Looking across from Hyde Park, The Emory is a glassy box with protruding steel outriggers, somewhere between nautical and industrial. No red brick or Portland stone here, among so many other stalwart London hotels. The entrance to this one, down the Old Barracks Yard side street, is barely marked. Reception is just a little glass box, which most guests will arrive at in a virtually silent electric BMW i7. This is the latest offering from Maybourne, behind Claridge’s, The Connaught and The Berkeley next door. It’s remarkable for being London’s first all-suite hotel, and a departure of sorts for a group known mostly for heritage grandiosity.
But The Emory is most notable as one of the last projects of the late Pompidou architect Richard Rogers, who came up with the plan almost two decades ago with former Maybourne head Paddy McKillen. Six renowned interior designers were involved, with public spaces by superyacht designer Rémi Tessier. Four designers were given two floors each – André Fu (Claridge’s Spa), Pierre Yves Rochon (The Savoy), Alexandra Champalimaud (Raffles Singapore) and Patricia Urquiola (Six Senses Rome) – while the 300sqm penthouse is by London-based Rigby & Rigby. The Emory isn’t messing about, but it’s not shouty either. The word everyone uses is “discretion”, with guests able to rent out whole floors – something Louis Vuitton has already done for its top brass. One of the other main talking points is the longevity-focused Surrenne holistic spa, where guests and members have access to nutrition programmes by model-turned-nutritionist Rose Ferguson and skincare products and treatments by New York’s favourite plastic surgeon, Dr Lara Devgan, while trainers at the futuristic gym can go deep on biohacking or the function of the vagus nerve. Toby Skinner
