One of London's grandest hotels is getting a new late-night destination. The Lanesborough, the neoclassical landmark on Hyde Park Corner, has brought in design studio 1508 London to convert its Garden Room into a dedicated cigar and whisky lounge. It's a natural next step for the partnership: the same studio recently overhauled the hotel's award-winning spa.
The brief is atmosphere. Think dark, layered and intimate rather than bright and breezy — a room that shifts character with the hours, described as uplifting in daylight and moodier after dark. Three ideas drive the design: an urban retreat that borrows calm from the park next door, craftsmanship in the materials, and a look built to age gracefully instead of chasing trends.
Arriving guests pass through a timber and brushed brass portal framing displays of rare whiskies and fine cigars, over a Pierre Frey carpet and stone floors in Portland Limestone, Verde Antique and Nero Marquina. The centrepiece is the whisky bar, lit by brass and crystal chandeliers, with a Patagonia quartzite countertop whose veining is meant to echo the organic theme. Antique mirrors, glazed joinery and rich timber panelling deepen the sense of enclosure, while a humidor by DeArt holds the cigar collection at the heart of the room.
Deeper in, the lounge proper leans into amber tones, gilded églomisé glass, decorated ceilings, leather armchairs from British designers and a feature fireplace. Plenty of planting runs through the space — a nod to the original Garden Room concept and a way of pulling the greenery of Hyde Park indoors.
For travellers, this is a reason to linger at the hotel rather than just sleep in it. Non-guests can typically book into The Lanesborough's bars and restaurants, so the lounge should work as a one-off splurge: a dram of something rare and a smoke in surroundings engineered for exactly that ritual. It also suits the hotel's location — a five-minute stroll from Hyde Park Corner tube, with the park itself ideal for walking off the evening (or earning the next round).
There's no opening date or menu pricing in the announcement yet, so treat it as one to watch if you're planning a London trip later in the year. Keep an eye on the hotel's site before booking afternoon tea or dinner if a post-dinner whisky is the point of the evening.
Studio partner Hamish Brown framed the project as a continuation of the hotel's exacting standards, and designer Ayomide Ogundeyin emphasised warm timber tones and layered materials designed for refined comfort. In other words: expect the opposite of a neon cocktail bar — this is quiet luxury with a humidor.
Story credit: Hotel Designs
