The Ned, London
Since it opened in 2017, The Ned became something more than the sum of its extremely alluring parts, a living legend that embodies, if not the spirit of London, at least one of her spirits: her brightest, most sparkling, most elegant self; witty, worldly and nostalgic. It's a dream sequence from a Blake Edwards film, in the best possible way. A grand and airy lobby, at once breathtaking and lively; the black and white marble floor gleaming. Intensely designed (thank you, Sir Edward ‘Ned’ Lutyens), partly theatrical (the center stage and live band), partly staggering (the Midlands bank remnants). Everything about this City of London landmark suggests cultivated refinement: rooms are adorned with fine antiques, views from higher floors are vast, the mahogany panelling is fantastic. It’s all overwhelmingly grand, but in the best way possible.
The Room
Our stay-cation began on the hotel’s Grade-I fifth floor in our large Heritage suite. Offering a taste of the building’s 1920’s heyday from when Midlands Bank occupied the property, our room contained all the existing accents and cornicing details of it’s pre-hotel days. Our room came fully furnished with a heritage walnut king-sized bed (with the most dreamy sheets I might add!), a fully furnished vintage bar cabinet with a Nespresso machine, and a mini boudoir. The bedroom is also fitted with a HD flatscreen Television accessible by QR code on your phone - truly putting control in your hands. The vintage radio (which I LOVED) kept us company with retro tunes whilst we got ready in the morning and for dinner, a touch I adored.
I particularly loved the bathroom element of the room. Fitted with an en-suite toilet with marbled fittings, the room also featured a separate bath suite for the rainforest shower and a mahogany-closed bathtub. The full array of cowshed products made each shower and bath time fun - I must’ve spent about a good 5 minutes pondering which scent to indulge in. There is also a separate range on display available for purchase.
Ned’s Club
Being a hotel guest at The Ned also gives you exclusive access to both Ned’s Club downstairs and upstairs. Downstairs features the former Midland Bank’s strongroom, home to the resident Vault Bar and lounge. The perfect spot for a nightcap and chance to schmooze with some of London’s most trendy crowd. As a blanket Soho House rule, no photos are allowed of any of the other guests or facilities - although the staff gave me a sweet exception.
Ned’s Club upstairs membership includes access to the Hotel’s terrace pool, bar and some of the best views of the City. We sipped on an old fashioned whilst enjoying a moody backdrop of London’s St Paul’s. We also had breakfast on Sunday on the delightful terrace restaurant. However, our dining experience at The Ned’ 8 restaurants warrant their own post.
The Gym and Spa
Perhaps the feature of our stay that has convinced me to apply for a Membership at The Ned is the state-of-the-art Gym and Spa.
The 620 square meter Gym comes fully equipped with Beaverfit training, a full set of free weights, monkey bars, climbing ropes, punch bags and machines for a killer workout. Set on the lowest floor of the building, the Gym is truly the Theatre of Dreams. As a member, personal training services and group classes are offered on a daily basis.
The Indoor spa facilities comes complete with a Sauna, traditional Moroccan Hammam room, and eight treatment rooms. Unfortunately due to the current pandemic, we were unable to experience the steam room and Hammam, but it just means we’ll have to come back for another visit when these do reopen.
Thank you to The Ned and the lovely Jen Harris for hosting us for our splendid Staycation - I can’t recommend this landmark London destination enough. Perhaps the grandest Hotel in the City, this experience was an absolute coup de théâtre of a weekend, but in the best way,
Address: 27 Poultry, London EC2R 8AJ