GQ has hymned master hotelier Barry Sternlicht’s
innovative takes on hospitality before, starting
with W, a prestige brand within Starwood Hotels
(which he then helmed) that riffed to great
success on the early 2000s trend for designer boutique
hotels. Since then, as mastermind of Starwood Capital, he’s
been responsible for the roll-out of the Standard chain as
well as launching disrupter micro brands such as the
millennial-friendly 1 Hotels.
Proving that even millennials grow up (and that Sternlicht
isn’t one for standing still), his latest destination
hotel “drop” chimes with the industry’s interest
in offbeat environments secured by top-notch
accommodation and entertainment. Treehouse
London, which opened in Marylebone last
November, is about as far from traditional
London lodging as you could conceive – or at
least for a property that overlooks Broadcasting
House. Wrought from a soulless 1960s block
that might once have passed for an outpost of
MI5, but actually served as a hotel, the grimUp, up and away...at Treehouse, LondonBig-swinging hotelier Barry Sternlicht brings some rustic charm to
the heart of London’s West End – with cuckoo clocks, naturallyTreehouse is
as far from
traditional
London
lodging as
you could
conceiveparade of mid-level media types who
once trooped up to its empty top-floor
bar have been replaced by neon-bright
global nomads who today are greeted
by a bustling coffee shop-cum-lobby
called Backyard – your first inkling
that this isn’t business as usual.
Treehouse London has been
imagined as a traveller’s playground
of sorts, underpinned by a joyous
sensibility in which
cuckoo clocks and record
players populate the 95
rooms and 15 suites, and
where walls and surfaces
are hewn not from Italian
marble or sleek veneers,
but upcycled timber and
festooned with foliage.
In-room amenities
include organic cotton
sheets and locally
sourced bathroom products and
there’s commitment to the community
via a purpose-built app that connects
to the neighbourhood.
Resident horticulturalists are on hand
to guide you through nearby Regent’s
Park, but most guests will likely stay
harnessed to Treehouse’s relaxed,
unfussy aura, which comes paired
with two developments long overdue
in this part of town: a truly panoramic
rooftop bar, The Nest (see opposite);and the latest addition to London’s
hotel-based fine-dining scene.
Those who remember Sternlicht’s last
UK entry into the branded portfolio
space, Principal Hotels, will note that
he’s a stickler for bringing top-flight
food into his properties, and Treehouse
London is no outlier in this regard. On
the 15th floor is Madera, the sibling of
LA’s Toca Madera, which means a
plant-forward slant on Mexican fare
that here includes its innovative
“rocks”: lava stone hot plates serving
up everything from seafood to “vegan
beef”. The cocktails highlight a vast
selection of tequilas and mezcals, after
which things are likely to go up a gear,
thanks to the experiential programming
of the all-day dining space.
There are plans afoot (or should
that be aroot?) for more Treehouses
in the future, but for now the king
of the swingers is in London and
shouldn’t be missed. BPThe HotelClockwise from left:
Treehouse restaurant
Madera; Snow Owl,
Flamingo and egg in a
nest; La Morada; Papasito
and calamari frito;
a view from The Nest14-15 LANGHAM PLACE, LONDON W1.
0808 169 9481. TREEHOUSEHOTELS.COM04-20TasteTreehouse_3359642.indd 102 24/01/2020 15:57
92 GQ.CO.UK APRIL 2020