), "Opulent and decadent" (black four-poster beds dominate rooms of deep purples and gold), "Stern and kinky" (Louis mirrors, silk drapes and a carved amethyst velvet chaise longue) and "Flirty and feminine" - pale nudes and pinks amid French Louis XIV-style furniture.
Top
of the pile is Sanctum Soho's unique garden loft suite, a fusion of
velvety reds and bronzes. This luxurious rooftop space boasts two
junior suites complete with kingsize beds, two freestanding baths,
shower rooms and divine dressing areas as well as its own cocktail bar and private roof terrace to take in the heart of London.
Who's it for?
Fast-paced urbanites and lovers of luxury chic will breeze through the Wii consoles, complimentary WiFi and start-of-the-art entertainment systems while ensconced in 400 thread count Egyptian cotton bed linen and luxurious bathrobes.
Guests can enlist Emily Cash personal shopping services and even take advantage of a guitar doctor service as well as arrange private security through the hotel should the guitar jam be ultra exclusive. Chief concierge Jean da Silva is familiar with the whims of A-list clients and has a reputation for being hard to shock!
As
a prelude to shock, in-room treats include a "Box of Tricks" – a nice
and naughty selection of which includes a Miller Harris candle, Myla
"Gina" side-tie knickers, Jimmy Jane sex kit and a Bijoux Indiscrets
sleep mask / blindfold.
A sweat can also be worked up by gym fans who've forgotten their trainers, thanks to Sanctum Soho's Nike shoe menu. Hotel residents can also fast track into London's most exclusive nightspots.
Spaces
Cinema
- Sanctum Soho’s subterranean 45-seat "Cinema at Sanctum" is available
for residents and their guests or for private party hire. Its bar and
removable furniture can transform the room into a dynamic meeting and
function space for up to 100 people. Advanced AV can be hired for
presentations and product launches.
Roof Garden & Lounge This area combines the rarity of a comfy smoking haven with a 24-hour bar and Hydro Spa Jacuzzi.
No.20 Restaurant
Head chef Gavin Austin presents a menu of British firm favourites with
a twist; fish fingers convert to bread crumbed salt cod cakes with
tomato and chilli jam while the salad makeover blends quinoa,
pomegranate, spinach, avacado and pink grapefruit.
Sanctum Soho is at 20 Warwick Street, W1B 5NF
Related screening ____________________________________
The Langham returns:
RK _________________________________________