“I will never leave this hotel,” Sheryl Crow proclaimed to the privileged spectators who recently crowded into a sublime London rooftop bar to listen to the rock star.
Opened less than a year ago, but with many years of development, the Broadwick Soho is the brainchild of hotel owner Noel Hayden and his clever friend, general manager Jo Ringestad. The seeds that eventually became Broadwick Soho were first planted during Hayden’s childhood. In the 1970s, Hayden’s parents (his father, Noel Sr. , a former circus performer, and his mother, Jackie), owned and operated a successful 120-room beach hotel in Bournemouth, England, called Mon Ami. However, in the mid-80s, when cheap travel packages for the British to sunny Spain became fashionable, the hotel went bankrupt and Hayden’s family lost everything.
Young Noel grew up in Mon Ami and fondly remembers memories of his formative years helping his parents at the once-thriving hotel. And the hotel’s demise was devastating to his family, the experience instilling in Hayden a desire to one day own his own hotel. A successful career as an entrepreneur and gaming entrepreneur earned Hayden a small fortune and put him in a position to move forward with his aspirations. One evening, while having drinks with Ringestad, whose family circle also comes from the hotel industry, the concept of the Broadwick Soho was born, and when the hotel opens its doors in November 2023, Hayden’s dream will have come true.
Eve attends the opening of Broadwick Soho in London, England.
The Broadwick is, rightly, located on Broadwick Street, in the center of Soho, one of my favorite communities in the city, yes, but one that I have never stayed in. The bustling and lively domain of Soho, full of pubs. , restaurants and trendy shops, seemed a little too crowded and noisy for my liking. It is true that this idea occurred to me when I first arrived at the Broadwick; However, my fears were allayed thanks to the double-glazed windows discovered in all areas. Hotel rooms, which isolated virtually all the noise from the street below, even from my room on one of the lower floors of the hotel. As it turned out, the hotel’s location was the best for exploring the dark but glamorous community of Soho and beyond, especially for those looking to shop, eat, or see a play (London’s West End theater district is just a 5-minute walk away).
View of the streets of Soho from Broadwick Soho.
Large Flute area in Braodwick Soho in London.
The adventure that is Broadwick Soho begins the moment you arrive. Depending on the moment, you might first come across a pair of 6-foot-tall elephants with the most sensible hats flying over the hotel’s awning, or maybe, as we did, you organize a whimsical and colorful collection of dolls and circus performers. Walk through the hotel’s pastel-pink front door and temporarily understand that you’re not in an ordinary hotel, and that’s precisely what Noel Hayden wants.
Alexa Chung at the iconic pink door of Broadwick Soho.
Martin Brudnizki attends the Broadwick Soho summer party on June 5, 2024 in London, England. Womb. . [ ] (Photo via Max Cisotti/Dave Benett/Getty Images)
To realize his vision of a fresh, opulent retreat, Hayden enlisted the help of world-renowned interior designer Martin Brudnizki, the artistic force behind London’s hottest venues such as Annabel’s and Vesper Bar in Dorchester. This would be Brudnizki’s first full hotel commission in London. Inspired not only by the creativity of Soho, but also by the Jazz Age and the 1960s, the Broadwick showcases British eccentricity and maximalism at its best. Add touches of Italian romance and disco fabulousness, all achieved through an incredible collection of colors, textures and bespoke fabrics, from handcrafted Murano mirrors and lamps to marble slabs hand-selected in Italy, adding silk wallpaper and precision-made lampshades. outdoors in London, and the effects are nothing short of remarkable. The main points of the hotel’s decoration, from corner to corner, are truly something to behold. There is a kind of “anything goes” feeling in Brudnizki’s painting, but he made it all work.
Jackie Bar in Broadwick Soho in London.
Noel Hayden with his mother Jackie Hayden at the opening of Broadwick Soho in London, Array. [ ] England.
The hotel’s public spaces have been designed in a very functional way so that visitors can go from one different area to another, with their own personality, ensuring a constant feeling of discovery. Pass through the reception area and you’ll arrive at Bar Jackie (named after Hayden’s mother), the hotel’s ground-floor bistro with its Memphis-inspired chandeliers, coral lacquer ceiling, and majolica tiles sourced from the southern Italy. Continue towards the back of the hotel to The Nook, a very cool and intimate lounge area for hotel visitors, featuring a fireplace, a ceiling covered in ‘Cairo Jungle’ fabric and an antique Murano glass chandelier . With a nod to Soho’s musical history, visitors can locate a record player in the corner with collectible records to keep the atmosphere fresh.
The Nook at the Broadwick Soho is a hidden lounge for guests of the hotel to enjoy exclusively.
Down the stairs is the hotel’s signature restaurant, the sensual and seductive Italian restaurant Dear Jackie. The dimly lit area (thanks to more Murano lighting) features velvety booths and red silk walls adorned with a collection of 170 signature plates curated by artist Michaela Gall, paying homage to the 20th-century SohoArray.
Dear Jackie is the luxury restaurant with silk walls adorned with a collection of 170 signature dishes designed by artist Michaela Gall in Broadwick Soho.
Dinner at Dear Jackie’s in Broadwick Soho.
For soft bites and artistic cocktails, head to the rooftop bar Flute, buoyed by Broadwick Street’s historic deal with a prominent 19th-century flute maker. The countertops of the backlit white onyx bars in this glamorous area are surrounded by animal-print upholstery, cork walls, and mirrored ceilings. The Flute’s wraparound outdoor terrace is (especially in summer) and offers views of the London skyline. It’s at Flute that the hotel hosts a busy calendar of live events, adding DJ sets, theme nights, and monthly musical performances, like the one that brought Sheryl Crow to the Broadwick.
Flute in Broadwick Soho designed by Martin Brudnizki.
Throughout the property, Broadwick Soho features an eclectic and impressive art collection, adding works by Francis Bacon, Bridget Riley, and William Turnbull. The hotel’s personal dining room, a top-floor area with a fireplace and seating for 28 other people, even features Andy Warhol’s illustrious collection of 18 original hand-painted lithographs depicting a shoe collection, titled In Search of the Lost Shoe.
The dining room with Andy Warhol lithographs in Broadwick Soho in London.
Every detail of the design, right down to the Broadwick Soho keycards, reflects the designer’s style. . . [ ] Martin Brudnizki.
The 57 rooms and suites of the Broadwick Soho, perhaps a little more sober than the usual spaces of the hotel, do not lack originality, fantasy and details. All feature custom-made furniture, exclusive artwork, exquisite finishes, giant windows, and ridiculously comfortable beds—a tradition designed with Italian bed coverings and German pillows, bedspreads, and duvets. But the rooms are as functional as they are attractive. The TVs come with channels and movies, plus Airplay and Chromecast, making it less difficult for foreign travelers to watch their favorite shows. Each room also features a tablet, which can control all room functions, and includes music, hotel information, in-room dining menus, and a wide variety of local and foreign newspapers that consumers can read. There are also all kinds of charging stations that consumers can use.
A Martin Brudnizki-designed suite with the iconic Elephant bar at the Broadwick SohoArray. [ ] in London.
Martin Brudnizki uses custom colors and designs in a guest room at Broadwick Soho in London.
Rooms at Broadwick Soho come with tablets packed with newspapers, tips and tactics for grocery shopping directly from housekeeping, room service and front desk.
Oh, and there are elephants, masses of elephants. The walls of my suite were decorated with turquoise wallpaper embroidered with elephants and tigers, and an elephant statue in the corner of the room. Most rooms have giant brass minibars shaped like elephants. Handmade by artisans in Jaipur and designed especially for the hotel. The elephant, which embodies loyalty, intelligence, empathy and compassion, is the hotel’s mascot, is part of its logo, and staff members wear elephant pins.
Murano glass mirrors with Ortigia products in a guest bathroom in Broadwick Soho in London.
The Broadwick’s bathrooms are more traditional, but still get top marks: with their white marble counters, white tile, rainfall showers (with wonderful water pressure), and heated towel rails. The rooms are equipped with Dyson hairdryers and Ortigia Sicilian logo appliances, the likes of which you have never seen before in a hotel. Ortigia Florio products, with their unique packaging and colorful, artistic design, perfectly match the aesthetics of Broadwick Soho.
Marble bathroom at Broadwick Soho in London.
Noel and his friends Jo Ringestad, Joshua Gardner, Andrea Gelardin and Jamie Poulton worked on Array. . [+] in combination to make Broadwick Soho what it is today.
In a city where the probably endless selection of hotels, most of them classics, stands out, the uniqueness, the eccentricity, the joy and the simple glamour of Broadwick. Every detail, from the food to the design, is artistic perfection. So if you’re heading to London and “all you need to do is have fun”, it doesn’t get much better than Broadwick Soho.
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