New-York based hospitality company, Sydell Group, opens NoMad London, the first international property for The NoMad Hotel brand, in the historic former Magistrate’s Court in the heart of London’s West End.
Located in Covent Garden, opposite The Royal Opera House, NoMad London takes residence in the Grade II-listed building famously known as The Bow Street Magistrates’ Court and Police Station. This is the brand’s most intimate property at 91 rooms including 21 suites, centred around several exquisite dining and drinking spaces in the NoMad tradition.
The property is the Sydell Group’s second venture in London, following the company’s partnership with Ron Burkle and Soho House to open The Ned. Sydell Group’s Founder Andrew Zobler, has earned a reputation for his ability to transform historic buildings into meaningful hospitality experiences that preserve their historic spirit and bring them back to new life. Sydell Group has partnered with Doha-based investment firm BTC to launch the London outpost.
Bringing together the finest creative talents in architecture, design, art curation, food, beverage, and hospitality, each NoMad explores the artistic, cultural and historic interplay between its home city of New York and European culture. In London, NoMad lends its residential warmth and casual elegance to the storied building, layering it with rich interiors and a playful spirit that is decidedly NoMad.
In collaboration with New York-based interior design studio, Roman and Williams, the transformation of the historic 19th century building draws inspiration from the building’s history and its location in Covent Garden, as well as exploring the artistic and cultural connection between London and New York. Grounded in this narrative, and an ethos rooted in creating voltage by uniting complementary forces, the masculine character of the historic architecture is animated with interjections of femininity, glamour, and a cosmopolitan spirit. This is expressed through richly textured fabrics, aesthetic woodwork and ethereal murals.
The opening of the hotel comes on the heels of Roman and Williams’ most recent opening of the British Galleries at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Robin Standefer, co-founder of Roman and Williams, says: “The spirit of the London NoMad is collected and fundamentally residential. It embraces a New Romanticism that has a powerful contrast with the grit and strength of the courthouse. From rich textured textiles to aesthetic inspired woodwork to ethereal murals, the space evokes a grand residence but always tempered with a bohemian spirit that Stephen and I infuse into every Roman and Williams project.”
Stephen Alesch, co-founder of Roman and Williams, says: “With all our projects we want people to feel comfortable and curious. On a journey of discovery that is familiar even if it’s from a dream they may have had. The Nomad is meant to be beautiful, bohemian and evocative all at once. The building is so powerful and remarkable that you are embraced by its strength, while the rich and textured interiors balance the bones. There is a tension between this muscularity and softness that creates a powerful narrative for the guest. There are many stories to discover and hopefully to create.”
NoMad London is also home to a world-class art programme that celebrates the influence of post-war American art and the European avant-garde. A collaboration with long-time Sydell creative partners, be-poles, the hotel accommodates a curation of over 1,600 collected and commissioned works by a variety of British and international artists that lends a deeply layered narrative to the hotel experience.
For the first time in a NoMad hotel, abstract art is featured in reference to the Abstract Expressionist movement, which represents a significant moment in New York’s influence on modern art.
Antoine Ricardou, founder of studio be-poles, says: “The art for NoMad London was carefully curated to explore the exchange of creative ideas between New York and London. The full collection is not only a unique ode to the neighborhood of Covent Garden and the Royal Opera House across the street, but to the NoMad’s American roots, creating a rich narrative that blends photographs, sculptures, ceramics, paintings, drawings and more.”
As in all NoMad properties, food and beverage plays an integral role in the experience with a host of dining and drinking experiences throughout and is overseen by Executive Chef Ashley Abodeely. The hospitality and dining room teams will be overseen by Food & Beverage Director and NoMad NYC opening alum, Chris Perone.
At the heart of the hotel, The NoMad Restaurant is housed in a lush, light-filled atrium evocative of an Edwardian greenhouse and is open five days a week (Tuesday to Saturday). Side Hustle is NoMad’s version of a British pub with a decidedly New York sensibility and a playful spirit, serving a menu of sharing plates paired with an agave-based list of spirits created by legendary mixologist Leo Robitschek and the award-winning NoMad Bar team.
The Library is the living room of the hotel where guests can enjoy light fare, coffee and tea, and cocktails amidst a thoughtful collection of books. Coming further down the line, Common Decency, is the first-ever NoMad lounge, and is nestled in a subterranean playground, offering a lively East London style craft cocktail bar complemented by elements of West End establishments.
NoMad London also offers over 9,000 square feet of elegant and adaptable space for weddings, events, meetings and private dining. The building’s original Magistrates’ Courtroom, now the Magistrates’ Ballroom, has been re-imagined as a formal space with two adjacent private dining rooms, a separate bar, and a dedicated entrance from the street using the original courtroom’s entrance.
A unique part of the hotel will also be the Bow Street Police Museum which pays homage to the building’s colourful past both as a police station for over 100 years and as a Magistrates’ Court.
Following government guidelines in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, NoMad London will adhere to regulations, including the appropriate PPE for restaurant and hotel personnel.
