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REVIEW: The Hospital Club, London
This private members club was once as difficult to get inside as the social circles of its highly esteemed, eccentrically creative clients. But now this lovingly restored, central London bolthole has opened its doors for the first time to non-members – if you’re lucky enough to get your hands on a key to one of the immaculately designed bedrooms…
Like many good ideas, Paul Allen and Dave Stewart hatched their plan to restore the Hospital Club and fill it with wonderful, creative minds, one night over a drink in Covent Garden. In 1996 Paul bought the boarded up, shell of a building and three years later the renovations began. It wasn’t until 2004 that the club officially opened its doors – but only to its private members.
Fast forward 11 years, and as The Hospital Club moves into its second decade, it has embraced a new era of inclusivity in the form of 15 sumptuously designed bedrooms that grant their inhabitants access to the Club’s seven floors of bars, restaurants, lounges, and even a screening room.
The rooms, ranging from small crash pads for party animals who missed the last tube home, to large chic suites with their own outside spaces for long, intimate, summer nights, have all been designed by Russell Sage – the man responsible for the eclectic interiors throughout the rest of the club.
Carrying on The Hospital Club’s reputation for finding, nurturing, and showcasing interesting creative talent within its walls, each room also features a selection of original artwork from an emerging artist from the Club’s community. Going beyond just hanging their work on the walls, The Hospital Club assigns each artist a room to curate, meaning their own visual aesthetic punctuates the stylish, comfortable interiors throughout each room.
This means that choosing a room is kind of like a surprise pick ‘n mix – you know roughly what you’ve chosen but the end result is both a surprise and a delight. So you can imagine our excitement upon checking in to this esteemed establishment before being led to our room by a suave, attractive gentleman from reception.
Swinging back the room door, our host revealed an ultra-modish, 70s inspired suite complete with warm wood walls and velvet furnishings. Giving us a quick tour of the room, he gave a quick nod towards a black, lacquered, locked box inside in the wardrobe which he knowingly described as an ‘additional, alternative bedroom mini bar’ (cue insatiable curiosity), told us he loved our work (always nice to meet a GSN reader), and then promptly left us to explore our psychedelic surroundings.
Our room was wonderful; and it’s not just the sophisticated design and comfortable furnishings that make your stay so enjoyable – it’s the little creative extras that add a personal touch and complete the experience. Like the cocktail trolley complete with ice, shaker, citrus fruits and glass bottles full of delicious cocktail blends, all labelled as different ‘creative juices’; or ‘The Little Book of Creativity’ we discovered by the phone, full of inspirational quotes and illustrations. There’s even a rubber duck in the modish monochrome bathroom next to your REN toiletries.
If you can bring yourself to leave your room, then grab a bite to eat in the chic bistro-style restaurant serving up delicious (and sustainably sourced) food from an exciting menu, stop by the bar & lounge on the 2nd floor for a quick bite to eat or a delicious cocktail, sip on a fruity glass of fizz in the Bellini Bar & Lounge, or recline in the Martini Lounge late into the evening.
The Hospital Club has gone through many transformations since it was first built back in the late 1800s, but its current decade as a trendy boutique bolthole is by far its best yet. A center of creativity in central London, you’d struggle to find a more comfortable – or well-designed – place to rest your head.
Words: Rachael Martin
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