An 18th-century mansion on Piccadilly, once home to a duke, a prime minister and the legendary In & Out Club, is being transformed into one of London's most anticipated hotel openings. Cambridge House, Auberge Collection, is due to welcome its first guests in early 2027, with rates starting at £1,250 a night.
The building has serious pedigree. Queen Victoria visited, Lawrence of Arabia passed through, and James Bond creator Ian Fleming once drank there. The Reuben Brothers, the British hoteliers behind The Twenty Two, Burlington Arcade and Admiralty Arch, are spending £1 billion on the wider Piccadilly Estate regeneration, with Cambridge House as its centrepiece. Their stated aim is to protect the Georgian building's character while giving it a modern purpose.
Design duties have been split between two heavyweights: Jean-Louis Deniot, known for the Waldorf Astoria in New York, and Laura Gonzalez, whose recent work includes Casa Monti in Rome and Byblos in Saint-Tropez. Expect marble hallways, Palladian-style courtyards and gilded suites looking out over Green Park. The flagship Adolphus Suite, a nod to the Duke of Cambridge who lived here for nearly a century, pairs duck egg blue and cream with chandeliers and gold-rimmed mirrors.
The food and drink offering may be the real draw for non-guests. Major's, from the team behind New York's Carbone and Torrisi, will serve an American chophouse menu in the restored Georgian ballroom: seafood towers, caviar service and steaks sourced from British farmers and hunters. In fine weather, diners can move out to a jasmine-covered courtyard. There's also a signature bar with a serious wine cellar and a cocktail list boasting ten different martinis, a fitting tribute to the building's Fleming connection.
A three-floor wellness club and spa follows later in 2027, with a heated pool, hydrotherapy, six treatment rooms, a gym and a relaxation lounge. Even if a £1,250-a-night suite is out of reach, the restaurants and bar put this Mayfair landmark back on the map for anyone after a special occasion dinner or a very good martini a stroll from Green Park.